If you still haven’t incorporated Vitamin C into your beauty routine, now’s the time.
You already know Vitamin C is good for your body. It helps with the repair and growth of tissues, forms collagen, and strengthens your immune system. Those same benefits help when applying the ingredient topically onto your skin. We’re talking antioxidants that will help against pollution, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, and also giving your skin that coveted a brighter, more radiant glow. So not only are you taking Vitamin C supplements to protect yourself from within, but you’re also keeping your skin cells healthy when you incorporate Vitamin C serums into your skincare routine.
It’s also worth noting that Vitamin C as an ingredient comes in many forms and names in skincare. If it’s not immediately evident that “Vitamin C” is in the serum, look for its other names, including L-ascorbic acid or ascorbic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palmitate, methylsilanol ascorbate, and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate.
While most people on social media will tell you that you should only use Vitamin C serums during the daytime, Paula Begoun of Paula’s Choice says that it doesn’t matter, and you can use it both during the day and the night. It’s also fine to layer the Vitamin C with other serum types such as retinol and niacinamide. Of course, when applied during the day, you should always finish with sunscreen afterwards.
Ready to get some Vitamin C serums? Below, we’ve compiled some of the newest products in the market you can try right now.
[Hero Image Credit: Biossance; Featured Image Credit: Frank Body]
This article first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Kuala Lumpur.
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If you have some stubborn dark spots that don’t seem to go away no matter how much you try, you may want to try this powerful nighttime treatment from The Inkey List. It’s formulated with tranexamic acid, which is known to effectively brighten the skin’s complexion and reduce discolouration. Couple that with 2% Vitamin C to brighten skin and 2% acai berry to even out your skin tone, this treatment is a potent one that will surely work. Use it at night followed by a moisturiser.
Mushrooms and Vitamin C probably aren’t a pairing you’d think of first, but in Biossance’s case, it makes for a pretty potent serum that aims to diminish dark spots and prevent new ones from appearing. First, the serum harnesses the power of white shiitake mushroom extract to correct dark spots and prevent new ones from forming. Using that hand in hand with 10% vitamin C in a stable form, the serum will also brighten and firms the skin.
You might have heard that people with sensitive skin should avoid Vitamin C skincare products. But with this Paula’s Choice serum formulated with tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, an extremely stable form of Vitamin C, your skin will be able to tolerate the ingredient. The serum also contains Vitamin E, ceramides, and peptides, so your skin will feel all nice and comfortable even with frequent usage. This serum is perfect for those who are looking to diminish signs of ageing while brightening dull skin.
Nothing from Tatcha can go wrong — the brand has even launched its own Vitamin C serum, named the Violet-C Brightening Serum. It’s formulated with 20% Vitamin C and 10% AHAs, designed to target signs of ageing and brighten the skin with a potent yet gentle formula. It also contains Japanese angelica root extract to lighten hyperpigmentation, spots, and discolouration.
Here’s a bonus Vitamin C product: from the brand that once brought you coffee body scrubs, Frank Body has now expanded its range to include a Brightening Vitamin C Mask. This wash-off gel mask is perfectly easy and quick to use: all you have to do is massage into your skin for one minute, leave on for an additional 10 minutes, and then wash it off. The mask is formulated with Kakadu Plum, which is rich in Vitamin C, as well as Papaya and Pineapple Extract, Lactic, Glycolic, and Salicylic Acids. Together, all these ingredients will moisturise the skin, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, blemishes, and pigmentation with frequent use.
PohNee Chin
Editor, Kuala Lumpur
Poh Nee is the editor and writes about travel and drinks. When she's not living out her holiday dreams via Google Earth and sipping on an Old Fashioned down at the local bars, you can find her snug at home bingeing on Netflix and mystery fiction.
