Advantages of Vitamin C in Maintaining Healthy Skin

Vitamin C is a highly praised ingredient among skin-care enthusiasts. It's widely recognized that vitamin C has extensive and diverse benefits for the skin, making it a valuable addition to everyone's skin-care routine, regardless of age or skin type. However, vitamin C is notoriously difficult to work with and unstable. Therefore, it's essential to consider the product you choose, how you use it, and even where you store it.

Board-certified dermatologist Robyn Gmyrek explains that vitamin C is the most abundant antioxidant in human skin, but the body can't synthesize it, so it must be obtained orally through diet or supplementation. However, only a small fraction of vitamin C stays active in the skin, so the only way to increase its availability is through topical application, says Dr. Gmyrek. Therefore, there is an abundance of vitamin C products available in the market from skin-care brands.

The reason vitamin C is a triple threat in skin care is because, as dermatologist Geeta Yadav explains, it's a powerful antioxidant that combats oxidative stress by protecting the skin against free radicals. Environmental aggressors such as pollution and sun exposure can trigger oxidative stress, which breaks down collagen and accelerates aging. Vitamin C can neutralize free radicals to prevent damage. Moreover, research suggests that topical vitamin C can reduce sunburn cell formation by 40 to 60 percent and decrease a specific marker of DNA damage caused by UV radiation exposure that's associated with skin cancers, says Dr. Gmyrek. Therefore, it's a smart move to layer a vitamin C product underneath sunscreen daily.

Vitamin C also stimulates collagen synthesis, which helps the skin maintain its resilience and counteracts aging. According to Yadav, vitamin C is known for producing firmer, tauter, and smoother-looking complexions. Furthermore, vitamin C helps to even out skin tone, brighten the skin, and reduce pigmentation by inhibiting the enzyme tyrosinase. Thus, if you're troubled with dark spots, a vitamin C product would work wonders on your skin.

If you're considering using a vitamin C product for your skin, there are a few essential factors to keep in mind. Vitamin C is a blanket term for various versions used in skin-care formulas. The golden standard is l-ascorbic acid, which is biologically active, the most common type used in topical skincare products, and the most well-studied, says Dr. Gmyrek. However, it's unstable, doesn't penetrate the skin well, and is known to cause irritation, especially in those with sensitive skin.

Other forms of vitamin C used in skincare products include ascorbyl-6-palmitate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (MAP), and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (THD). Dr. Gmyrek explains that although these forms of vitamin C are more stable and better absorbed than l-ascorbic acid, they are weaker, and the skin needs to convert them into ascorbic acid upon application. Yadav believes that there is nothing like the pure form of l-ascorbic acid, despite the other forms having several benefits, such as stability and reduced irritation. It's worth noting that products containing l-ascorbic acid are generally pricier than those containing other forms of vitamin C.

The concentration of vitamin C within the formula also matters. 'For a product to be of biological significance, it needs to have a vitamin C concentration higher than eight percent, but studies have shown that a concentration above 20 percent does not increase its effectiveness and will be more irritating. Most products on the market today, range between 10 to 20 percent,' which is a good range to aim for when choosing a product with l-ascorbic acid, says Dr. Gmyrek. With other forms of vitamin C, a 15 to 20 percent concentration is likely the sweet spot, though the ideal concentration will depend on not only the particular form of vitamin C but the entire formulation, says Dr. Yadav.

If your skin is on the sensitive side, Dr. Yadav advises starting on the lower end and gradually working your way up; you can also opt for a formula that contains one of the other types of vitamin C. Also important: Ferulic acid, another powerful antioxidant, helps to stabilize l-ascorbic acid, and vitamin E works synergistically with the ingredient, so seeking out formulas that utilize all three is a good idea, says Dr. Gmyrek.

Packaging matters too. Since vitamin C — l-ascorbic acid in particular — is easily destabilized by sunlight and oxygen, look for products housed in opaque containers with pump top dispensers, suggests Dr. Gmyrek. Store them in a cool, dark place, adds Dr. Yadav.

To get the most bang for your buck, look for vitamin C in a serum, rather than a moisturizer. 'Serums are concentrated treatments and will be the most potent form of delivery to your skin,' points out Dr. Yadav. Apply it onto clean, dry skin in the morning, when it can act as a second layer of defense underneath your sunscreen; Just make sure to let it fully absorb into the skin for a few minutes before putting on sunscreen.

You can use it in the evening again as well (so long as your skin is tolerating it), though you shouldn't combine it with any other products, cautions Dr. Gmyrek. Other common ingredients — benzoyl peroxide, retinoids — can destabilize the ingredient, essentially negating the effects all together, she says. If you do want to use it in tandem with other active ingredients, seek it out in a combination product that's already formulated with all of them together to ensure that they're stable and active, rather than layering them yourself, she explains.

There are quite a few factors to consider when choosing a product, but getting in on the numerous benefits of vitamin C will likely be worth the effort.