Do you know the best time to start using cosmetics with vitamin C content? Do you happen to be aware of its properties? How you ever wondered how vitamin C affects skin, hair and nails? In this post I’ll answer all these questions and give you a few fun facts concerning benefits of vitamin C.

Daily beauty regimen should focus on supplying skin with essential substances that improve moisturization, nourish, foster regeneration and rejuvenate visibly.

One of such substances is vitamin C – inconspicuous, better associated with medication curing common cold than with a beauty product. However, this vitamin is surprisingly versatile. What should you know about it?

Vitamin C in beauty products

Natural vitamin C, which is ascorbic acid, is an unstable compound that is water-soluble, sensitive to light and temperature. When exposed to adverse environment, it may break and change its properties, therefore in most cases only pure vitamin C is added to cosmetics. In light of this, when it comes to beauty product manufacturing, there are two types of vitamin C that are used:

• vitamin C derivatives such as ascorbyl palmitate, ascorbyl glucoside;
• ascorbic acid in liposomes or peptides (carriers).

I think, I should also give you a few pieces of information concerning the concentrations of vitamin C in beauty products. In most cases it doesn’t exceed 10% in face care preparations and 5% in eye skin care products. The most effective though is a cosmetic containing at least 15% of vitamin C, although such concentration of vitamin C may leave skin irritated.

Fun Fact! Absorption of vitamin C is worse when skin is exposed to cigarette smoke or urban pollution. 

What are other things that you should know? For example the fact that vitamin C likes acidic environment. The most optimal is pH 3,5 or lower, which is more acidic than natural skin’s pH. However, if a cosmetic offers such low reaction, you may expect it to irritate skin when sensitive.

To sum up, vitamin C is rather demanding when it comes to its conscious use therefore you have to apply it wisely.

What properties does vitamin C exhibit?

Some people believe that vitamin C is an undisputed queen of vitamins that are commonly used in body care. It’s owed to its versatile applications. Haven’t you known yet how vitamin C works? Well, it’s time to catch up because not without a reason the majority of rejuvenating and highlighting face serums contain this inconspicuous vitamin.

1. It has an antioxidative effect, which means that vitamin C fights off free radicals.
2. When used regularly, it fosters collagen and elastin synthesis which translates into improving skin suppleness and delivering an anti-ageing effect.
3.  It’s known for highlighting skin and reducing discolorations, it evens out skin tone because it slows down melanin production.
4.  What’s interesting, this vitamin protects against UV rays and other adverse factors, yet it’s better not to use it instead of a regular sunscreen.
5.  Also, vitamin C displays anti-inflammatory properties, accelerates skin healing processes, fosters curing acne and leaves skin radiant.

Undoubtedly, it’s worth using vitamin C in skin care because there is no other vitamin that could offer us so many beauty benefits. The truth is, face skin is the very body part that will take the most out of vitamin C.

How to introduce vitamin C into daily skin care?

Since we agreed on the fact that vitamin C is worth being introduced into daily skin care, now it’s time to learn how to do it correctly. And the possibilities are numerous, I know it from my own experience.

The most important rule says that VITAMIN C PREPARATIONS SHOULD BE USED AT BEDTIME. Why is that? Because the sun causes vitamin C decomposition and may lower its concentration even to 70%! Therefore, vitamin C delivers better results at night by stimulating natural skin self-regenerating processes. Moreover, by applying a face serum containing vitamin C before going to sleep, you won’t only take the most out of the product and win more but also minimize the risk of possible skin irritations.

When looking for a beauty product containing vitamin C, try to get a cosmetic that also includes either vitamin A or E as well as lecithin, rutoside and resveratrol – these are the substances that improve vitamin C action. On the other hand, AHA and BHA as well as heavy metals may disturb or distort the effects that vitamin C is able to produce – keep this in mind 🙂

I guess that’s all 🙂

Tell me whether any information about vitamin C has surprised you!