Why A Vitamin C Serum Is Exactly What Your Skin Needs

When searching for the best brightening serum, vitamin C is really the only choice. Clinically-proven and loved by those that are into skincare know, vitamin C offers the best of the best for glowing, healthy skin – no matter your skin type. Read on for how to make this skincare great work for you.

Vitamin C is nothing new. For one thing, it’s one of the most important nutrients that make up a healthy diet. Everyone knows that if you eat a juicy orange (or, in fact, many other fruit and veggies including kiwis, broccoli and sweet yellow peppers!) you’re getting a decent fill of immune-boosting vitamin C in your diet. And a deficiency in this vital nutrient is no joke. Before vitamin C was even discovered and given its name (back in 1932, in case you were wondering), citrus fruits were seen as the key to preventing scurvy, a deadly disease that killed millions of sailors between 1500 and 1800 (1).

But is vitamin C as important for your skin health as it is your overall health? In a word, yes. It consistently tops the polls of most Googled skincare ingredients and, according to skin experts and dermatologists, it’s up there with skincare powerhouses like retinol, hyaluronic acid and niacinamide. 

So, as one of the most talked-about topical ingredients in skincare, what’s the real deal with vitamin C and do you need it in your daily routine? Keep scrolling for the answers to all your vitamin C questions…

What Is Vitamin C?

Otherwise known as ascorbic acid, vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin. Studies show that it’s an essential molecule when it comes to the health of your skin and, good news, a pretty decent amount of it is found naturally within the skin’s various layers. It’s transported from the bloodstream to the dermis and epidermis where it encourages collagen synthesis, strengthens your skin and provides antioxidant protection from skin-damaging free radicals. 

So, Why Does Your Skin Need Extra Vitamin C? 

The burning question, then, is that if your body produces all this fabulous vitamin C on its own, why do you need to load it up with even more? Easy. Your natural levels of vitamin C don’t remain plentiful for your entire life. In fact, thanks to the aging process, as well as environmental aggressors and less-than-ideal lifestyle habits, your body loses vitamin C on a daily basis. This compromises your body’s natural defense system and allows all those aggressors like emotional stress, lack of sleep, a poor diet, environmental pollution and UV radiation to overload your skin with destructive free radicals, causing all sorts of damage in its wake.

How Does Vitamin C Fight Free Radical Damage?

OK, quick refresher course. Free radicals are unstable atoms that form in your skin when it’s exposed to stuff it’s not keen on (UV rays, stress etc.). Due to their instability, free radicals like to go on a stealing frenzy in a bid to pair up their spare electrons and become whole again. Cue damage to anything that gets in their way – namely important proteins like collagen and elastin. This starts a chain reaction called oxidative stress and results in nothing positive. It speeds up the aging process, slackening your skin, encouraging the formation of wrinkles and generally ruining your skin’s youthful mojo.

Antioxidants to the rescue. Antioxidants are clever little components that donate electrons without themselves turning into free radicals. This halts the damaging chain reaction and allows collagen and elastin to go about their business, accelerating your skin’s natural regeneration process and maintaining a strong, supple and healthy-looking complexion. Hallelujah!

How does vitamin C fit into this equation? Well, vitamin C is one of the most effective and highly studied topical antioxidants in skincare. Simple as that.

How Exactly Does A Vitamin C Serum Benefit The Skin?

Thanks to its ability to successfully offset free radicals, the benefits of vitamin C for skin are huge. But it’s not just a one-trick, antioxidant pony. Vitamin C is also said to inhibit melanin production which helps control things like an uneven skin tone and dark spots. Furthermore, it is highly acidic vitamin which might sound like a bad thing, but this actually encourages your skin’s cells to work harder, triggering collagen and elastin production and further upping your skin’s youthful appearance. 

Below are just a few benefits you can look forward to if you introduce a Vitamin C serum into your skincare routine.

What Are The Best Vitamin C Products For Your Skin?

We abide by a few simple rules…

1. Go For A Facial Serum

You can find vitamin C in any skincare product – from eye creams and toners through to cleansers and moisturizers. However, your best bet is to incorporate a vitamin C facial serum into your daily routine. This is because serums a) stay on your skin rather than being washed away like cleansers, and b) have a smaller molecular structure than lotions and creams which means they penetrate the skin faster and deeper. 

2. Avoid Clear Packaging

Another thing to look out for is your product’s packaging. Vitamin C is very susceptible to sunlight and air, so it needs to be protected in a dark, airtight bottle to help it maintain its stability and efficacy. Clear glass might look pretty, but it’s a major red flag. 

3. Stick With Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate

There are many different types of vitamin C used in skincare. L-ascorbic acid is vitamin C in its purest form but it’s also the most potent (read: irritating) and unstable. Instead, we prefer sodium ascorbyl phosphate which is a vitamin C derivative that’s combined with salt. This helps preserve it to make it more stable and kinder to your skin. We want you to get the most from your vitamin C products so we don’t tolerate anything but sodium ascorbyl phosphate in our products.

4. Look For The Winning Combination Of Vitamin C And Vitamin E

Vitamin C and E are like the celebrity power couple of the skincare world. Sure, they’re fantastic as standalone ingredients but when they’re combined into one product they interact to bring out the best in each other. How so? Well, vitamin E loses strength as it works hard to nip free radicals in the bud. Vitamin C provides energy to its friend and helps reignite its powers. Meanwhile, because vitamin E is more stable than vitamin C this helps prevent its C buddy from being oxidized and losing its efficacy too quickly. Together, they work in total synergy, making for a pretty unbeatable antioxidant machine. 

Are you currently looking for the best vitamin C and E serum? Then you’ll love our Vitamin C Facial Serum with Vitamin E + Hyaluronic Acid which harnesses this awesome power couple and combines it with hyaluronic acid to hydrate your skin on so many levels. 

Is Vitamin C A Good Choice For Your Skin Type?

Vitamin C works for all skin types, helping to brighten dull skin, plump sagging skin, reduce premature aging and even prevent post-inflammatory pigmentation that can follow acne breakouts. However, if you have particularly sensitive skin there’s always a chance of mild side effects like redness, dryness or itching. 

If you err towards the sensitive side, definitely stick with the gentler sodium ascorbyl phosphate rather than the pure stuff, and always patch test a new product before using it regularly. If you’re good to go after testing it on a discreet patch of skin for 24-48 hours, you should still incorporate vitamin C gradually into your routine. Apply it just two or three times a week to start with and build up slowly over time.

Our Top Three Facial Serums With Vitamin C

1. Vitamin C Facial Serum with Vitamin E + Hyaluronic Acid
   The ultimate choice for brightening the skin, reducing moisture loss and fighting premature aging.
2. Tea Tree Pro Serum
   Our favorite facial serum for balancing sebum, soothing inflammation and shielding your skin from those pesky elements.
3. Hyaluronic Acid Serum with Vitamins C + E
   While hydration is the name of the game here, this lightweight serum includes a side of vitamins C and E to protect and strengthen the skin.