Skip to content
If beauty influencers vouching for the efficacy of Vitamin C did not tempt you to include this super-hero of an ingredient in your skincare regime, then we’re sure this blog will. A rather trending ingredient in the world of dermatology and rightly so, Vitamin C has come a very long way. Derived from a variety of sources such as oranges, and now the latest offering, the Kakadu Plum, the L-ascorbic acid offers a variety of skincare benefits.
Are you dealing with uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation, blemishes, dark circles, spots, acne and looking for a skincare product that can probably address your skin concerns? Then Vitamin C is the recommended treatment for all your skin concerns. It is one of the most sought-after ingredients in skincare today because of its incredible benefits.
Name a skincare concern and your dermatologist will recommend using Vitamin C serum. But what makes this skincare ingredient so versatile? Thanks to its antioxidant properties, Vitamin C helps fight free radicals in the body. Thus it is the vital ingredient in many anti-ageing and skin brightening products.
In this blog our skincare experts will share all the valuable information on vitamin C, including its benefits and how to get the most out of it. So keep reading till the end so that you don’t miss any valuable information.
What Is Vitamin C & Some Interesting Facts About It
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that is beneficial not just for the body, but also for the skin. These antioxidants protect, repair, and heal the damaged cells of the body and skin. It is a vital nutrient that is essential to the growth and repair of the body and skin.
- Vitamin C is crucial for maintaining good health, as it boosts immunity to fight illness.
- It is commonly found in all citrus fruits and some vegetables.
- It facilitates the absorption of iron from plant food.
- In a study, it has been observed that adequate intake of Vitamin C helps in weight loss.
Our body gets Vitamin C through food, but to enjoy the skincare benefits of Vitamin C we need to apply it topically. In the beauty industry, Vitamin C is synthesized and used in a variety of skincare products. There are many synthetic Vitamin C derivatives, such as sodium ascorbyl phosphate, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, retinyl ascorbate, ascorbyl palmitate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, but most of them are unstable and get easily oxidized. They are not pure Vitamin C, rather they are combined with other derivatives to stabilize the Vitamin C component which is susceptible to going bad very easily. With that being said, you should be aware that L-ascorbic acid is the purest and most stable Vitamin C.
Also Read : 20 Amazing Vitamin C Benefits for Skin,Hair and Health
How Vitamin C Works For Your Skin?
Vitamin C is known for its antioxidant, anti-pigmentary, anti-ageing properties due to which many estheticians swear by it, making Vitamin C a holy grail for your skin. The antioxidant property of Vitamin C is beneficial in fighting free radicals which damage the skin cells. Free radicals are formed in the body when your skin is exposed to UV rays, pollution, stress, lack of sleep, smoking.
There are 3 different types of free radicals of which we are mainly concerned about ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species). The effect of ROS can be detrimental for your skin as it damages the outer layer of the skin, alters the chemical structure of DNA, interferes with the normal cell functioning, and depletes the moisture barrier of the skin, resulting in the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines on the skin.
A serum which is high in Vitamin C ( a potent antioxidant) reduces the oxidative stress on the skin, protecting the skin cells from the damaging effect of free radicals. It stimulates cell regeneration and boosts collagen production, thereby improving the elasticity and firmness of the skin. The only drawback of Vitamin C is that it is highly reactive and becomes unstable.
So while picking up your Vitamin C serum look for L-ascorbic acid on the label as this is the most stable form of Vitamin C. Vitamin C serum is generally packed in an air-tight, glass container that is dark amber coloured, to protect the formulation from sunlight. Store your Vitamin C serum in a cool, dark place. If the colour of your serum has changed to brown, you must understand that your Vitamin C serum has oxidized, so discard and switch to a new bottle.
Also Read : What Makes Vitamin C The Most Googled Skincare Ingredient Of Today’s Times
Skincare Benefits Of Vitamin C
The role of Vitamin C is imperative in maintaining flawless and problem-free skin. The Vitamin C is beneficial to your skin in the following ways:
1. Repairs Sun-Damaged Skin
When exposed to the harmful light of the sun, the skin is damaged causing wrinkles, fine lines, rosacea, and flakiness on the skin. Regular application of Vitamin C to your skin will protect your skin from sun damage, improving the texture of your skin.
2. Fights Wrinkles And Fine Lines
Free radicals are responsible for the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Since Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants, it is known to protect the skin and aid in skin regeneration, thereby reducing free radical damage.
3. Improves Collagen Production
Vitamin C is known to stimulate the production of collagen in the body. Collagen is a protein that improves the elasticity of the skin and works to keep the skin firm. However, when the amount of collagen produced in the body decreases with ageing, it causes sagging and wrinkles on the skin. Vitamin C can be applied topically to increase the skin's elasticity and firmness.
4. Reduces Hyperpigmentation
Vitamin C effectively reduces dark spots, hyperpigmentation by blocking pigment synthesis.
5. Reduces Dark Circles
Lack of sleep, increased screen hour, stress can lead to the appearance of dark circles. The efficacy of Vitamin C in reducing dark circles has been observed in a clinical study. It strengthens fragile skin around the eyes, reducing dark circles. Its antioxidant properties improve the elasticity of the skin, effectively reducing wrinkles, fine lines, and crow’s feet.
Also Read : Can Vitamin C Lighten Dark Circles?
6. Keeps Your Skin Hydrated
In order to maintain healthy skin, it is crucial to keep it well hydrated. Vitamin C keeps your skin hydrated by improving the skin barrier function, reducing trans-epidermal water loss.
7. Soothes The Inflammed Skin
Its anti-inflammatory property has a soothing action on the red, inflamed skin. It is effective against dry skin conditions such as rosacea, psoriasis, and dermatitis.
How To Introduce Vitamin C In Your Daily Skincare Routine?
According to our skincare expert, Vitamin C is highly reactive, and when it comes in contact with air or light, it tends to oxidize. In order to reap its skincare benefits, you need to apply the most stable derivative of Vitamin C i.e ascorbic acid or L-ascorbic acid.
Dermatologists agree that the best way to incorporate Vitamin C into your daily skincare routine is through serums since they are light and easily absorbed by the skin. You can double its skincare benefits by adding a few drops of Vitamin E into the serum. The powerful antioxidants found in vitamin E and C work to eliminate free radicals and repair damaged cells on your skin. Moreover, the efficacy of Vitamin C increases when combined with other potent antioxidants such as Vitamin E.
If you are using this ingredient for the first time, then it is always recommended to use Vitamin C serum with a lesser concentration of L-ascorbic acid. Gradually, once your skin gets accustomed to this versatile ingredient you can slowly increase the concentration. Vitamin C serum with 5-6% concentration is good for people with sensitive skin.
Always apply Vitamin C serum on clean skin. After the application of serum, you can apply a moisturizer and top up with sunscreen in the daytime. At night you can skip sunscreen.
People with sensitive skin should perform a patch test before applying Vitamin C to avoid any allergic reaction on skin.
Disclaimer: All the content on anveya.com/blogs is solely for information. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified health care provider. The information, suggestion or remedies mentioned on this site are provided without warranty of any kind, whether express or implied.
