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One of the most popular active ingredients in skincare, vitamin C deserves a place in pretty much every skincare routine. But there is a lot of misinformation out there surrounding the ingredient, as well as things to know that can help make it more effective – and therefore your skin healthier. Here, British Vogue takes a deep dive into the ingredient known for its glow-boosting, pigmentation-busting properties, with a little help from the experts.
What is vitamin C?
In skincare, vitamin C is a potent antioxidant which offers powerful protection against pollution, environmental damage and sun damage, explains Paula Begoun, founder of Paula’s Choice. “It is the most abundant antioxidant found naturally in the skin, but depletes as we get older due to sun damage and age.”
What does vitamin C do for your skin?
As well as offer powerful antioxidant protection, which is important given the amount of pollution and other external aggressors the skin is exposed to on a daily basis (especially for city dwellers), a good vitamin C serum applied daily stimulates collagen production to help plump and smooth the skin, increases the efficacy of sunscreen, improves the skin’s healing process, reduces inflammation and combats sun damage and pigmentation. A multi-faceted skincare wonder, I think you’ll agree. “It gives skin a supercharged glow,” adds aesthetic doctor, Dr Maryam Zamani. “It’s a must-have skincare ingredient.”
Vitamin C already occurs naturally in the skin but, as is so often the way, depletes as we age. Applying it topically can help replenish existing levels, to defend skin from further damage and repair past damage too, keeping skin strong, healthy and glowing for longer.
Are there different forms of vitamin C to look out for?
Yes – it can be confusing. “L-asorbic acid is pure vitamin C and it is the most stable and effective form that you’ll find in skincare,” says Dr Emma Craythorne, consultant dermatologist for SkinCeuticals. But Begoun also advises looking out for ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbic palmitate, retinyl ascorbate, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, 3-O ethyl ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate on ingredients (or INCI) lists, too.
What percentage of vitamin C should you use?
“In order for a vitamin C serum to be effective, it must be formulated with pure l-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) at an acidic pH within the 2.0 to 3.5 range, and have a concentration between 10 and 20 per cent,” explains Dr Craythorne (SkinCeuticals vitamin C products – from the cult C E Ferulic to Silymarin CF – are all formulated to these standards). It’s also worth noting that the brand’s CE Ferulic has been proven to reduce oxidative damage by up to 48 per cent in the skin, so the brand is certainly doing something right.
It also depends on your skin concerns. While 15 per cent or higher ascorbic acid is brilliant for treating more stubborn skin problems, Begoun points out that “for maintenance and to prevent problems, research has shown that even concentrations of 0.6 per cent of vitamin C have antioxidant and anti-ageing properties”. These lower concentrations can also help to repair and nourish the skin. Look to the product’s INCI list where, if found at a concentration of one per cent or higher, ingredients are listed in descending order of concentration.
Does vitamin C work for all skin types?
One of the most Googled questions about vitamin C is whether it causes pimples or prompts the skin to peel. The answer to both questions can’t be one hundred per cent certain, but in general irritation is unlikely to occur. “It delivers multiple benefits for all skin types, ethnicities and skin concerns, from dullness to dark spots, wrinkles and loss of firmness,” says Begoun.
“A small percentage of people may experience temporary irritation when first starting a product with high concentrations of ascorbic acid (especially when formulated at a low pH, which is ideal for its effectiveness), but that should easily resolve over time as skin acclimates to it.” As you do with retinoids, she recommends slowly introducing it into your routine while monitoring the skin’s response, increasing regularity when you know it can tolerate it. Dr Zamani adds that vitamin C should actually improve many of these much-Googled issues because of its strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which help protect and heal skin.
Should you use vitamin C in the morning or at night?
So how does vitamin C fit into your skincare routine? Well, firstly you can use it every day, depending on how well your skin tolerates it. In general, most people use it in the morning to reap its antioxidant benefits during the day, when we’re faced with most external aggressors. However, Dr Zamani also recommends deploying it at night too. “I recommend starting with our Brighten and Perfect Serum daily in the morning, and if there are no signs of irritation after 10 to 14 days, I advise using it morning and night. In the morning it can be used to fight oxidative damage from UV exposure, and at night you can repair the skin while you sleep,” she says. Win win.
What should you not mix with vitamin C?
Once vitamin C was thought to be incompatible with lots of other ingredients, including retinol, but now there is plenty of research to suggest the opposite is true. “This myth has been around for a long time and still lives on several websites and blogs,” says Begoun. “You can absolutely apply vitamin C with niacinamide, peptides, AHA and BHA exfoliants and retinol – there is no single ingredient it shouldn’t be used with.” In fact, the science now shows that retinol and vitamin C actually work synergistically together to create healthier looking and functioning skin. Begoun references studies that have shown that applying both actives at the same time is great for ageing skin, particularly for women undergoing changes due to menopause.
Which vitamin C products are the best?
The vitamin C formulas that pack the biggest punch come in serum form, although you can also try moisturisers infused with the ingredient, as well as cleansers. The most effective combine vitamin C with other antioxidants, such as vitamin E or ferulic, so keep an eye out for those as well on ingredients labels. It’s also worth noting that vitamin C is ultra unstable, so when it’s exposed to light and air, it breaks down – you’ll find that most vitamin C formulas as a general rule are, therefore, housed in dark packaging to preserve the ingredient, however this will depend on how the serum is formulated.
Below, find British Vogue’s edit of the best vitamin C serums to try now.
