Supergoop's Daily Dose Serum Has Streamlined My Entire Morning Routine

• Value: 16/20
• Functionality: 19/20
• Ease of Use: 20/20
• Aesthetics: 20/20
• Blendability: 20/20
• TOTAL: 95/100

There was a time when the only vitamin C I really cared about was the ginger-haired pop singer behind the (now) immortalized bop, Graduation Day. Fast forward to 2021 (which still sounds like a made-up year, by the way) and I am a 33-year-old woman who thinks about how vitamin C is a necessary step in my skincare regimen. Ahh, how time flies...and oh how priorities change. 

Regardless of age or association, the fact remains that vitamin C is a superstar. 

When used in your daily routine, the potent antioxidant brightens up your complexion, while protecting your skin from environmental damage. And here’s where the ingredient is just plain flexing: Vitamin C has also been shown to help keep your skin firm by decreasing the breakdown of collagen and stabilizing its fibers. Again, vitamin C is a superstar. 

The one downside to it is that it’s notoriously finicky and tends to degrade or oxidize quickly when exposed to air or sunlight, which makes it less effective on the whole.

This is exactly what led the folks at Supergoop to the labs, where they worked for three years on what is now Daily Dose, the first hybrid serum that combines the brightening powers of a stabilized vitamin C with the protection of a broad spectrum sunscreen.

As Sofia Gracia, head of product development for the brand explains: "Think of the framework of a house. Your skin is like the frame, antioxidants are like the insulation and then SPF is like the roof. SPF (the roof) is the strongest layer of protection against the sun’s UV rays, and it also helps vitamin C (the insulation) do its job even better."

Truthfully, the science alone piqued my interest but it’s the pure enjoyment and ease of using the stuff that’s got me on my second bottle.

Daily Dose comes in a squat, sunny bottle that reminds me of a mini submarine, and has a pump top that dispenses a thin, milky serum that spreads easily over your skin.

I smooth it on after washing my face in the morning and I’m set for a day of working in my living room. There is no white cast or chalkiness whatsoever, but it does leave behind a noticeable sheen that makes my skin look more awake (even through a computer screen).

On most days, it’s the only step in my morning routine, so I’ll apply a generous amount (typically four to five pumps) and on the rare occasion that I want to add a little color or if I’m feeling especially dry, I’ll scale it back to two pumps and layer a moisturizer or cc cream on top.

The only knock I have on it is that at just under 50 bucks a pop, it’s definitely a splurge, but if you use it to replace your vitamin C serum and sunscreen, it softens the blow a little.

TL;DR I appreciate that Daily Dose streamlines my mornings, protects my skin and gives me a nice glow whenever I use it.