Skincare With Vitamin C

You might have noticed that Vitamin C is all over the place when it comes to skincare, and for good reason — It’s beneficial for our skin! Vitamin C can not only boost our body’s ability to create collagen for firm, bouncy and elastic skin, but it can also help brighten the complexion by inhibiting melanin production clearing the skin of spots and uneven skin tone due to hyperpigmentation. Plus, it’s an antioxidant that fights off free radical damage! What’s great is that you can find it in just about every single skincare step you’re looking for, but keep in mind how long the products will sit on the skin and be used. 

Types of Vitamin C

I think one thing that confuses many people is the type of vitamin C out there, as there are a few kinds used in skincare. Some common forms found in skincare is:

Ascorbic Acid – (also known as L-ascorbic acid) is the most potent form of vitamin c, water-soluble, and is highly unstable to light and air.  Sadly, It can be irritating to the skin when it oxidizes and turns into dehydro ascorbic acid. Because of this, you’ll see most vitamin C-based products need to be in opaque packaging and hopefully airtight when possible. A clear ar of cream will most likely degrade before a serum in an airless pump bottle, for example. And for ascorbic acid to do it’s magic, it’s got to be at the proper pH to absorb well into the skin ( a pH under 4). 

Vitamin C Derivatives – This is when a compound is added to help prevent it from degrading as quickly and some are oil-dispersable. They are also more photo and air-stable and have less chance of being irritating to the skin versus ascorbic acid. It comes at the price of being less effective though. Examples of these are Ascorbyl Palmitate ( an oil-soluble superstar), Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate ( which turns to ascorbic acid when applied to the skin), Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (which is water-soluble and the most stable form of vitamin c), Sodium Ascorbate (converts to ascorbic acid when applied to the skin)  and a few others. 

Vitamin C is said to work well with hyaluronic acid, Vitamin E, and Ferulic acid when choosing products for your skincare routine.  It can be used morning and night, just be sure to use sunscreen with it! Since serums are designed to be potent, you’ll usually find Vitamin C more often than not in this form. Also, it can take time for your skin to adjust to a potent Vitamin C so introduce it slowly into your routine by starting a few days a week and work your way up if you choose. Keep in mind, vitamin C is an ingredient that can take weeks to see results, so be patient. With that said, let’s look at some products that I have that boost the power of Vitamin C!

Products with Vitamin C

Dermalogica Biolumin-C Vitamin C Serum   Dermalogica is one of those brands I have trusted since my early college days. My roommate could afford it but I couldn’t, but she’d let me use it from time to time. I’ve loved it ever since! I have Biolumin-C as part of my routine lately and experience no irritation with this serum whatsoever. Its formula includes a vitamin c complex that is very stable and bioavailable while including a peptide and AHA (lactic acid) for a smoother, brighter appearance. This product is vegan and cruelty-free.

Fresh Vitamin Nectar Face Mist  My absolute favorite facial mist! It smells so good like apricots and it comes in a huge can that gives off a very fine mist. Great for misting by the pool, or as a makeup setter. I like to dampen my blender sponge with it too. Not only does this mist hydrate but delivers a dose of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins (hello, we see you Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate! *waves* ) in an ever fine mist. Is it the most potent way to get vitamin C? Probably not. Will I stop using it? Nope!

Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm This short and stubby balm from Drunk Elephant has been a favorite of mine for a while now. The extra-wide tube allows for the balm to cover the entire lip, and just slightly around it as well, and can also be used around the eyes.  It’s not a glossy balm and goes on with a natural finish, and has no detectible flavor. Lippe Balm contains moisturizing oils like avocado and Mongogo, green tea leaf, a tripeptide, and *gasp* you guessed it — vitamin C!

Farmacy Cheer Up Brightening Eye Cream Need a nice eye cream? There are only a few that I actually stick with and this is one of them. This eye cream illuminates and brightens the eye area with its 4% vitamin C formula which includes peptides and caffeine. It uses acerola cherry as its vitamin C source and truly leaves the eye area looking very hydrated and moisturized. Farmacy is a clean brand aiming to make more sustainable products, including their packaging.

Farmacy Honey Savior Repair Salve It makes perfect sense for a skin-repairing salve to include vitamin C in their formula, so I was not surprised to find it in Farmacy’s Honey Savior! This multi-purpose balm can be used for just about anything from lip balm, a cuticle treatment, friction reducer, and even sunburns and abrasions. It of course has a healing dose of honey, propolis, and royal jelly to nurse your skin back to its comfortable self. This salve has no flavor or scent to it and applies similar to petroleum jelly, but slightly runnier depending on the temperature used.

BeautyCounter Counter+ All Bright C Serum I first tried BeautyCounter right around the time I gave birth to Zoe. It was a facial oil and a small sample of their face tint and wanted to come back to them, Somehow, over the years they have phased out of my routine.  Recently, it has returned with its Counter+ All Bright C Serum. Counter+ boasts a powerful 10% blend of two vitamin C forms that moisturize while reducing the appearance of dark spots and fine lines. The rich, vibrant yellow shade of this serum is due to the inclusion of Turmeric, a well-known antioxidant, and has no added fragrance. I will say this has a very “natural” scent to it, the kind that they didn’t go crazy trying to cover with a fragrance so I can appreciate it, but it is a noticeable smell.  This product is cruelty-free, vegan, and EWG-certified.

Garnier Pinea C Serum I received this through a PR mailer and have been quite impressed with this time-saving, three-in-one serum. Pinea-C brightening serum evens out skin tone with the help of vitamin C (Ascorbyl Glucoside) along with pineapple extract, moisturizes like face cream, and protects with SPF 30 broad-spectrum coverage. The Garnier Green Labs line is an effort to produce cleaner products (that are cruelty-free) and reduces their environmental impact by working on biodegradability and using renewable energy sources. This uses a chemical-based sunscreen that blends nicely into the skin but does sting my eyes so I use it carefully.

Pixi Remedy Mask A cooling jelly face mask that uses vitamin C and Ferulic acid to brighten my skin? Sign me up! I’ve been loving the Remedy Masks from Pixi Beauty with their playful packaging and ultra-soothing formula. Just slap a good amount on your face and sit back as it does the work. This jelly mask is suitable for all skin types, includes ascorbic acid, and does have a scent to it. I always find it relaxing to use Pixi’s jelly masks!

Cirem Mending Moon Moonglow Face Oil If your skin is parched and you like using oils, Cirem’s Mending Moon Moonglow Face Oil feels like silk on the skin. I like using this one at night time in ample amounts so I look like a glazed donut. The feel of this oil in particular stands out to me. It doesn’t feel like oil or oily at all – just a silky serum of sorts. This face oil touts a 20% Vitamin C and also includes vitamin E, argan oil, oat oil, squalane and prickly pear seed oil to moisturize and soothe the skin. Cirem uses THD ascorbate in their face oil and is a cruelty-free brand. 

I hope you discovered some new products that might fufill your Vitamin C needs! If you have one in your beauty arsenal please share!