Vitamin 75 Maximizing Cream

Most skincare brands sell their flagship serum and trust the user to figure out what to put on top of it. By Wishtrend took a different approach with the Vitamin 75 Maximizing Cream: instead of releasing a generic moisturizer to pair with the Pure Vitamin C 21.5% Advanced Serum, the brand built a moisturizer whose base is the same sea buckthorn 'vitamin tree' hydrosol that bases the serum. Three quarters of this cream by volume — a remarkable 75% — is Hippophae rhamnoides water. There is essentially no plain water in the formula. The polyphenol, carotenoid and trace vitamin C-and-E content of the sea buckthorn hydrosol carries through the entire moisturizer rather than being sprinkled on top of a glycerin-water emulsion. As a system play, it is one of the more thoughtful K-beauty product pairings on the market.

As a standalone moisturizer, the formulation logic continues to make sense. Sunflower seed oil sits high on the INCI as the primary lipid component — linoleic-acid-rich, lightweight, and a quiet vitamin E contributor in its own right. Macadamia seed oil joins it for a bit more occlusive richness, with a fatty acid profile that is unusually close to human sebum. Caprylic/capric triglyceride and a small amount of dimethicone smooth out the texture. Beeswax provides a subtle physical occlusion. Panthenol, allantoin, betaine and arginine round out the soothing-and-humectant supporting cast. The result on the face is a satin, slightly dewy cream that absorbs cleanly without leaving an obvious film — exactly the texture you want as a follow-up to a high-strength vitamin C serum, where you need barrier-supporting moisturization without competing with the active you just applied.

Used as the brand intends — vitamin C serum on dry skin in the morning, this cream layered over the top, sunscreen on top of that — the system works the way the marketing suggests. Most users notice a subtle radiance shift within the first week and a more obvious glow over four to six weeks of consistent use. The serum is doing the bulk of the brightening and pigmentation work; the cream is providing the moisturized, intact-barrier canvas the serum needs to work on. Over time, the routine compounds, and skin tone evens out in a way that neither product would achieve as quickly on its own. Reviewers who use both products consistently report better results than reviewers who use just the serum with a generic moisturizer, which makes sense given the supporting antioxidant base.

The limitations, however, are honest and meaningful. The lemon peel oil at the bottom of the INCI is the biggest one. Citrus essential oils can be photosensitizing, can be irritating for sensitive skin, and have no real functional benefit in a moisturizer that already contains significant antioxidant load from other sources. The concentration here is low enough that most users tolerate it without issue, but anyone with a history of essential oil sensitivity or rosacea should patch test before committing, and ideally use the cream at night only. This is the one formulation choice that keeps the cream from being a clean recommendation for sensitive skin.

The second limitation is the fungal-acne incompatibility. Sunflower oil, macadamia oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil are all on the Malassezia-friendly list, which means this cream is not safe for users with confirmed fungal acne. That is a particular shame given that the brand's vitamin C serum is fungal-acne safe and many users come to By Wishtrend specifically because of that — the cream breaks the system for that audience and forces them to find a different moisturizer to pair with the serum.

The other constraints are smaller. The 50ml jar is on the medium side for a daily-use moisturizer and lasts about six to eight weeks at twice-daily face and neck application. The texture is satin-light rather than rich, which is perfect for combination and normal skin but won't be enough for very dry winter skin without a heavier occlusive on top. The faint lemon-and-cream natural smell isn't to everyone's taste. And the cream's glass jar packaging, while elegant, is heavier than plastic for travel and exposes the contents to slightly more air with each use than an airless pump would.

For combination, normal and resilient dry skin chasing a brightening, antioxidant moisturizer that pairs naturally with the brand's flagship vitamin C serum, this is the version the brand designed for the system. It is not the right cream for sensitive skin, fungal-acne-prone skin, or anyone wary of citrus essential oils. But for the audience it fits, the sea buckthorn base is a substantive formulation choice, the system play is real, and the cumulative results over a few months of consistent use are visibly better than the serum alone. Within its specific lane, it earns its place in the routine.

Formula

The Science

Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is one of the more nutritionally dense plant species in cosmetics, with documented vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoid and flavonoid content in both the berry and the leaf. The hydrosol — the water phase produced during steam distillation of the plant — captures the water-soluble fraction of these nutrients, including modest amounts of vitamin C and various polyphenols. A 2017 review in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology summarized the topical and oral evidence for sea buckthorn in dermatological applications and noted antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects in both in vitro and small clinical studies. The 75% concentration in this cream is unusually high for a sea buckthorn-based moisturizer — most products in the category use sea buckthorn extract or oil as a minor ingredient rather than replacing the water phase with the hydrosol. Sunflower seed oil is dominated by linoleic acid (60-70% of total fatty acid content), which has an established role in stratum corneum lipid synthesis and barrier repair, and its tocopherol content provides a quiet vitamin E contribution. Macadamia seed oil is high in palmitoleic acid (omega-7), which has a fatty acid profile unusually close to human sebum and contributes to skin compatibility and barrier integration. Panthenol's role in hydration and barrier function is one of the most replicated findings in cosmetic dermatology. Allantoin has documented soothing and keratolytic activity at low concentrations. Beeswax provides modest physical occlusion and contributes to the cream's texture. The combination matters because the cream is designed as a system partner for the brand's high-strength L-ascorbic acid serum: pure vitamin C is a notoriously irritating active, and pairing it with a moisturizer whose base shares the antioxidant logic of the serum creates a more cohesive routine than layering a generic emulsion on top would. The lemon peel oil at the back of the INCI is included as a natural antioxidant flavor note, though its inclusion does carry some sensitivity and photosensitization risk for susceptible users — a limitation worth noting against the otherwise thoughtful formulation logic.

References

1. Sea buckthorn in dermatology: a review of pharmacological and clinical evidence — Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2017)

Dermatologist Perspective

Dermatologists generally view sea buckthorn as a useful supporting ingredient with reasonable evidence for antioxidant and barrier-supportive effects, particularly when used at meaningful concentrations rather than as a token addition. Board-certified dermatologists frequently recommend pairing high-strength vitamin C serums with moisturizers that contain antioxidants and barrier-supporting lipids, which is the role this cream plays in the brand's system. The lemon peel oil in the formula is a point of dermatological caution — citrus essential oils are known photosensitizers and contact sensitizers in a small percentage of users, and dermatologists generally recommend avoiding them in leave-on daytime products for patients with sensitive skin or rosacea. Patients should patch test before facial use and consider using the cream at night only if they have any history of essential oil sensitivity. The product is generally considered appropriate for use during pregnancy.

Guidance

By Wishtrend launched the Vitamin 75 Maximizing Cream in 2017 as the moisturizer counterpart to the Pure Vitamin C 21.5% Advanced Serum. The decision to share the sea buckthorn water base across both products was a deliberate system play — the cream extends the antioxidant logic of the serum into a leave-on moisturizer step.

About By Wishtrend Established Brand (5–20 years)

By Wishtrend launched in 2013 as Korean retailer Wishtrend's in-house brand. The Vitamin 75 Maximizing Cream is the moisturizer counterpart to the brand's Pure Vitamin C 21.5% Advanced Serum, sharing the same sea buckthorn 'vitamin tree' base.

Brand founded: 2013 · Product launched: 2017

Myth vs. Reality

Myth

Vitamin creams are just regular moisturizers with marketing.

Reality

Most are. This one isn't — replacing 75% of the water phase with sea buckthorn hydrosol is a substantive formulation choice that delivers a real, if modest, additional polyphenol load alongside the conventional moisturizer base.

Myth

If a moisturizer has plant oils, it must be heavy.

Reality

Heaviness depends on which oils, in what concentration, and what other ingredients are doing in the formula. The sunflower and macadamia oils here are dosed to give a satin finish on normal-to-dry skin without an occlusive feel. Texture is a formulation choice, not an automatic property of plant oils.

FAQ

Common Praise

"genuinely brightening over weeks"

"lightweight despite the oils"

"pairs beautifully with the C serum"

"noticeable glow in first week"

Common Complaints

"lemon peel oil is a sensitivity risk"

"not fungal acne safe"

"faint citrus scent isn't to everyone's taste"

"50ml runs out fast"

Notable Endorsements

r/AsianBeautyK-beauty review community

Appears In

best vitamin c moisturizer best sea buckthorn cream best k beauty brightening cream best moisturizer with vitamin c serum best antioxidant moisturizer

Related Conditions

dehydration dullness aging

Related Ingredients

sea buckthorn sunflower oil macadamia oil panthenol