American beauty editors have long relied on cosmetic chemist Ron Robinson and his vast knowledge of ingredients and product formulations to help with their stories (including the one writing this sentence right now). Robinson has developed products for major companies like Clinique, Estée Lauder, Revlon, Avon, and L'Oréal, and in 2019, he finally shifted gears to start his own brand called BeautyStat. The debut product? BeautyStat Universal C Skin Refiner (£96), and it's officially arrived in the UK via Cult Beauty in July.
After being introduced to a new encapsulation technology that allowed him to better stabilise vitamin C (a notoriously finicky ingredient) and patenting it, Robinson was able to create a serum that contains 20 percent L-ascorbic acid that's delivered at full strength from the first to the very last drop (so the vitamin C won't degrade over time). A stabler form of the ingredient means the serum should brighten, firm, and improve skin texture better than your average vitamin C ingredient, and do all that without any irritation, even for those of us prone to sensitivity, according to the brand.