In terms of skincare and good-for-you ingredients, vitamin C is finally getting its time in the sun. When applied topically, vitamin C provides a host of benefits to your face:
- It can make your skin brighter (‘brighter’ meaning less dull or discolored, including dark circles under the eyes)
- It can even out your complexion and reduce/prevent hyperpigmentation
- It can reduce inflammation
- It stimulates collagen production in the skin, making skin more firm—to prevent fine lines, wrinkles, and the likes. This can also help prevent sagging skin around the eyes, which in turn prevents those dreaded under-eye ‘bags’ that result from the sagging
- Per the previous benefit, Vitamin C also speeds up wound recovery. Take note if you’re constantly popping pimples and anxious for them to heal faster.
There are even more benefits, but these are the main ones. Vitamin C is best absorbed through a dedicated serum, too, given that the ingredient is fairly unstable in long-list formulas. (In this case, ‘unstable’ in that it oxidizes or becomes neutralized easily, rendering it far less effective.) So, it’s best to buy it in an opaque or dark vessel and to keep it in a cool, temperature-controlled setting.
There are a lot of contradictory opinions on whether it’s more effective to apply it in the morning or evening (or both), so let’s leave it at this: Apply it to freshly cleansed skin, and let the serum absorb fully (give it a cool 5-10 minutes, even though it should be somewhat instant). Then, follow with a moisturizer or night cream, ideally without retinol, AHAs/BHAs, niacinamide, or benzoyl peroxide. (If you frequently use these ingredients, it’s probably in the evening, since they’re all most effective when paired with a regenerative sleep cycle. In this instance, it would be best to use Vitamin C serums in the daytime.
Lastly, vitamin C is fairly gentle and works well with all skin types. You should still do a spot test prior to full use, but know that it’s likely to agree with your skin.
And it’s also best to buy one of the vitamin C serums below, but only because I’ve tested so many, and they’re among my favorites.
