Every day, the skin is exposed to oxidative stress.
Ultraviolet radiation, pollution, visible light, and the natural byproducts of cellular metabolism all contribute to the free radicals associated with visible skin ageing, diminished radiance, and reduced resilience over time. The skin has its own antioxidant defenses, but they are not infinite.
That is why Advanced Vitamin C + Multi-Peptides Serum was built as a system — not around one antioxidant, but around a more complete architecture designed to support the skin across multiple layers of defense.
Why Vitamin C Is the Foundation — But Not the Whole Story
Vitamin C remains one of skincare’s most trusted antioxidants, known for helping visibly brighten the complexion, support a more even-looking tone, and reinforce the skin’s natural collagen environment. Its role is foundational for good reason.
But in modern formulation, Vitamin C is most compelling when it is part of a larger system.
A more advanced antioxidant serum is not defined by concentration alone. It is defined by the forms selected, the way they work together, and the network of complementary actives that support stability, breadth, and visible performance over time.
That is the architecture behind this formula.
Two Forms of Vitamin C. Two Pathways. One Broader Expression.
Advanced Vitamin C + Multi-Peptides Serum uses two forms of Vitamin C, chosen for the different ways they interact with the skin.
THD Ascorbate
THD Ascorbate is a lipid-soluble form of Vitamin C valued for its stability and its compatibility with the skin’s lipid-rich barrier. In this formula, it supports the antioxidant system through the lipid phase while contributing to skin that appears brighter, firmer, and more refined with continued use.
Ethylated L-Ascorbic Acid
Ethylated L-Ascorbic Acid is a stabilized derivative of L-ascorbic acid used for its balance of stability and surface-level antioxidant performance. In this serum, it helps support visible radiance and antioxidant activity at the level where daily environmental stress first lands.
Together at 20%
Used together at a combined 20% concentration, these two forms create a broader antioxidant expression than either would alone: one working through the lipid phase, the other through the water phase, both supporting a complexion that appears brighter, smoother, and more resilient over time.
Two pathways. One more complete Vitamin C system.
The Amplification Layer
A dual Vitamin C complex is the foundation of this formula’s antioxidant strategy. What extends that foundation is a supporting network of complementary actives chosen to stabilise, broaden, and reinforce the formula’s overall defense environment.
Ferulic Acid - is one of Vitamin C's most important formulation partners. In published research, it has been shown to improve the stability of antioxidant solutions containing vitamins C and E while enhancing photoprotective performance.¹
Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) - is an antioxidant enzyme associated with the body's own defense against superoxide radicals. In topical skincare, it is used to help support the skin's antioxidant environment in a way that complements more familiar antioxidant molecules.²
Resveratrol - is a polyphenol antioxidant studied for its association with skin resilience and radiance. Here, it adds another layer of antioxidant support while helping sustain a more luminous, even-looking complexion over time.³
Coenzyme Q10 - is a naturally occurring compound involved in cellular energy production and valued in skincare for its antioxidant role. In this formula, it helps support the broader environment in which the skin's renewal processes take place.⁴
The System, Working as a Whole
What makes this antioxidant design distinctive is not any one ingredient in isolation, but the relationship between them.
The dual Vitamin C complex provides antioxidant support across two pathways. Ferulic Acid helps reinforce stability and performance. Superoxide Dismutase supports the enzymatic antioxidant environment. Resveratrol broadens the polyphenol layer. CoQ10 supports the metabolic conditions that help the skin function at its best.
Each ingredient has a role. Together, they form a more complete defense system — one designed to support the skin against oxidative stress in a layered, considered way.
The Bio-Adaptive Renewal Complex: Renew
Every African Botanics formula carries a botanical layer — and in Advanced Vitamin C + Multi-Peptides Serum, that layer is built around three actives that reflect both the brand’s global formulation perspective and its deep roots in South African botanical science.
Bakuchiol - is a plant-derived active extracted from the seeds of the Psoralea corylifolia plant and widely associated in cosmetic research with supporting the visible appearance of smoother-, firmer-looking skin through a retinol-like pathway, without the irritation often associated with conventional retinoids. In this formula, Bakuchiol broadens the serum’s renewal profile while helping make it more suitable for skin that does not tolerate retinoids well.
It is paired here with two actives that are distinctly South African.
Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) - is an indigenous South African plant with a documented antioxidant profile built around compounds such as aspalathin and nothofagin. These flavonoids are associated with visible skin resilience and radiance while grounding the formula in a botanical identity specific to African Botanics.⁵
Honeybush (Cyclopia) - is a close botanical relative of Rooibos, also native to the South African Cape region, with its own polyphenol-rich antioxidant profile and studied for its role in skin adaptability and vitality.⁶
Together, Bakuchiol, Rooibos, and Honeybush form a renewal complex that is both global and grounded: a modern botanical active paired with two ingredients that belong specifically to the landscape this brand calls home.
Botanical intelligence from one continent, and a precision-minded approach to formulation from another.
What This Means for Skin
The antioxidant architecture of this serum is designed to support visible radiance, clarity, resilience, and renewal through a more complete antioxidant environment.
From early use, skin can appear more luminous and more even. With consistent application, that effect becomes less about surface brightness alone and more about the visible qualities associated with healthier-looking skin: clarity, smoothness, firmness, and resilience.
Skin that radiates better with time.
References
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Lin FH, Lin JY, Gupta RD, et al. "Ferulic acid stabilises a solution of vitamins C and E and doubles its photoprotection of skin." Journal of Investigative Dermatology. 2005;125(4):826–832.
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Maier CM, Chan PH. "Role of superoxide dismutases in oxidative damage and neurodegenerative disorders." The Neuroscientist. 2002;8(4):323–334.
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Ratz-Łyko A, Arct J. "Resveratrol as an active ingredient for cosmetic and dermatological applications." Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy. 2019;21(2):84–90.
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Žmitek K, Pogačnik T, Mervic L, et al. "The effect of dietary intake of coenzyme Q10 on skin parameters and condition." BioFactors. 2017;43(1):132–140.
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Joubert E, de Beer D. "Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) beyond the farm gate: from herbal tea to potential phytopharmaceutical." South African Journal of Botany. 2011;77(4):869–886.
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Joubert E, Joubert ME, Bester C, et al. "Honeybush (Cyclopia spp.): from local cottage industry to global markets." South African Journal of Botany. 2011;77(4):888–900.
The Advanced Vitamin C + Multi-Peptides Serum · 30ml · Made in South Africa · africanbotanics.com