Topical Vitamin C is prized for amping up the lit-from-within glow. Anyone seeking brighter, tighter, and smoother skin is either already using or researching the powerful antioxidant. Here’s what you need to know about Vitamin C and what to look for when buying skincare.
What are Skin Benefits?
Common to most forms of Vitamin C, the potent antioxidant reduces free radical damage, boosts photoprotection, regulates pigmentation, and promotes healthy collagen production within the skin. Simply put, skin is brighter, tighter, and smoother.
Each Vitamin C derivative varies in strength, capabilities and cost, so look for the form that best suits the unique needs of your skin, as well as your budget.
Why Vitamin C Skincare?
Vitamin C levels of the skin decline with age, as well as with exposure to sun and pollutants. A diet rich in Vitamin C or oral supplements provides overall health benefits, but not ideal in delivering sufficient levels to affect skin improvements. Applied topically, it’s 20 times more effective than oral ingestion. Whether sourced from plants or synthetically manufactured, Vitamin C skincare delivers better-looking skin across all types at any age.
The Role of Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid?
In preventing photodamage, the topical application of Vitamin C combined with Vitamin E is more effective than either vitamin alone. Vitamin C, specifically Ascorbic Acid, is notoriously unstable – highly susceptible to degradation when exposed to air, heat, or light. Ferulic Acid helps to slow this degradation, as well as double photoprotective effects of Vitamin C and E. It’s ability to boost (NOT replace sunscreen) is why Vitamin C skincare is used for day, rather than night. An entirely splurge-worthy inclusion to any Vitamin C skincare.
Vitamin C Skincare Checklist?
Both men and women benefit from including Vitamin C skincare to their routine. When shopping for Vitamin C skincare, there are a few tips that will help to optimize the full benefits and target the best-suited product.
- Identify the Vitamin C derivative Best Suited to Your Needs. Each derivative has varying capabilities as well as charcteristics. Those with extremely sensitive skin may not tolerate Ascorbic Acid as well as Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate.
- Clearly Defined Concentration of Vitamin C. For example, a 20% Vitamin C skincare may actually be 10% Ascorbyl Palmitate and 10% Ascorbic Acid. Although technically accurate, the results are likely to disappoint in comparison to 20% Ascorbic acid skincare.
- Disclosed pH Range. Especially vital to absorption and stability of skincare with Ascorbic Acid, the pH should not exceed 4.0. With oil-soluble formulations, the pH is less vital to absorption than to the acid mantle of the skin (pH 5.0 – 7.0).
- Formulated for Maximum Skin Absorption. Essential for skincare containing water, Vitamin C must penetrate the skin to work it’s magic, requiring a capable delivery system. Look for liposomal delivery, waterless formulations, emulsions, or pH ranges 3.0 – 4.0.
- Suitable Skincare Packaging – airless containers or opaque, glass containers with restrictive closures. Nearly all Vitamin C derivatives are sensitive to light, air, and heat.
- Expiration or “Best Used By” Dates – Even the most highly stabilized Vitamin C skincare will lose potency over time – freshness is key.
- Avoid Highly Pigmented Formulations – As Vitamin C oxidizes, the hue changes from orange to brown – better discarded than applied to skin. Oxidation is harder to detect so it’s best to look for clear or white when shopping for Ascorbic Acid skincare.
What to Expect?
To protect your investment, store your Vitamin C skincare in a cool and dark location, while limiting exposure to air. While tingling may occur with highly acidic formulations, stinging is unacceptable in any skincare. If blemishes or skin irritations are present, stinging is more likely to occur.
Used daily in the A.M in as little as one week, skin should feel and look smoother. By week four of daily use, skin should appear firmer and significantly brighter.
Not seeing a difference? Return the product and revert back to the checklist! Although Ascorbic Acid delivers the biggest bang for your buck, approximately 20% of the population is resistant and reaps greater benefits from an alternate derivative like Tetrahexydecyl Ascorbate.
Ascorbic Acid, THDA, and Ascorbyl Palmitate merited inclusion in about-face essentials skincare due to their multi-purpose skin benefits and clinical efficacy data. Decide for yourself, but choose a Vitamin C enriched skincare. Throughout the month of May, use discount code C30 for 30% OFF Vitamin C skincare.