Everything you need to know about- Vitamin C serum

Skincare when done correctly can not only give you glowing and gorgeous looking skin but also heal and maintain your skin health. From among the many skin care essentials that we often hear beauty gurus raving about, the few that are never left out of the list are sunscreen, moisturiser and the holy grail - Vitamin C. While including Vitamin C rich foods in your diet has its own amazing benefits, having it in your skincare can do wonders as well. In the past few years, Vitamin C has become a hot topic in the beauty world. The concept and products are buzzworthy as including it in a skincare routine has helped many many individuals and people can just NOT stop obsessing over it. 

So here is anything and everything you need to know about this magical potion called the Vitamin C serum and how you can use it to your benefit to attain glowing and healthy looking skin. Read on to know why you need this ingredient in your routine, its application, some combinations and also some important things you should avoid doing! 

What is Vitamin C? 

The product/ingredient is pretty much self explanatory. Vitamin C products are packed with the goodness of Vitamin C that is organically processed to a semi thick consistency. Vitamin C that is extracted from fruits and vegetables and in most cases of skincare products like moisturisers, toner and serums- synthetically produced - is an extraordinary and powerful antioxidant. 

The pure form of vitamin C is  L-ascorbic acid. According to Jennifer Herrmann, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills, CA, this is the most biologically active and well-studied form of vitamin C; however, there are several vitamin C derivatives, including sodium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palmitate, retinyl ascorbate, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate.

"These derivatives are not pure vitamin C; rather, they are combined with other ingredients that may help to stabilise the Vitamin C. And when they come in contact with the skin, they release the pure Vit C.

Topical Vitamin C can prevent oxidation on the skin and hence visibly and slowly reduce the appearance of ageing. Due to its strong antioxidant properties, many brands that sell Vit C serums guarantee brightened and glowy skin. 

Packaging:

As mentioned, Vit C is very sensitive and reactive. If exposed to too much air, heat or light- it ends up losing its antioxidant properties. And if that happens, your product becomes basically useless. Therefore being mindful while purchasing your serums is important. Buy products that come in air-tight and opaque containers.Make sure to store them in a cool, dry and dark place and if you notice a colour change in your product (say brown), it has most definitely gone bad- so toss it out! 

How to apply a Vit C serum?

There are many tutorials and skin care regimes/routines that guarantee results on the internet. However, instead of blindly following the process that suits someone else’s skin, it is best that you know what your skin needs and what it absolutely does not. 

You can include Vitamin C in either your morning or night skin care routine. The most common and effective method of incorporating Vit C in your routine is a three step efficient system that includes cleansing followed by your Vitamin C serum and then moisturiser. 

The key is to go from the thinnest consistency products to the thickest ones. 

It is important to note that the last step of your routine should always be a healthy amount of sunscreen as no products will be effective if you expose your skin to the scorching sun.

How often can you use Vit C serum?

Vitamin C serums are a healthy addition to your skincare, if anything. Therefore it is safe to use your Vit C serum everyday. When paired with an effective sunscreen of SPF 40 or above, the combo can act as a powerful barrier against environmental skin damage.

Another important thing to remember about Vit C serum or any serum for that matter is that the skin should be properly exfoliated for the serum to seep deep into the layers of your skin. Using a chemical or a mild physical exfoliator at night on alternating days can make sure your Vit C serum is effective and working.

Which Ingredients should you avoid with Vit C serum?

Exfoliators

Any exfoliating acids or chemical exfoliators should not be followed immediately before or after your Vit C serum. It is okay to include exfoliators in your regime but not at the same time as your Vit C serum. 

For eg- If you are applying your Vit C serum in your daily morning routine, you can exfoliate at night on alternate days. This ensures an optimal time gap between the usage of the two ingredients which might react if used consecutively. 

Niacinamide 

Another infamous combination of Vit C is yet another ingredient that is raved in the skincare industry- Niacinamide. Experts have explained that Niacinamide tends to make Vit C inactivate. Some users have also complained of breakouts and irritation when the two were used together. Therefore it is best that the combo is avoided. Niacinamide can be included but as mentioned before, you can add it to your night time routine or vice versa. 

Retinol

Retinol is also a great ingredient to include in your skincare perhaps not with your VItamin C though! As both Vit C and Retinol and highly reactive ingredients, using them at the same time can cause skin irritation and redness. Separating their uses or dividing them between the two skin care routines of the day will do the trick. (Use retinol at night and Vit C in the morning)

Common Benefits of Vit C serums:

1. Makes a barrier for your skin

The primary job of Vitamin C is to create a barrier on your skin. Ultraviolet rays cause free radicals to form on the skin (unstable molecules that damage skin cells). These promote wrinkles, dullness etc. Vit C which is an antioxidant that prevents skin damage by destroying these free radicals. 

2. Lightening Dark spots:

Vit C also helps lighten unwanted dark spots caused by sun damage and other skin issues. The lightening process is essentially due to the antioxidant properties present in the active ingredient

3. Production of Collagen

Vitamin C is very vital for collagen production in the body. Collagen is the building block of skin, hair, muscles, and tendons, and it is responsible for our skin's youthful and smooth appearance. Collagen production slows as we age, which can result in sagging skin.

When applied topically, vitamin C stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, both of which help keep the skin plump and firm.

4. Skin Hydration

The absence of adequate moisture and hydration leads to dryness in the epidermis (topmost layer). Dryness can in turn lead to itchy, scaly and premature ageing of skin. Hydration, just like in the body, is extremely important for the skin as well. Hydrated skin is equal to healthy skin. Hydrated skin looks youthful. 

Incidentally, Vit C is clinically proven to retain water in the skin making it a perfect hydration tool. It helps the skin with roughness and elasticity too.

5. Glow 

Results that show perhaps the quickest on using a Vit C serum is the glow and sheen that it gives the skin. Radiant and healthy skin can be achieved in a short time span on consistent use of the Vit C serum. 

Just like any other skin care, the most important aspect is consistency. To get the desired results from your Vit C serum, you must be consistent and include it in your skin care routine religiously.