I have been going crazy for vitamin C products this last year or so. When Pacifica launched the Glow Baby collection, I knew I’d have to try at least one of the products. That’s because the collection features vitamin C! After looking through each of the products, I decided to try Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion because it was the one with the most impressive ingredients, that I also had a need for in my collection. If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you know ingredients are #1 in my eyes!
Vitamin C is best applied in the daytime, so I was hoping this moisturizer would be light enough for use in my morning skincare routine. It was a bit thicker than expected and I have combination skin, so I am now using it at night instead. That doesn’t make it a bad product in any way, however. Pacifica states that this lotion can be used day or night, and I think that will vary by skin type.
Please continue reading for a full review of Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion! I’ll go into detail about packaging, hydration, how this lotion layers with other products, ingredients, and price.
Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion product claims directly from PacificaBeauty.com
Hydrated skin is glowing skin. Powered by our Brightfirm ComplexTM, this formula is packed with multiple forms of Vitamin C, plant extracts and Vitamin E to help visibly brighten, firm, and reduce the appearance of signs of photoaging. Find your glow, no filters needed. Lightweight non-greasy formula.
Disclosure: IntegriBeauty includes affiliate links within product review posts. I receive commissions for purchases made through these links at no additional cost to you. Additionally, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. IntegriBeauty is independently owned and all products discussed within IntegriBeauty product review posts are thoroughly tested and given honest reviews.
Other product details
- Price: $15.00
- Net weight: 1.7 oz. | 50 ml
- Made in the USA
- Cruelty-free
- Vegan
- Appropriate for all skin types
- Formulated without parabens, phthalates, SLS or mineral oil
- Shelf life: 12 months
- Where to buy: PacificaBeauty.com or Amazon.com
- PacificaBeauty.com ships to the USA and Canada only.
- Amazon.com ships internationally to over 100 countries, but not all items will ship to every country. Update your default shipping address to see items that will ship to your location.
- Overall rating: 8.4/10
- Packaging/ease of application: 10/10
- Hydration: 10/10
- Team player: 5/10
- Ingredients: 7/10
- Price: 10/10
Please note that I am not a skincare professional. I am simply an individual that enjoys learning about and using skincare products. Speak to your dermatologist or esthetician if you have any concerns.
Packaging/ease of application
If there’s one thing Pacifica does consistently, it’s beautiful packaging. Every time I pick up Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion I think I make googly eyes at it because it is just so pretty! It comes in a glass bottle which makes it feel luxurious. Not only that, but it’s also frosted glass and the orange color fades out toward the bottom for an ombre effect.
The pump dispenser is also great! It makes getting the right amount of lotion very easy. I especially appreciate the pump because the sensitive ingredients in the product inside are protected from exposure to the air. The lotion is mostly protected from light as well, though some may still get in through the bottom of the bottle since it’s translucent there.
I’m not taking any points off for this, but I wouldn’t advise travelling with this product, for a couple of reasons. First, the bottle is glass. While the glass does feel reasonably heavy, it could still shatter if not protected sufficiently. Next, the pump does lock, however, there is no cap to keep it locked. It could easily become unlocked in a bag and leak on your belongings.
Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion looks just like most moisturizers. It’s white and creamy. It’s definitely heavier than I was first expecting. Not in a bad way, but it does take a little extra effort to work into the skin compared to the moisturizers that I normally use in my morning skincare routine. I don’t mind the extra time this lotion takes to apply in my nighttime skincare routine, so that’s one reason I started using this primarily at night.
Overall, this is an easy skincare product to use. I think those with dry skin would probably appreciate the richness of the formula more than I do. With my combination skin, in the mornings I tend to prefer more lightweight moisturizers like Versed Dew Point Moisturizing Gel-Cream that barely take any effort to apply.
Hydration
You can probably already guess how hydrating Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion is based on the previous section where I discussed its texture! It feels quite hydrating on the skin, and it provides just the right amount of moisture for me at night. I think it would probably work best during the daytime for people with dry skin who are seeking more moisture throughout the day.
I’ll give you a brief preview of some of the ingredients in this lotion. In the top five ingredients, there are three that work to hydrate the skin. They are aloe leaf juice, sunflower seed oil, and glycerin. These ingredients aren’t always included in such a high concentration, but it’s good to see!
I think this section is highly subjective depending on skin type and what time of day you plan to use this product. Those with dry skin would probably enjoy it during the daytime and possibly at night also. On the other hand, people with oily skin may think it’s too hydrating for use during the day, but may still enjoy it at night.
Team player
I mentioned that I switched from using Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion in the morning, to using it at night, because of the texture and level of hydration. That’s not the end of that story, though. Another reason I started using it at night is because it wasn’t getting along with my morning skincare!
I could usually get it to apply well enough over my first couple of skincare products, but it pilled and flaked every time I applied my sunscreen on top of it! I would do my best to brush all those little bits away, but I’d still sometimes find more later in the day and it looked awful. Applying foundation then was also complicated.
Time for me to go off on a little tangent for a sec. My husband doesn’t pay any attention to my makeup or skincare unless I specifically ask him questions. I was shocked when
one day, he said I had something on my face. He thought it was a bit of dried up makeup. I was confused because I wasn’t wearing any makeup that day. I looked in the mirror and sure enough, it was my sunscreen that pilled because of this lotion!
I am frustrated that this product doesn’t work better with other products. Fortunately, I don’t experience that pilling nearly as often when I use this lotion at night. When I do have some pilling, it doesn’t bother me so much if I’m just going to bed!
Ingredients
Vitamin C is definitely the standout ingredient in Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion, but there’s a lot more to it than that! I researched every ingredient in this product to share with you the good, the neutral, and the bad. Here’s the list of all 20 ingredients:
aqua, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, caprylic/capric triglyceride, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, glycerin, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), boswellia serrata resin extract, terminalia ferdinandiana (kakadu plum) fruit extract, glyceryl stearate, cetyl alcohol, stearic acid, glyceryl stearate citrate, phenoxyethanol, tocopherol (vitamin E), xanthan gum, bisabolol, ethylhexylglycerin, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel extract, vanilla planifolia fruit extract, citrus tangerina (tangerine) peel extract
When I research ingredients, I classify them as “good,” “neutral,” or “bad.” While ingredients in that “bad” category are always disappointing to see, overall this lotion has a healthy balance of all three types of ingredients. Eight of the ingredients (that’s 40%!) are “good” ingredients that benefit the skin. Nine ingredients are neutral, which means they neither benefit or harm the skin. Lastly, there are three ingredients that are “bad,” which simply means they have the potential to be sensitizing.
I’ll provide brief descriptions of the eight good ingredients first (please note that my primary resources for ingredient information are INCI Decoder and Paula’s Choice Ingredient Dictionary):
- Aloe barbadensis leaf juice
- Moisturizer
- Anti-inflammatory
- Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil
- Improves damaged or irritated skin barrier
- Loaded with fatty acids
- Good for all skin types
- Glycerin
- Natural moisturizer
- Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
- Purest and most researched form of vitamin C (aka L-ascorbic acid)
- Potent antioxidant
- High concentrations are effective at evening out skin tone
- Terminalia ferdinandiana (kakadu plum) fruit extract
- Antioxidant
- High vitamin C content
- Tocopherol (vitamin E)
- Antioxidant
- Strengthens skin barrier
- Provides some UVB protection
- Bisabolol
- Skin-soothing
- Vanilla planifolia fruit extract
- Contains antioxidants
- Skin-soothing
I was absolutely shocked to see ascorbic acid so close to the top of the list! As the purest form of vitamin C, ascorbic acid is also the most potent. Being included at a reasonably high concentration, it’s very likely to make a real difference in the appearance of skin! Vitamin C has many functions, but a couple of the most exciting ones are its brightening effect and its ability to fade dark spots to even out skin tone.
The other “good” ingredients listed are also exciting to see! The moisturizing ingredients are obviously important in this type of product, but the antioxidants provide great protection against free radical damage. The soothing ingredients are a nice addition as well because they can work to calm the skin.
The “neutral” ingredients are common ones found in skincare products. They support the formula’s texture and shelf life. These ingredients are things like solvents, emollients, thickeners, and preservatives.
Moving on to the unpleasant part, the “bad” ingredients. The first is an ingredient I’d never encountered before: boswellia serrata resin extract. This extract is skin-soothing, but it contains fragrant components that could be sensitizing. Next up is citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) peel extract which is added for its fragrance and could be sensitizing. Noticing a trend? The last “bad” ingredient is another potential skin-sensitizer: citrus tangerina (tangerine) peel extract. This one is an astringent, but it is also used for its fragrance.
It is slightly concerning that the boswellia serrata resin extract is so high up on the list. However, I checked EWG’s Skin Deep database and it gives boswellia serrata extract (may be slightly different from boswellia serrata resin extract) a score of “1” which indicates minimal risk. The two citrus fragrance ingredients are at the bottom of the list, so I don’t think they are likely to be problematic for many people. I’d also like to note here that the citrus scent is very subtle, so if scented skincare products bother you, this one likely won’t.
Price
Pacifica came through for us yet again to make Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion so affordable! It’s hard to believe this product is only $15.00 ($8.82/ounce). Vitamin C has become increasingly popular, and as a result many products featuring vitamin C are quite expensive. Fortunately, Pacifica stayed true to its regular drugstore pricing and kept this lotion reasonably priced!
I looked through some other moisturizers that feature vitamin C and my findings were interesting. First of all, most are $20+. Many of them contain vitamin C derivatives instead of the tried and true ascorbic acid, which is in this Pacifica lotion. Lastly, many of them are not cruelty-free! After looking at these other products, I definitely think Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion is a special product that’s well-worth the price.
Other products in the Glow Baby collection
Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion is a fairly recent launch, but the collection actually began quite a while ago with Pacifica Glow Baby Booster Serum. Now the collection includes four products to help you get your glow on! In addition to the lotion that I’ve just reviewed, the collection includes these products:
- Glow Baby Brightening Face Wash $10.00
- Glow Baby Brightening Peel Pads 10% AHA + BHA $14.00
- Glow Baby Booster Serum $16.00
- Glow Baby Body Peel $14.00
If you’re interested in the four skincare products (not including the Glow Baby Body Peel), you can save some money by purchasing all of them in the Glow Baby Bundle for $45.00! This is a great bargain and a good idea if you’re looking to start a whole new skincare regimen, as these products may be even more effective when used together.
Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion isn’t exactly what I expected it to be, but that’s OK! I’ve enjoyed using it every night for the past couple of weeks. I appreciate the hydration and antioxidants it provides, and its affordable price. Even more importantly, I’m thrilled that all of Pacifica’s products, including this one, are cruelty-free and vegan!
In Pacifica’s product claims, they state that the vitamin C, plant extracts, and vitamin E visibly brighten, firm, and reduce the appearance of signs of photoaging. I don’t think I’ve seen any of those visible improvements, but that’s to be expected since skincare takes several weeks or sometimes months to visibly improve skin. My skin is naturally in good condition and pretty bright (maybe from all the other vitamin C products I’ve used during this last year!), but this lotion is probably helping.
Pacifica also claims that the formula is lightweight and non-greasy. I have to disagree there because I wouldn’t describe the texture as lightweight. Also, it feels slightly greasy on my combination skin (though it doesn’t bother me when used at night).
I think Pacifica Glow Baby VitaGlow Face Lotion could be a great addition for any skin type. As I mentioned before, it’s likely that not everyone will want to use it the same way, but it’s perfectly fine to use it morning or night!
That’s another Pacifica product review in the books for IntegriBeauty! If you enjoy Pacifica like I do, I encourage you to read some of my other reviews of their products. I’ve written several since I began this blog last year. 🙂
Have you tried any Pacifica moisturizers? What is your favorite Pacifica skincare product so far? Please share with me in the comments below!
Lauren
