C.Lavie Brightening Serum .21 Review

Ok heads up, y’all, I’m about to review a faaaaancy, high-end French facial serum that happens to be vegan, cruelty-free, and non-toxic. Usually when I rock my beauty products, I slather, smear, slop on dat ish like a wild beast without a care, but when I come across something that’s other level chichi and swankenstein, I like to sloooow things down and embrace the luxeness. This is exactly what I did with The C.Lavie Brightening Serum .21 (1 fl. oz, $98) that I discovered via The Detox Market (only place you can score this brand in the U.S.).

C.Lavie is a 100% natural origin French brand that uses potent and organic ingredients designed to yield results, suitable for all skin types.

If you guys follow my beauty woes, you know by now that I deal with hyperpigmentation and general redness. Yep, I have tons of age spots (they look freckle-y, but they ain’t freckles) and an overall rosy-ness that prevents me from feeling totally comfortable without makeup. I’ve been using brightening facial products for years and over time, I’ve definitely noticed an improvement. This serum has made its way into my beauty regimen and I’m almost certain I’ll be re-ordering when I run out because it’s quite impressive.

The signature ingredient in this serum is Siberian larch which is known to brighten and even skin tone by regulating melatonin production. It’s also anti-inflammatory and helps stimulates collagen production while reducing the appearance of red blotchiness. Other ingredients like tomato seed oil and jojoba oil help protect and nourish the skin. What I like most about this serum is that it’s not oily, watery, or gel-like (like most serums). It almost has the consistency of a liquid foundation (light and smooth in texture) which makes it easy to apply and it feels amazing on the skin.

Now while these ingredients for the most part are squeaky clean, I’m a bit disappointed/confused to see “parfum (fragrance)” in the mix. 🙁

From Environmental Working Group (EWG): The word “fragrance” or “parfum” on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants such as diethyl phthalate. Fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system.

Since C.Lavie markets themselves as a 100% all-natural beauty brand, I’d love to know what their fragrance blend is made up of. Fingers crossed that it’s essential oils. This serum does have a super light, natural seeming scent. I’ll dig a little deeper to see if I can find out some more info. I just wanted to point this out in case there are other “parfum” skeptics out there.

Anyhoo, given that possible hiccup, I’m still a huge fan of this serum. It feels luxurious, the ingredients are hard working, I love the glass packaging and branding, and I’m pretty much all about anything that’ll combat my blotchy, uneven skin tone… the struggle!

Which skin brightening cruelty-free products do you swear by? xo

Sample was provided for review. Opinions are my own. Post contains affiliate links.