Vitamin C Benefits And Uses
Few ingredients are better for brightening skin, protecting it against aggressors, and addressing signs of aging. Vitamin c is great for all skin types and ages!
Vitamin C has multiple benefits for the skin. In this article we will explore the benefits the formulas as well as the application.
What is Vitamin C?
Vitamin C benefits goes back to the 18th century when sailors used to eat plenty of citrus fruits to help them prevent Scurvy disease. At the time, they didn’t know how citrus fruits helped and that’s until early 1900’s when scientists figured out about Vitamin C.
Since then it’s been a lot researched and it has turned out to have tremendous health benefits not only for our body but also for our skin.
Ascorbic Acid or L-Ascorbic Acid are other names of Vitamin C which is actually not produced by the body but it is an essential nutrient in tissue repair and the enzymatic production of various transmitters, hence it plays a big role in the complicated process where our skin creates some nice new skin-firming collagen.
Check out these two cleansers formulated with Vitamin C. Using a cleanser is the first step of your daily skin care routine.
What are vitamin C’s benefits for skin?
Our skin reaps the biggest benefits when Vitamin C is applied topically versus ingested via an oral supplement or your diet. Topically, Vitamin C is 20 times more potent than an oral intake.
The benefits of Vitamin C are variable:
- Vitamin C promotes collagen production and as a result, it diminishes fine lines and firms the skin.
- Vitamin C is an antioxidant, meaning it protects skin cells from free radicals damage caused by UV exposure.
- Vitamin C inhibits melanin production in the skin, which helps to lighten hyperpigmentation and brown spots, even out skin tone.
- vitamin C helps to repair damage from sun exposure and collagen loss by encouraging healthy cell turnover and regeneration.
In a study from 1999 a 10% Vitamin C serum was shown to decrease wrinkles when applied for a 3 month period. A few years later another study using a 5% Vitamin C cream for a 6 month period showed statistically significant improvement in skin hydration, wrinkles, glare, brown spots and skin density.
Here are two Toners formulated with Vitamin C for your second skincare routine step. Toners provide deep cleansing for the skin as well as other benefits.
BV WHITE BRIGHTENING LOTION 250ML.
How to use it?
Apply vitamin C as a serum in the morning, after cleansing and before applying moisturizer and sunscreen.
The best vitamin C skin care products are serums because they are more effective at penetrating the skin barrier than a cream or toner but of course, each has its role in your daily routine.
You will also need to be patient with Vitamin C as with most skin care products as they take time to start working, and vitamin C takes a little longer, even with daily use and that can be from six to eight weeks, but patience comes great reward.
Here Are two Serums to check! serums are usually applied twice daily and should be followed by a sunscreen in the morning.
What to look for?
You can maximize the benefits of vitamin C by combining it with other antioxidants. For better protection choose a serum that contains Vitamin E as well as it doubles the photoprotection properties of Vitamin C. And wait, it gets even better: Ferulic acid further doubles the photoprotection of Vitamin C + E. Together, they have optimal absorption benefits when it comes to anti-aging, skin brightening, and protection against free radical damage.
check out Bruno Vassari Ferulic + Vit c + DMAE Concentrate
It also plays well with vitamin B and hyaluronic acid. However, do not mix vitamin C with a retinol or niacinamide, because the pH levels are incompatible.
But Vitamin C is not without some drawbacks!
1. Vitamin C is extremely unstable and oxidizes very easily.
The natural form of vitamin C, ascorbic acid, might be the most effective when applied topically, however, it is also the least stable version. Ascorbic acid’s main use in skincare is for de-pigmentation. It achieves this by suppressing melanin formation thereby inhibiting pigmentation. It is used, for example, in products applied to address skin ageing (ageing spots), melasma, post-laser erythema, and stretch marks. All of this happens very deep into our skin.
Removal of the stratum corneum by laser, chemical or mechanical methods enhances the absorption of ascorbic acid.
But some workarounds were made to reap all the benefit of the ascorbic acid like in the Bruno Vassari Pure C Oil Free Serum, which is packed in 3 vials to prevent oxidation.
Vitamin C derivatives are used to prevent the oxidation caused by the ascorbic acid sensitivity to air and sunlight but they are less effective than Ascorbic Acid. Here’s a few:
- ascorbyl palmitate;
- magnesium ascorbyl palmitate;
- magnesium ascorbyl phosphate;
- Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
- calcium ascorbat;
- sodium ascorbate; and
- sodium acorbyl phosphate.
2. Does not penetrate skin easily
It is water soluble and skin is just not attracted to water soluble things but rather to oil soluble things. So this makes it a little tricky for Vit C to actually get into your skin. But good news: low pH solves the problem. The Bruno Vassar Pure c has a very low Ph for that matter.
Removal of the stratum corneum by laser, chemical or mechanical methods enhances the absorption of ascorbic acid.
Derivatives such as, Ascorbyl palmitate and Ascorbyl glucoside also enhance absorption but they are not as efficient as the pure vitamin C.
3. High amount of Vit C can irritate sensitive skin
Slight tingling is quite normal but if your skin is super sensitive, rosacea prone then a very potent (above 10%) Vitamin C serum might not be for you. you should try it at least once and see how your skin reacts. It is always individual so you never know for sure until you try it.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Ascorbic acid is the best version of Vitamin C to use in skin care products. But, just having ascorbic acid on the ingredient list doesn’t make a product “the best.” A well formulated product based on other derivatives could be better than a poorly formulated product based on ascorbic acid.
You need to keep in mind that the efficacy of any vitamin C based product depends on not only the type of Vitamin C, but also the concentration, the other ingredients in the formula and the packaging.
Now that you are a VITAMIN C expert , Check these before you leave 🙂
THE ORDINARY ASCORBYL TETRAISOPALMITATE SOLUTION 20% IN VITAMIN F – 30ML
VICHY LIFTACTIV NIGHT ANTI WRINKLE 50ML
NOVACLEAR WHITEN ADVANCED WHITENING SERUM
BV WHITE DAY PROTECTION SPF15 50ML.
SESDERMA CVIT FACIAL LIPOSOMAL SERUM
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