Ciara thinks of her body as a luxury sports car — rightly so. Perhaps she imagines herself as a sleek Porsche 911 in her favorite color, black, or even a Bugatti of some sort. (I don't know; I'm not a car person.) Whatever it may be, the multihyphenate often asks herself, "What kind of fuel am I pouring into that car?" as she tells me over Zoom. "I want for this engine to run smoothly.  I want to live the healthiest, full-rounded life that I can possibly live." Needless to say, Ciara seeks out premium fuel wherever she can, including clinical skin-care products. And she's doing it with the launch of her OAM skin-care line, also known as On A Mission, a brand that's about to make obtaining and using the highest grade fuel for your complexion as easy as possible. "I had a vision for things that were important to me to check off on my dream list of things to accomplish," she says. "This was one of them."

Out of curiosity, I ask her what else is on that list. Ciara goes on to share her impressive resume of accomplishments over the years: writing a book, launching a fragrance, owning a rum company, and starting her own fashion house. "I feel kind of funny going on about the list of things I'm doing," she stops to note. "But it all goes to the power of believing in yourself. I always say I'm a woman of ambition on a mission." Hence one of the many reasons behind the name of her debut skin-care line, which she's nicknamed OAM (pronounced O.A.M.). 

The Evolution of On A Mission

OAM may have been two and a half years in the making, but Ciara's desire to create it dates back to when she first started becoming a mononymous household name. Back in the early 2000s, Ciara didn't put much thought into what she slathered onto her face. She would reach for whatever "soap" or "lotion" she had around, she admits. However, as she's gotten older, Ciara has realized not being intentional about what she put on her face is a major misfire for her skin's radiance and overall health.

To find out what premium fuel she should be seeking out for her complexion, Ciara looked to her personal skin-care expert: makeup artist Yolonda Frederick-Thompson. The duo has been working together since Ciara was 16. "She's almost double my age, and I say that proudly because she looks amazing," Ciara shares. "She's the epitome of what beauty looks like and how you take care of yourself."

Frederick-Thompson went on to introduce Ciara to the wonders of eye cream, as well as everything she truly needed to do with the right products. As she's become more invested in what she puts on her skin over the years, Ciara says her confidence in herself, especially when she's not wearing any makeup, has grown with her. 

"I used to think I was my most beautiful self with all the makeup on," Ciara reveals. "But that's not real. That's not how to live….While being on a mission to do so many things that I want to do, it's important to me that I'm loving who I am at the core and loving myself when there's not a whole lot going on."

So when OAM started to become a reality, Ciara knew she wanted Frederick-Thompson to be beside her as she brought it to fruition. Ciara also enlisted three other women to make up OAM's special advisory board that helps set the brand apart from other celebrities' beauty ventures. it's rounded out by Rhode Island-based board-certified dermatologist Tiffany Libby, MD; CEO JC Johnson, a former Sally Beauty executive with a degree in biochemical engineering from MIT, and a cosmetic chemist named Maha. 

Together, they worked with a team of board-certified dermatologists to clinically test the products on 96 women of every tone on the entire Fitzpatrick scale, which not only classifies a person's skin type based on the amount of pigment in their skin and its reaction to the sun. "I would say this is truly a missing piece in skin care today," Ciara says. "These products are for all skin types, so that's why we wanted to do [the clinical testing] with every skin tone."   

OAM's Daily Dose of Vitamin C

From the very genesis of OAM, Ciara and her advisory board knew vitamin C had to be the basis of OAM's debut line. The beloved antioxidant-rich ingredient's benefits represent exactly the results they hope OAM will deliver: "It helps to protect. It helps to correct. It helps to prevent," Ciara explains. "You need that vitamin C to give you that glowing skin that we're always looking for."

And as this Allure ingredient explainer details, Ciara is completely right about that. "Because of its antioxidant properties, vitamin C aids in your skin's natural regeneration process," board-certified dermatologist Patricia Wexler, MD, explained. As a result, it plumps, firms, and smooths skin all at once. Vitamin C is so versatile that it also contains a property that prevents and diminishes dark spots and hyperpigmentation.

With all that in mind, OAM's team began working on a special complex called the Tri-C Pro-Peptide Complex, which features three different forms of vitamin C, specifically L-ascorbic acid (the most well-researched and common in skin-care products), tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (a more stable, oil-soluble one), and sodium ascorbyl phosphate (water-soluble and gentle), alongside palmitoyl tripeptide-28, which is obviously a peptide. For those unfamiliar, this ingredient has collagen-boosting benefits to amplify all that vitamin Cs' line-smoothing, skin-firming powers. 

Once she started testing out the products on herself, Ciara quickly noticed the glow up her skin was experiencing. "If you stay consistent with it, you really do see how transformative it is and how your skin levels up in every way," she says. 

When I ask her how she decided to pick the products that are infused with this complex, she uses another Ciaraism: "I wanted to create that one, two-step process for everyone." In the past, Ciara says she found herself trying to buy products and feeling incredibly overwhelmed. She wasn't sure what to start and end with. To cut out that guessing game, each of OAM's products is numbered. Here's a rundown on the lineup. 

1: Wash with a nondrying cleanser.

This ultra-creamy foaming cleanser is not only Ciara's personal favorite product in the line but also mine. It has a super light, fun texture that reminds me of making bubble beards when I took baths as a kid. I enjoy using it so much that I have even found myself reaching for it in the morning to wash my face when I'm usually not an A.M. cleanser girl. 

Ciara loves the Vitamin C Hydrating Cleanser because it's a good one-step makeup-removing face wash, even if you have a full face on. "I can honestly say when I have used other cleansers, oftentimes I've had to wash my face over and over and over," she says. "This washes the makeup off really well." I even put this statement to the test with one of my most waterproof mascaras, and the cleanser removed a solid 95 percent of it. 

Just like everything else in the line, it's formulated with the vitamin C complex, as well as snow mushroom and hyaluronic acid (both powerful hydrators and help skin retain moisture) to keep your skin from feeling tight after rinsing off the cleanser. Jihan Forbes, Allure.com's staff editor, can attest to that element, noting her skin felt neither squeaky nor stripped after using the cleanser. 

2: Prep with vitamin-C pads.

Consider this OAM's toner step for both your morning and nighttime routines. The jar is filled with thin, pre-soak rounds that feel like cashmere as you glide them across your skin and smell like fresh-squeezed orange juice. 

I'm used to skin-care pads having a rougher texture to help with some added physical exfoliation, but these smooth, soft ones are a refreshing change-up. They help take off dead skin cells chemically via the Tri-C Pro-Peptide Complex plus retinol. Vitamin C and retinol rarely join forces in one product because together they can potentially irritate skin, according to Aegean Chan, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Santa Barbara, California. However, anti-inflammatory green tea keeps any flakiness or redness at bay. 

3: Rejuvenate with a serum.

Spoken like a true mother, Ciara compares this addition to OAM's Vitamin C line to breast milk. Both are liquid gold, she says. The serum took 32 iterations to perfect to ensure it wouldn't irritate skin and would have the right silky texture, she adds. In addition to the Tri-C Pro-Peptide Complex, the serum takes advantage of the glow-inducing properties of bearberry leaf extract, which is known to fade dark spots and soften skin, as Claire Wolinsky, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, previously told Allure.

As a vitamin C serum connoisseur, I was eager to see how this one matches up to my favorites: Holifrog's Sunnyside C Glow Serum and SkinCeutical's dermatologist-approved C E Ferulic. Honestly, I have to say this is an amazing alternative to the latter, which markets for $169. It packs the same punch — just without the ham scent, instant orange oxidization, and stickiness we put up with because it truly does make skin look brighter and more even-toned than ever. 

OAM's serum, on the other hand, is technically fragrance-free, but I noticed it has a pleasant fresh orange aroma, has stayed clear so far, and feels more nourishing on skin. Both Jihan and I noticed the serum has a similar texture to a dry oil. "It's very runny, but it does absorb quickly," Jihan says. 

With such a high percentage of vitamin C at play here, Jihan was worried her sensitive skin may react poorly to it, so she applied a heavy cream first as a barrier. Her skin seemed to feel fine each time after use, but "I would just say people with sensitive skin might want to tread lightly," she notes. 

Sarah Han, Allure's commerce editor, tried serum out, too, and enjoyed how its silkiness didn't have a hint of greasiness or heaviness to it. She also points out that it layers well under moisturizer, sunscreen, and makeup. 

Typically, I don't use eye cream because it always ends up irritating my eyeballs. However, when Ciara tells you that you need to keep one in your skin-care routine, you start using one. The Eye Revitalizer's lightweight creaminess is making me a believer. Both Sarah and I love how hydrating and quick-absorbing it is. "I felt like my dry undereyes slurped it up and looked more awake," Sarah says. Personally, I can't wait to use it this winter when my eyes really start getting dry. Jihan, however, experienced some light tingling around her eyes, so again, if you have sensitive skin, patch-testing this before committing to it may be helpful. 

"The Vitamin C Eye Revitalizer also helps with the dark circles," Ciara notes. For that, we can thank all the vitamin C and niacinamide, which is a popular ingredient for targeting "discoloration and redness while being gentle on skin," according to New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Marisa Garshick, MD.

4: Moisturize your skin.

"And then, you have to close out with the moisturizer," Ciara says. "That's important. You got to add that layer of moisture that keeps the skin, again, protected and moisturized."

This moisturizer, in particular, dispenses with a pump, which is an element Sarah admires about it. "I love not having to wash my hands to scoop out product from a jar or tub," she says. 

Sarah also notes that her skin loves this formula. In addition to the complex, good ol' hyaluronic acid, emollient-rich squalane, and skin-strengthening ceramides make appearances on the Radiance Moisturizer's ingredient list. "It leaves skin with that deeply-moisturizing feel and made my complexion noticeably glowy," Jihan adds. 

What really stood out to me though is the moisturizer's velvety feel, which I've never really experienced with a moisturizer before other than Glass Lizzard's Bouncy Balm. I love layering that onto my skin before bed, while I prefer OAM's Radiance Moisturizer for daytime use because I can barely feel it on my skin. Sarah has incorporated it in both her a.m. and p.m. skin-care routines because she's not a fan of thick moisturizers. 

My Scorpio senses are telling me a richer formula might be next on OAM's roster for nighttime use, though, as well as sunscreen. Speaking of which, if you're using these products during the day, I beg that you finish off your OAM regimen with SPF. Many of the products are spiked with retinol, which can make your skin sensitized with sun exposure. 

"Since retinol brings your skin back to its normal balance, it can make your skin more easily prone to burning," Caroline Chang, MD, is a board-certified dermatologist in Rhode Island. Chang previously told Allure. "The way to combat this would be to wear sunscreen daily while using a retinol — which is something everyone should be doing anyway."

Phew, that was a lot of info. I'm sure you're ready to get all these goodies on your skin. Starting September 15, all of On A Mission's vitamin C excellence will be available on individually ranging from $28 to $62, as well as in bundles priced from $75 to $160 on oamskin.com.

Read more about celebrity beauty brands: 

• Selena Gomez Has Rewritten the Script for Beauty Start-Ups
• Hailey Bieber Knows You’re Sick of Celebrity Beauty Brands
• Allure Best of Beauty 2022: The Best Skin-Care Products

Now, see Idris and Sabrina Elba's beauty routines in action: