Is Vitamin C Good for Your Skin?

We know that vitamin C is an essential nutrient for our bodies, but we normally get it from eating food or taking supplements. Vitamin C has also been appearing in skincare products lately, which might make you wonder whether there are real benefits to the topical application of vitamin C.

Benefits of vitamin C

A handful of clinical studies have demonstrated that topical vitamin C may improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamin C may also help protect the skin from free radicals. Antioxidant qualities can neutralize free radicals that can cause damage to the skin. 

For more information, here’s an article from Harvard Health.

Here’s another piece from the Baylor College of Medicine.

How to add vitamin C to your skincare routine

Vitamin C is water soluble, and it needs to soak into your skin in order to provide all of its nourishing benefits. That means that you want to use it in leave-on products along with other special skincare ingredients.

Serums tend to have higher concentrations of these ingredients, so a glycerin-based serum is a great option.
Masks and moisturizers are also leave-on products that are good candidates for adding vitamin C to your skincare routine.

Because moisturizers are usually emulsified mixtures of oil and water based ingredients, you’ll have the oil phase there to help the vitamin C absorb into your skin.

Use your vitamin C serum after you wash your face, but before you apply your moisturizer and/or sunscreen. The lipid barrier provided by the moisturizer may interfere with the serum absorbing into your skin.

Ascorbic glucoside is gentle enough that you can use it daily, and this is the best way to make sure you get the results you’re after. 

How to tell if vitamin C is in skincare products

When you look at the label for a skincare product, it may tout that the product contains vitamin C, but you’ll want to look a little closer. Read the ingredients on the label. You may see the word “L-ascorbic acid,” which is an excellent, active form of vitamin C. The problem is that L-ascorbic acid is very volatile, and likely to oxidize in skincare products, especially if the pH is above 3.5. That means that the vitamin C will break down and will no longer provide the benefits offered.

Ascorbic glucoside is a form of vitamin C that is more stable in skincare products. That means that it’s less likely to break down and easier to formulate. L-ascorbic acid is a more potent form of vitamin C, and delivers excellent results when formulated correctly.

Lab studies have shown that ascorbic glucoside is able to penetrate the skin, and once in the skin is converted to vitamin C. So ascorbic glucoside is a great option for skincare products too. We offer ascorbyl glucoside because it's such a versatile form of vitamin C.

How long will it take to see results from Vitamin C?

As with many ingredients used in skincare products, vitamin C takes some time to show the results you’re after. Generally, the soonest you’ll see results is within 4 weeks, but it can take as long as 12 weeks.

The key is patience and consistency. Make sure you use your vitamin C skin product regularly, and don’t give up. Everyone’s skin is different.

How to use vitamin C in your DIY skincare products

Because vitamin C is water soluble, it’s best used in water based products. That includes some serums (not oil-based serums), toners, and emulsified moisturizers. If you’re adding it to an emulsified product, you want to add it to the water phase before emulsifying.

Ascorbic glucoside can be formulated at a wider range of acidity, unlike ascorbic acid. It works best in products between 5 and 8 pH, but the lower end of that scale is considered better because it is closer to the pH of your skin. 

The recommended usage rate is between 2% and 5%, although higher concentrations can be used. Serums typically contain more concentrated amounts of skincare ingredients, so you may see higher amounts in serums. 

While vitamin C can irritate sensitive skin, ascorbic glucoside is gentler than l-ascorbic acid, and is less likely to cause this irritation.

Ascorbic glucoside is often paired with niacinamide, a form of vitamin B, because they work well together in benefitting your skin. Also, vitamin C paired with vitamin E boosts the antioxidant qualities of your skincare products.

Because all of our skin is different, any product can cause a reaction. You may want to apply to a test patch before using it regularly. If irritation occurs, stop using the product right away.

That’s what you need to know to start adding vitamin C to your skincare routine and products safely and effectively. Ascorbyl glucoside is a wonderful ingredient for skincare and we hope that you enjoy using it.