Ole Henriksen has been chasing glow since 1975, and vitamin C has been the recurring center of gravity in that chase for almost the brand's entire life. So when a niacinamide-paired vitamin C serum landed in the Peach Glaze Glow line, the question was never whether a brand with fifty years of brightening credentials could execute the concept. It was which vitamin C chemistry they'd choose, and what that choice would signal about their priorities, because the form of vitamin C a formulator reaches for tells you more about their philosophy than any marketing line.
The answer here is 3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid, one of the more interesting stable derivatives in modern cosmetic chemistry. It's far more shelf-stable than pure L-ascorbic acid, noticeably gentler, and converts to active vitamin C once it's on the skin, with documented antioxidant and melanin-modulating activity. The trade-off is honest and worth stating plainly: gram for gram it isn't as potent as a well-built L-ascorbic acid serum at a low pH. What you gain is stability and tolerance, what you give up is peak strength. For anyone who's struggled with the sting and acidity of pure vitamin C, or watched a bottle of it oxidize into a brown liquid weeks after opening, that's often a very sensible bargain. This is a derivative pitched at long-term daily use, not at chasing the highest number on the label.
Niacinamide pairs with the derivative for complementary brightening and barrier support, and the old myth that the two can't share a formula was always built on flawed legacy research that modern stable products like this one quietly disprove. Underneath the two stars sits a thoughtful hydration system: sodium hyaluronate and sodium polyglutamate cover multi-weight humectant water-binding, and tremella fuciformis, the silver-ear mushroom polysaccharide, holds water at a molecular scale comparable to hyaluronic acid, which is a legitimately elegant touch. Kakadu plum, one of the most vitamin-C-dense botanicals in the world, adds antioxidant load on top of the synthetic derivative, with tocopherol rounding out the antioxidant complex. Peach and cloudberry juice return as the line's signature glow narrative, and a bit of mica supplies visual sparkle, which some will appreciate as an instant glow and others will see as decoration in a treatment serum.
In use, it delivers exactly the experience the name promises: a lightweight, peach-tinted serum that absorbs quickly and leaves a soft, mica-assisted radiance that settles cleanly under moisturizer and makeup. The 30ml pump bottle is sanitary and does the vitamin C derivative's stability a favor by keeping air and light out, and used across both morning and night it tends to last roughly two to three months. Hydration and glow are immediate; the actual brightening and tone-evening are the patient kind, building over four to eight weeks of consistent use, which is the realistic timeline for a derivative-plus-niacinamide approach.
Where it stumbles is the same place a lot of pretty serums do. There's parfum in here, along with Yellow 5 and Red 40 cosmetic dyes, and for sensitive, rosacea-prone, or reactive skin that's a genuine drawback rather than a footnote. None of those additions do anything for your skin; they exist to make the product smell and look like the peach fantasy on the box. The serum also isn't fungal-acne-safe, thanks to soybean oil and several fatty esters that can feed Malassezia, so it's a poor fit for anyone managing that. These aren't fatal flaws, but they do narrow the audience and slightly undercut the otherwise sensible formulation.
It's worth dwelling for a moment on why the derivative choice is the right read of this product rather than a compromise to apologize for. The niacinamide-and-vitamin-C pairing has been studied enough in modern formulations to put the old can't-mix myth firmly to bed, and tremella's water-holding capacity genuinely rivals hyaluronic acid at comparable molecular weights, so the hydration architecture here isn't filler, it's doing real work. Where the honesty has to come in is on expectations: a stable derivative is a slow, steady performer, not a dramatic one, and the brightening it delivers accrues quietly across weeks rather than announcing itself. With around 800 reviews behind it and a 2024 launch, this is a product with a moderate but not yet deep track record, which is why its assessment leans as much on the strength of the formula and the brand's five decades of vitamin C lineage as on a mountain of user data. That's a reasonable footing, and it's why the serum reads as genuinely good rather than spectacular.
Value is the honest sticking point. At forty-five dollars for 30ml, you're paying premium money for what is, at its core, a stable-derivative vitamin C plus niacinamide in a nicely hydrating base. The active chemistry is sound and the supporting cast is more considered than budget rivals, but comparable derivative-based brightening serums exist at a fraction of the price for shoppers buying purely on ingredients. What the higher price buys you is the heritage, the aesthetic polish, the peach-glow sensory experience, and a brand with real vitamin C lineage behind it, which is a fair trade for some people and an unnecessary markup for others. The scores reflect exactly that tension: good actives, decent breadth, low-to-moderate irritation risk, but value held in check by the fragrance, the dyes, and the price tag.
Who should reach for it: normal, combination, or dry skin that enjoys the peach-glow aesthetic, doesn't react to fragrance or dyes, and wants a gentle, stable vitamin C they can use daily without babysitting it. Who should skip it: sensitive or reactive skin, value-first shoppers who care only about active chemistry, and anyone chasing the maximum brightening punch of a strong L-ascorbic acid serum. Judged for what it is rather than what the price implies, it's a perfectly pleasant, well-constructed glow serum, just not a bargain.
