While for some Summer Fridays simply means leaving work early, for beauty lovers the term has taken on a totally new meaning since the brand behind Instagram’s favorite masks hit the scene in 2018. After reaching cult status with their first product, the Jet Lag Mask, co-founders Marianna Hewitt and Lauren Gores Ireland have since released two more masks, R+R and Overtime, both of which quickly gained the same crazy popularity. Despite all the buzz around the brand, they have yet to venture outside of masks. Until now.
The brand just revealed its first product not housed in its signature aluminum tube. That’s right, Summer Friday’s first non-mask product is here. And it’s a good one.
CC Me Serum is a brightening serum that targets dark spots for glowing, “filter-free” skin. In order to lighten dark spots like hyperpigmentation, acne scars, sun spots, and melasma, it relies on two forms of vitamin C. This ingredient also helps prevent signs of aging and fights pollution and dehydration. In addition, it has collagen to keep skin plump and bouncy, squalene for a surge of moisture, and a blend of fruit and flower extracts to soothe. Finally, coffee and green tea bring anti-inflammatory benefits to the table. While vitamin C serums have a reputation for being irritating, the brand claims this one is suitable for all skin types due to the addition of the soothing and hydrating ingredients.
According to the founders, the idea for the serum was completely crowdsourced—fans have been begging them for a brightening serum since the launch of Jet Lag. “We asked our community what their top skin care concerns were, and hyperpigmentation and dark spots kept coming to the top of the list, so we knew we wanted a product to help with this,” Hewitt and Gores Ireland told Allure. “They had been asking us for serums as well so we took a look at what our followers wanted and then formulated a product made from our communication with them.”
The serum has a light milky constancy, and a very delicate floral sent—it’s worth noting that it lacked the hot dog or penny scent associated with a lot of vitamin C serums. The airtight bottle feels secure, and I like knowing that no light can get inside, which can break down the active ingredients faster. As soon as I patted the serum on, my skin drank it right up, and I could feel my skin getting plump and bouncy from the squalene. There was no greasy residue, just a luminous base perfectly primed for makeup. I often find vitamin C drying on my sensitive skin, but so far this one has been a delight to use.