Go-To’s Vitamin C Serum Is the Ticket to Glow Central and I’m Firmly on the Train

When Go-To reached out and asked if I wanted to trial a new product before its release to the public, I jumped at the opportunity. The Australian brand is known for its no-fuss, effective skincare that has earned a cult following across the world. And, this new product is a little more “grown-up” for the brand, as Go-To founder Zoë Foster Blake described it to me during a recent interview.

The product in question is Much Brighter Skin ($59), a brightening vitamin C serum that marks the brand’s first foray into the world of serums. As an avid vitamin C user, I was stoked to discover this was the latest addition to the Go-To lineup and was intrigued to see how the product performed.

Vitamin C serums are one of my favourite products to test because of how different each one is. The consistency, colour, texture and smell of each vitamin C is entirely unique and is most likely down to the form of antioxidant the brand uses in its formulation.

For example, Go-To uses sodium ascorbyl phosphate in Much Brighter Skin, while other products like Drunk Elephant’s C-Firma Fresh Day Serum uses l-ascorbic acid. As such, and I say this with true excitement, because of the vitamin C used in the Go-To product, it doesn’t smell like hotdogs — like many other vitamin C products do. How good!

In fact, it smells much more like a garden, which is how Foster Blake describes the scent. The smell and texture were the first two things I was most interested in experiencing and upon first use, the smell won me over. It definitely smells fresh and a little sweet and green-like. I lack the words to fully describe it but it’s a pleasant smell, for sure.

This particular form of vitamin C is also highly stable, anti-microbial and gentle on your skin, so you shouldn’t experience any irritation when using it. Some vitamin C products can be a little more bothersome for skin (simply due to the form of the vitamin C and the amount used) but this is gentle enough for beginners to use.

As for the texture, it’s lightweight and gel-like so it doesn’t take long to rub into the skin and it sinks in fairly quickly as well. Each time I’ve used this product, I’ve followed it up with SPF and it layers wonderfully under sunscreen. Most importantly, I haven’t experienced any pilling.

I’ve tested it under makeup as well and had the same outcome. It creates a lovely canvas on the skin and doesn’t interfere with your makeup at all. My skin is on the drier side and I felt like Much Brighter Skin offered a nice dose of hydration and radiance, especially when layered under makeup.

Now, for the brightening! As the name suggests, this baby promises to brighten your complexion while also targeting hyperpigmentation and dark spots caused by acne, UV damage or hormonal changes. I don’t personally have a lot of hyperpigmentation on my face, so I can’t really speak to these benefits but I can say that the radiance is definitely a noticeable outcome of using Much Brighter Skin.

My skin has looked more luminous and bright since using this beauty and the addition of niacinamide and hyaluronic acid to the formula has helped up my skin’s hydration levels, which in turn, has made it feel and look more bouncy and supple.

The price point of Much Brighter Skin also gets a big tick for me, coming in at $59. Vitamin C serums can be pricey — with many costing over $100 — so I love that this product is relatively affordable and accessible for those wishing to incorporate vitamin C into their skincare routine but aren’t sure where to start. In short, I really love it.

To pick up your own Much Brighter Skin baby, you can head to the Go-To website or shop via MECCA.