Review: Be Plain Vitamin Brightening Ampoule

Daily dose of multi-vitamins packed with vitamin-rich actives, all working together to protect, firm and energize the skin over time.

– Be Plain

This is an incredibly unique product – a light ampoule that absorbs quickly into the skin, and despite it’s mid-price point cost (around $21), it packs a lot of punch in its ingredients. I decided to purchase this product around 2 months ago and have since repurchased, enjoying its calming, moisturizing, and yes, brightening effects on my skin (NOT whitening though!! This is a melanin-loving house!). Eager to find a more complex replacement for The Ordinary’s Niacinamide serum, I’ve found this ampoule to be a great addition to my routine and well-matched for all skin types, especially those who are too sensitive for The Ordinary’s comparison.

Ingredient Pros and Cons

Ingredients: HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES (SEA BUCKTHORN) WATER (78%), NIACINAMIDE (5%), BUTYLENE GLYCOL, METHYLPROPANEDIOL, 1,2-HEXANEDIOL, BETAINE, HIPPOPHAE RHAMNOIDES OIL (100PPM), PANTHENOL (100PPM), ADENOSINE, SODIUM HYALURONATE, HYDROLYZED HYALURONIC ACID, ALLANTOIN, 3-O-ETHYL ASCORBIC ACID (1PPM), ASCORBIC ACID (0.1PPM), PERSEA GRATISSIMA (AVOCADO) OIL, TOCOPHEROL (0.1PPM), ASCORBIC ACID POLYPEPTIDE (0.1PPM), ASCORBYL GLUCOSIDE (0.1PPM), TRANEXAMIC ACID, ARBUTIN, BISABOLOL, HYDROGENATED LECITHIN, POLYGLYCERYL-10 STEARATE, POLYGLYCERYL-10 OLEATE, CARBOMER, TROMETHAMINE, XANTHAN GUM, FRUCTOOLIGOSACCHARIDES, BETA-GLUCAN, ETHYLHEXYLGLYCERIN, PIPER METHYSTICUM LEAF/ROOT/STEM EXTRACT, LAMINARIA JAPONICA EXTRACT, WATER, PULLULAN, ECLIPTA PROSTRATA LEAF EXTRACT

Significant Pros

• Hippophae Rhamnoides (sea buckthorn) Water (anti-inflammatory, skin-regenerative antioxidant)
• Niacinamide (acne and hyper pigmentation fighting)
• Butylene Glycol (moisturizing humectant)
• Methylpropandediol (moisturizing)
• Betaine (calming)
• Panthenol (100PPM) (calming, moisturizing)
• Tranexamic Acid (addresses hyper pigmentation – though it’s a small amount, I LOVE this ingredient)

Significant Cons

• Nothing, so long as you aren’t sensitive to plant extracts

The Takeaway

This is a really great product to try out – its top ingredients are wonderful for inflammatory and hyper-pigmentation prone skin, with other additives for a slight vitamin c and moisturizing punch. I would definitely recommend giving this a try in your routine, especially if you’re new to serums and still want to keep a minimalist routine.