This Canadian Skincare Brand Changed Our Beauty Editor’s Skin
During a trip to sunny Arizona, FASHION’s Senior Beauty Editor discovered the magic behind the Canadian vitamin C skincare brand.
I am 39 and have a toddler—and my skin knows it. So when an invite landed in my inbox for a wellness-tinged press trip to Sedona, Ariz., hosted by Vivier, the Canadian skincare brand behind some of the best pro-aging serums in the game, I didn’t hesitate. Desert vibes, pickleball and a serum that might undo the past three sleepless years? SPF packed!
Founded in Quebec by Jess and Cindy Vivier, the brand began as a sort-of love story. Cindy was fed up with skincare that didn’t deliver, and her husband, Jess, a chemical engineer with 30 years of pharmaceutical experience, decided to formulate something better. He left his job, poured three years into R&D and created Serum 10, an L-ascorbic-acid-based vitamin C that was stable and potent and actually penetrated the skin.
Launched in 2000—the same year Bring It On hit theatres—that original recipe quietly changed the skincare game, well before vitamin C became a non-negotiable active ingredient in our routines. While the beauty world was still scrubbing with St. Ives Apricot and baking in tanning beds (cringe), Vivier was already setting a new standard with pharmaceutical-level precision.
“Most people think of vitamin C as just a brightener,” says Jill Sanderson, Vivier’s marketing director. “But it does so many beautiful things—it’s an antioxidant powerhouse, and it also supports collagen production.”
Today, that early innovation has evolved into a lineup of seven vitamin C serums, each tailored to different skin types and concerns. The most potent of the bunch? GrenzCine Serum, a cocktail that blends 10 percent L-ascorbic acid USP with Polyamine-DAB, a growth factor that helps improve skin firmness, density and hydration from the inside out.
Dr. Linda Xing, a dermatologist and medical director at Rejuvenation Dermatology in Oakville, Ont., sees the results first-hand. “We always recommend sunscreen and vitamin C; it’s that foundational combo that improves everything,” she tells me. What sets Vivier apart, she continues, is that the formulations, which use bioavailable vitamin C, are grounded in real science—not just marketing spin.
Xing also calls out the brand’s cult-fave Radiance Serum, known for its powerhouse trio of vitamin C, arbutin and resorcinol, to help even out skin tone. “For many of my patients, especially those with hyperpigmentation, this is a game-changer,” she says. “It’s brightening and gentle, and it just works.”
That “just works” part? I heard it more than once when I mentioned I was heading out on a Vivier junket. One friend swore by V-STAT Advanced Repair Gel after having a mole removed on her nose—no scar in sight. Another texted me, unprompted, to say that Crème 47 “transformed” her skin this winter.
What sets Vivier apart isn’t hype; it’s precision. There’s a low-key confidence to the Canadian brand’s formulas. They’re not buzzy or over-designed—just meticulously made. “You don’t need 12 steps or trendy ingredients if what you’re using are a few properly formulated actives; that’s when you see results,” Xing tells me.
And after a few mornings of cocktailing vitamin C skincare serums under the desert sun, I get it. No gimmicks. Just glow.
All-Stars
From a cult-fave serum to a scar-healing gel, these are the formulas that keep loyalists glowing.
This article first appeared in FASHION’s October 2025 issue. Find out more here.
Julia is a Toronto-based, award-winning writer and stylist with a sharp eye for celebrity, pop culture and all things fashion and beauty. With over 15 years of experience covering the style scene, she’s currently the Fashion and Beauty Editor at Hello! Canada. Her work has also appeared in ELLE Canada, FASHION, The Kit, Canadian Living, CBC, Chatelaine and The Globe and Mail, among others. When she’s not chasing the next big trend, she’s running, traveling and keeping up with her endlessly curious toddler, Tilda.
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