If you take a look around the beauty aisle, you’ll see that vitamin C is all the rage. Not only does it aid in boosting your immunity on the inside, but it also helps your skin from the outside. That is probably why you’ve seen it in so many skincare products.
Vitamin C shows up in serums, moisturizers, eye creams, and more. Honestly, it seems to have endless benefits.
But, is it right for your skincare routine? How will your skin react to it?
Well, just like any other ingredient, everyone has their own reaction; basically, it isn’t for everyone. Some love it and use it as a way to stay healthy, while others find it incredibly acidic and irritating.
If you’re not sure if vitamin C is good for your skin, we’re here to help. Let’s deep dive into whether vitamin C is right for your skincare routine.
What Is Vitamin C?
Your skincare is as personal as your diet. Like your diet, your body needs vitamin C for optimum health. Ascorbic acid or L-ascorbic acid, AKA vitamin C, is an essential nutrient that does not naturally occur in the body.
This essential vitamin helps your body form blood vessels, collagen, and muscles. It also naturally boosts your immune system, contains antioxidant properties that help improve your skin’s appearance, and helps you get over illnesses faster (source).
What Does Vitamin C Do for the Skin?
Those antioxidant properties we just mentioned help to prevent and treat ultraviolet photodamage. That means it helps protect your skin from sun damage (source). It also helps the skin to heal and repair itself, which helps diminish fine lines, wrinkles, and other imperfections.
Most people get their daily dose through food or supplements, though topical vitamin C is another great way to help your body get the vitamins it needs to look healthy. Applying vitamin C to the skin can help inhibit melanin production, which can lead to dark spots (source). In other words, using an effective vitamin C serum can help lighten hyperpigmentation due to sun exposure and post-acne marks.
When you are looking for a skincare product that will even out skin tone and boost radiance, vitamin C should definitely be what you’re looking for. It will both treat existing marks as well as help prevent future ones from forming.
Who Is Vitamin C For?
Even with all those benefits, vitamin C isn’t for everyone. People with sensitive skin can find vitamin C to be too harsh or even irritating and drying. If you’re someone whose skin reacts easily to any potent ingredient, you should probably avoid topical vitamin C solutions.
On the other hand, if you want the benefits but aren’t sure if you can handle them, do a patch test. Apply some product to a hidden area of skin, like behind the ear or on your wrist. Then, leave it for 24 hours and wait for a reaction. If all is well, start using it every 3 days; of course, you can use it more often, if you like the results and aren’t experiencing any negative side effects.
How to Use Vitamin C
Before you go on a shopping spree, vitamin C is unstable. This means that when it comes in contact with direct sunlight it breaks down.
Always be sure to keep your vitamin C in a dark bottle away from light. Keeping it in the fridge is a great idea. Not only is it protected from the sun, but it also feels amazingly refreshing going on the skin.
Vitamin C is most effective in serum form, as serums containing vitamin C absorb into the skin better than something like a moisturizer or cleanser. This keeps it effective on your skin for longer than it would if it were only on the top layer, which interacts directly with the sun.
With all of this in mind, vitamin C can help with many skin ailments if used properly. But, do be wary if you have sensitive skin.
