Ole Henriksen Truth Serum is a vitamin C serum that promises to help brighten, firm, fight signs of aging, and deliver all-day hydration. It’s the brands #1 anti-aging serum. In fact, if you’d ask Ole which of his products he absolutely cannot live without, he would say Truth Serum.
Ole was inspired to create Truth Serum after meeting two-time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling and learning about his research on the effects of vitamin C on the immune system. Ole wanted to incorporate this “free radical scavenger” into his skincare philosophy, and that’s exactly what he did.
What are the Best Skin Care Products of 2024?
So what sets Ole Henriksen Truth Serum apart from other vitamin C serums? That’s exactly what we’ll discuss below in our Ole Henriksen Truth Serum review.
We’ll give you all the details on the key ingredients in this formula, as well as the research that supports (or doesn’t support) their use in skin care.
We’ll also share some Ole Henriksen Truth Serum reviews so that you can get an idea of what customers really think of this product.
Is Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Right For You?
Before we get into the details, here’s the TL;DR if you just want to know whether or not Ole Henriksen Truth Serum is right for you.
- Key ingredients? Vitamin C (sodium ascorbyl phosphate)
- Skin type? Recommended for all skin types
- Texture? Silky serum
- Fragrance? Yes
- Cruelty free? Yes
- Cost? $24 USD for 0.5 fl oz
Who is Ole Henriksen Truth Serum For?
While all skin types can use Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, this formula is ideal for those with hyperpigmentation, age spots, uneven skin tone, or dull complexion. It should also help improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
What Are The Key Ingredients in Ole Henriksen Truth Serum?
In order to determine how well Ole Henriksen Truth Serum performs, we’ll have to evaluate the key ingredients in this formula. Let’s get started.
Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Calcium Ascorbate (Vitamin C)
Ole Henriksen Truth Serum contains two stable vitamin C derivatives — sodium ascorbyl phosphate and calcium ascorbate — which the brand refers to as True-C Complex™.
Once sodium ascorbyl phosphate and calcium ascorbate are absorbed by the skin, they are both converted to ascorbic acid, the active form of vitamin C.
One way vitamin C provides benefits to the skin is by functioning as a potent antioxidant. Specifically, vitamin C donates electrons to neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as the superoxide ion and peroxide that are generated when the skin is exposed to UV light.
This is important because the harmful effects of ROS occur as direct chemical alterations of the cellular DNA, the cell membrane, and cellular proteins, including collagen. Damaged collagen manifests as signs of premature skin aging, including wrinkles, lines, and sagging skin. Therefore, Ole Henriksen Truth Serum should help to prevent these signs of aging.
Furthermore, research suggests that when vitamin C is applied to the skin, it significantly reverses aging-related structural changes by influencing collagen and elastin synthesis. Specifically, vitamin C serves as a cofactor for enzymes that are responsible for stabilizing and cross-linking the collagen molecules.
According to the Indian Dermatology Online Journal, clinical studies have shown that the topical use of vitamin C increases collagen production in both young and aged human skin. Once again, by increasing the amount of collagen in the skin, signs of aging will be diminished and the skin will appear more firm.
Vitamin C also helps to promote a brighter complexion with fewer dark spots and a more even skin tone by inhibiting melanin synthesis. Melanin is a pigment that gives our skin color, but too much of this pigment can lead to undesirable dark spots called hyperpigmentation.
Vitamin C decreases melanin formation by inhibiting tyrosinase, an enzyme that is required for melanin synthesis. The result is skin that appears brighter with less dark spots and a more even skin tone.
Hydrolyzed Collagen
You may already know that collagen is the protein that keeps your skin looking firm and youthful, which may cause you to look for skin care products that include collagen.
Before you do that, here’s what you need to know: collagen is a very large, complex molecule with long chains of amino acids that form a triple helix structure. This inhibits the protein from being absorbed deeper than the epidermis (the uppermost layer of skin).
So if collagen can’t penetrate deep into the skin, should you just forget about using collagen skin care products? Not necessarily.
One way to get around this issue is to look for products that contain hydrolyzed collagen, such as the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum.
Hydrolyzed collagen has been broken down into smaller chains of amino acids called peptides. It is theorized that topical application of these collagen precursors may increase collagen production (if the peptides make their way down into the dermis). However, this theory has not been proven.
While we wait for more research to be done on the topical application of hydrolyzed collagen, it’s still a good ingredient to use because we know for sure that the peptides will hydrate the skin.
Synthetic Fragrance
One issue with Ole Henriksen Truth Serum is the high concentration of a synthetic fragrance blend in this formula. In fact, there’s more fragrance in this serum than the “key” ingredients like aloe, hydrolyzed collagen, and green tea.
While this fragrance blend creates a pleasant scent, these ingredients have the potential to cause skin irritation and sensitivity.
Furthermore, the use of synthetic fragrance ingredients can be a problem because the brand can use a proprietary blend of chemicals to create the fragrance. On average, this consists of 30 to 50 chemicals (but it can have as much as 200 components).
Want to know the worst part? The brand does not have to disclose which chemicals they use on the label. They are allowed to list this blend as “Fragrance (Parfum)” on the ingredient list.
A 2018 study by Women’s Voices for the Earth discovered that in over 3,000 chemicals reportedly used for fragrances, 1,242 were chemicals of concern – and that included at least 7 possible carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents.
How to Use Ole Henriksen Truth Serum?
Apply evenly to face and neck daily.
Where to Buy Ole Henriksen Truth Serum?
Ole Henriksen Truth Serum and other Ole Henriksen skin care products are sold on the brand’s website (olehenriksen.com), as well as numerous third party online retailers, such as Sephora, Amazon, Walmart, and more.
How Much is Ole Henriksen Truth Serum?
Ole Henriksen Truth Serum costs $24 USD for 0.5 oz.
What is The Ole Henriksen Return Policy?
The Ole Henriksen return policy states, “If you are not completely satisfied with your OLEHENRIKSEN purchase or gift for any reason, you may return it for a full refund within 60 days of the original purchase date without paying return shipping or handling fees.”
Is Ole Henriksen Cruelty Free?
Yes, Ole Henriksen is cruelty free. The brand does not test finished products or ingredients on animals, and neither do their suppliers or any third-parties. Ole Henriksen also does not sell their products where animal testing is required by law.
Ole Henriksen Truth Serum Reviews
Ole Henriksen Truth Serum reviews on the brand’s website are mostly positive, with the product receiving an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars after more than 800 customer reviews.
There are many 5-star reviews for Ole Henriksen Truth Serum from customers who love that it really helps to fade dark spots while also smoothing and brightening the complexion.
For example, one review says, “I love this product! It smells amazing, dries fast, it does not leave a sticky residue and mixes well with my other skincare products. After a week of using this product I recognized my skin looked brighter and it was getting rid of my hyperpigmentation really fast. It’s definitely worth a try.”
And another 5-star review says, “I have been using truth serum for years and will not go without it…ever! It keeps sun damage at bay, brightens and smooths my skin! I LOVE IT!”
However, there are a handful of negative reviews for the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, which are mostly from customers who experienced side effects from this serum, such as dryness, irritation, and itching.
For example, one review says, “I kept seeing youtube reviews for this so I bought it hoping it would help with fine lines and brightening. I used it for 2 weeks and it completely dried out my skin and emphasized my fine lines to full on wrinkles! I also started getting bumpy texture on my face, which may have been a reaction from my skin drying out. I have dry, olive-toned skin. I would not recommend it for drier skin types. My face is still recovering from using this. I also hated the smell. It smelled like artificial oranges.”
Another 1-star review says, “Couple hours after I applied the serum, my face started itching, my skin turned red and had tiny bumps all over my face. I washed my face 3 to 4 times, still kept itching. Took 2-3 days to recover.”
Our Verdict
Overall, we don’t recommend Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, primarily because of the high concentration of fragrance in this product.
Pros
- Beneficial key ingredients (vitamin C, hydrolyzed collagen, aloe, etc.)
- Many positive Ole Henriksen Truth Serum reviews
- Ole Henriksen is cruelty free
Cons
- High concentration of synthetic fragrance blend
What Are Some Alternatives to Ole Henriksen Truth Serum?
If you’re looking for skin care products to address the signs of aging, one brand we recommend is Formulyst. Formulyst maximizes the use of powerful ingredients and minimizes the use of superficial ones, resulting in clinically advanced skin care solutions that help promote healthy, more youthful-looking skin.
For example, Formulyst’s Anti-Aging Concentrate can help to address multiple signs of aging at once. This serum contains natural ingredients like squalane, green tea, vitamin C, and vitamin E, which provide powerful antioxidant activity to protect the skin against environmental free radicals that are known to degrade collagen. In addition, this serum contains Matrixyl 3000, a peptide complex that works to restore and maintain the skin’s youthful appearance by signaling to cells to produce more collagen.
Another brand that balances the power of plants with cutting edge science is Carrot & Stick. Not only is Carrot & Stick good for your skin, it is also good for the environment as the formulas skip harmful chemicals commonly found in skincare products.
Fans of simple skincare should try Deep Science. Deep Science products are formulated with a few key ingredients that are the heavy lifters of skincare formulations.
References:
Nutrients. 2017 Aug; 9(8): 866.
Indian Dermatol Online J. 2013 Apr-Jun; 4(2): 143–146.
