— SKINCARE
Vitamin C Skincare: What It Does And How It Benefits The Skin
If you thought vitamin C was just for helping to keep the sniffles at bay, then it’s time to introduce you to vitamin C skincare. The benefits of vitamin C when it comes to skin’s health are well-researched. This makes vitamin C a potent and popular ingredient in skin care products — especially when it comes to dealing with harmful UV exposure and the effects of premature aging.
Read on for the lowdown on how vitamin C can support your skin’s health and how you can get the best results.
What Is Vitamin C? Get To Know This Powerful Antioxidant
Your skin faces constant UV damage from sun exposure and stress from environmental pollutants, which directly affects not only the physical appearance of your skin (think dark spots and uneven skin tone), but also your skin’s collagen production (the protein that keeps your skin looking firm and youthful).
Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants are compounds known to help prevent and repair environmental damage to the skin (aka oxidative stress or free radical damage), making them integral to maintaining healthy skin.1
Your body can’t produce vitamin C naturally. This is why you must get it from other sources, such as citrus fruits and green vegetables. But to enjoy vitamin C’s full skin and antioxidant benefits, simply ingesting it wouldn’t be enough. Skin care experts suggest that topical formulations of vitamin C may be more beneficial for optimizing skin health.2
If you read the ingredient lists of many vitamin C skin care products, you may see vitamin C listed under various names. Pure vitamin C goes by L-ascorbic acid, but derivatives, like sodium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palmitate, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, are also often used. These vitamin C derivatives, or various concentrations of vitamin C, are used to help enrich your vitamin C product with more stable, viable, or water soluble forms of vitamin C more beneficial to your skin cells.3
Is It OK To Put Vitamin C On Your Face? Using Vitamin C For Skin
As you just learned, research shows topical vitamin C is packed with several skincare benefits. It’s also been established that this antioxidant vitamin is safe to use for most skin types. While formulations may differ if you have sensitive skin or oily skin, generally, vitamin C is a potent skincare ingredient that also plays well with other actives.4
Benefits Of Vitamin C for Skin: Fight Visible Signs of Aging From Within
There are numerous reasons why vitamin C is considered a top-tier skin vitamin. Vitamin C just might be the beauty game changer you’ve been looking for, especially if any of the following benefits are among your skincare goals.
Beefs Up Your Skin Barrier Against Free Radicals
One of vitamin C’s chief benefits for your skin is that it can help bolster its defenses against environmental damage from exposure to UV light and pollutants. These factors contribute to the appearance of photoaged skin (like wrinkles, brown spots, and dryness). Due to its inherent antioxidant properties, vitamin C helps combat harmful free radical damage that can wreak havoc on the skin. It can also help stimulate cell turnover and promote the appearance of brighter skin.5
Supports The Production Of Collagen
Vitamin C helps stimulate collagen synthesis in your cells. Collagen, along with elastin, is a protein fiber directly responsible for helping to keep skin plump and firm. So, whether you want to target wrinkles or sagging skin, a topical vitamin C product can do wonders for helping prevent visible signs of aging.6
Aids In Reducing The Appearance Of Hyperpigmentation
Even if you already have hyperpigmentation due to aging or sun exposure, one of the best vitamin C serum benefits includes helping to lessen the appearance of dark spots. This is because vitamin C has been shown to help hinder melanin production (which is responsible for giving your skin its pigment), making it a great skin refiner. As a result, you’ll see a visibly brighter, more even-toned complexion.7
A Guide To Vitamin C Skincare: Incorporating This Essential Nutrient Into Your Beauty Routine
If you want to include this topical antioxidant into your skincare routine, here are some things to take note of before you begin.
Read Labels Carefully: Don’t Mix Vitamin C With THESE Ingredients
Vitamin C is generally safe, but can be pretty potent when applied topically. If you want your skin to tolerate it well, avoid using your vitamin C product at the same time as your exfoliating products or other more abrasive, acid-based skincare ingredients. You may also want to steer clear of ingredients that might undermine vitamin C’s efficacy, such as benzoyl peroxide.8
Choose Wisely: Use Your Vitamin C At The Right Point Of Your Skincare Routine
Your best bet is a vitamin C serum you can apply in the morning before heading out for the day. You’ll reap the most protective benefits this way, and a serum works best in going deep into your skin to deposit vitamin C’s powerful properties. Choose a well-formulated serum, perhaps one combined with vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, or ferulic acid — ingredients that help amp up the positive effects even more.9
Also, make sure to layer on some sunscreen for added skin protection, as vitamin C can occasionally make your skin more sensitive to light and heat exposure.10
Make Sure To Store Your Vitamin C Products Correctly
Exposure to air and light may degrade vitamin C’s potency. This is why you must check your skincare’s packaging and storage area. Dark or black bottles with airtight sealing help preserve your vitamin C skincare’s effectiveness.11
Give It Time
As with any skincare product, vitamin C needs time to work. And because you’re working with such a powerful vitamin, it’s in your skin’s best interest to start at a lower concentration and semi-regular use, upping the dosage and frequency once your skin adjusts to it. You may notice results after a few weeks, but consult a dermatologist immediately if you observe any adverse effects.12
“C” The Difference In Your Skin
Armed with the knowledge of the benefits vitamin C may offer your skin, and with a little patience in religious application, you may find that vitamin C skincare is exactly what your beauty routine is missing. Choose your vitamin C serum wisely, follow the guide outlined above, and we’re confident you’ll see and feel the difference.
Sources
1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673383/
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673383/
3 https://www.byrdie.com/vitamin-c-benefits
4 https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/vitamin-c-serum-benefits#skin-type
5 https://www.byrdie.com/vitamin-c-benefits
6 https://www.allure.com/story/vitamin-c-benefits-for-skin
7 https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/vitamin-c-serum-benefits#anti–inflammatory
8 https://www.self.com/story/vitamin-c-for-skin-tips
9 https://www.allure.com/story/vitamin-c-benefits-for-skin
10 https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/vitamin-c-guide-skin-benefits-concentration-absorption
11 https://www.self.com/story/vitamin-c-for-skin-tips
12 https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/vitamin-c-guide-skin-benefits-concentration-absorption
