Exactly How Does Vitamin C Help Brighten Your Skin?
As skincare ingredients go, vitamin C is seen as the holy grail of glowy, radiant skin. But does vitamin C really work? And if so, how?
Vitamin C. If you know anything about TruSkin, you will know that we are all about it. Our first ever product was our award-winning and best-selling Vitamin C Facial Serum and over the last ten years, almost our entire range has been built around this fan favorite face treatment.
But what exactly is it about vitamin C that makes it SO good that it had to be the absolute foundation of our skincare journey? And why is it hailed as the one of the best ingredients for brightening dull skin?
Read on for the three main reasons we believe vitamin C deserves every inch of its glow-getting praise…
Vitamin C: The Antioxidant Master
Vitamin C is a very powerful antioxidant. Science says so. And who are we to argue with science?
Antioxidants are super important for the health of your skin. You see, life can be a constant struggle as far as your skin is concerned. You can’t get away from sun exposure, environmental pollution and stress – they’re all part of daily life. But they’re no good for your skin. Similarly, a lack of sleep, poor diet choices and smoking all contribute to this onslaught of aggressors that totally compromise the strength and stability of your skin.
Why are these such bad news? Two words: free radicals. Free radicals form in your skin when it’s been exposed to the aforementioned daily aggressors. They’re very unstable, highly reactive atoms that have unpaired electrons, and their mission in life is to pair up these electrons in order to stabilize themselves. In order to do that they commit theft, pinching electrons from unsuspecting healthy cells and proteins in your body. In your skin, specifically, they seriously chip away at things like collagen and elastin, damaging your skin’s tone and texture, and making it look dull and sad at lightning speeds.
Thankfully, the world has blessed us with antioxidants which help neutralize free rads by offering up electrons without themselves becoming damaged. They’re super important in the quest for healthy, bright skin which is why applying a topical antioxidant every day should be a vital part of your skincare regime.
We have tons of awesome vitamin C products for you to try but if you really want to reap the benefits, you should opt for a facial serum first and foremost. Serums have a very low molecular weight which means they’re able to penetrate your skin and deliver all their goodness exactly where it’s needed. Try our high-powered Vitamin C Super Serum + which offers a concentrated hit of vitamin C alongside hydrating hyaluronic acid and soothing niacinamide.
Vitamin C: The Dark Spot Warrior
Granted, most people know about vitamin C’s extraordinary antioxidant powers, but that’s not all it offers in terms of skin-brightening assistance.
Studies have also shown that vitamin C helps reduce dark spots and an uneven skin tone by blocking melanin production. As we’re sure you know, melanin is what gives your skin (as well as your eyes and hair) its color. The more melanin your skin produces, the darker your skin naturally is.
Melanin also absorbs UV radiation to help protect your skin from sun damage. This is why, when your skin is exposed to sunlight, melanin production amps up and your skin may become darker. Sometimes this is uniform and you tan, but other times melanin production becomes a bit wayward, and your skin tone becomes patchy and irregular as dark spots appear.
Dark spots can really kill your skin’s radiance, giving your tone an uneven appearance and generally making it look like kind of ‘meh.’ Of course, sunscreen is vital for warding off sun damage, but vitamin C is another great way to help keep melanin under control.
How does vitamin C help reduce the appearance of dark spots? Well, research shows that it inhibits a certain enzyme called tyrosinase which melanin needs in order to synthesize. Without tyrosinase, melanin production slows down meaning less darkness and potential patchiness as a result. Bingo!
Try the awesome duo of Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser each morning, followed by Vitamin C Facial Serum, Vitamin C Brightening Moisturizer and that all-important sunscreen. Winner.
We also have a Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream to help brighten, strengthen and repair your skin while you’re asleep. Just remember to always patch test any of these formulations before using regularly all over. All of our products are gentle and suitable for most skin types but everyone’s skin reacts differently, so you can never be too careful.
Vitamin C: The Sunscreen Bestie
Going back to sunscreen for a minute, this is the number one way to fight off ALL signs of skin aging, including dull skin and dark spots. Any broad-spectrum sunscreen that’s mineral-forward and has an SPF of at least 30 is going to do your skin all number of radiance-boosting, protecting and anti-aging favors, that’s for sure. However, if you really want to soup up the effects of your sunscreen and double down on its benefits, vitamin C is a shoo-in.
Word is that vitamin C makes sunscreen work better and harder, neutralizing more free radicals (check!) and helping your sunscreen absorb more UV radiation (double check!).
The thing is, even the very best, most highly protective sunscreens can only protect your skin from 98 percent of UV rays, so there will always be a few that slip through the proverbial SPF net. Not only that but certain studies have shown that sunscreen is only able to shield your skin from around 50 percent of the number of free radicals caused by the sun. So why would you not want to try to catch all those extra rays and rads by combining the antioxidant prowess of vitamin C alongside your sunscreen? There’s no reason not to do that. No reason at all.
Especially when our SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen has been powered up by vitamin C for you, anyway.
The pleasure is all ours!
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![Insanely Good Skincare Ingredients That Pair Well With Vitamin C]()
PSA: pair vitamin C with other effective skincare ingredients and it becomes next-level good.
Vitamin C is basically our middle name here at TruSkin. Don’t get us wrong, we love any skincare ingredient that offers real-life benefits to your skin that you can actually see and feel. Retinol is one of the first that comes to mind, but also bakuchiol, its plant-derived cousin has also become a permanent fixture in our daily routines.
However, there’s something about vitamin C that makes it hard to beat. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that’s been proven to fight environmental stressors and thus protect your skin from all the damage that comes from exposure to things like smoking, pollution and, quelle surprise, UV radiation. It’s also known to inhibit a certain enzyme in your skin called tyrosinase which helps keeps melanin under control and reduces your likelihood of developing sun-related dark spots and an uneven skin tone. And if you’re worried about the potency of pure vitamin C on your skin? Don’t be. L-ascorbic acid (the pure stuff) packs a pretty mean punch, for sure, but there are many kinder-to-skin derivatives out there, including our favorite, sodium ascorbyl phosphate which is gentle, but oh-so-mighty.
All this is great, but one of our absolute favorite things about vitamin C is that it partners so well with other true greats. So which ones are worth your time? We’ve rounded up the vitamin C pairings we believe are pretty unbeatable.
Vitamin C + Vitamin E: The Ultimate Antioxidant Duo
As skincare couples go, vitamin C and vitamin E are an unbeatable little double act. You know that phrase, ‘you complete me’? That's these two, in a nutshell.
C and E are both potent antioxidants and proven to neutralize damaging free radicals which form in the skin when it’s exposed to environmental nasties. This helps reduce oxidative stress, slowing down cell damage and thus helping to preserve important proteins in your skin like collagen and elastin. As you know, these are super important to keep your skin strong, soft, clear and youthful-looking.
Of course, vitamin C does a pretty good job of this on its own, but if you combine it with vitamin E you automatically amp up both of their superpowers with zero effort at all. You see, vitamin E strengthens and accelerates vitamin C's protective abilities by preserving its stability and efficacy. Meanwhile, C stops E’s age-fighting powers from depleting as it fights off those free radical bad guys.
Vitamin E is also great at soothing and hydrating the skin as an extra bonus. Together, they're the ultimate fighting champions.
Vitamin C + Sunscreen: Great Alone… Even Better Together
As we’ve drummed into you by now, sunscreen is the number one way to fight off external skin aging, reducing your likelihood of developing everything from lines and wrinkles through to dull skin, sagging and dark spots. Any broad-spectrum sunscreen that has a decent SPF of at least 30 is going to effectively shield your skin from sun damage. No arguments there. However, there’s one way to make your sunscreen work even better. And that’s by pairing it up with vitamin C.
Studies show that vitamin C makes sunscreen work harder by neutralizing more free radicals than sunscreen is able to do on its own. It’s also thought to help your sunscreen absorb more UV radiation.
The truth is that sunscreen is only able to shield your skin from around 50 percent of the number of free radicals caused by the sun. And not only that, but even the most highly protective sunscreens that boast SPFs of staggering numbers can only protect your skin from around 98 percent of UV radiation. This means a certain number of UV rays are always going to sneak through. Ditto free radicals.
C to the rescue. And how!
Try: SPF 30 Sunscreen with Vitamin C
Vitamin C + Hyaluronic Acid: The Hydrating Power Couple
Vitamin C plays pretty well with most skin types – especially if you stick with the skin-loving sodium ascorbyl phosphate – but still, everyone’s skin has different levels of sensitivities so irritation can never be counted out.
So, what’s a great way to reduce your chances of flaring up? By ensuring your skin’s barrier function is strong and well hydrated. Of course, gentle cleansing and moisturizing is key, but another effective trick for rehydrating your skin is to couple your vitamin C with the master of moisture: hyaluronic acid.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a type of polymer that acts as a powerful lubricant and humectant. More technical jargon, we know, but humectants are water-loving components that suck in moisture and hold onto it like a sponge. They’re essential for keeping the skin hydrated, plump and smooth and, as humectants go, HA is kind of a big deal. Just one gram of the stuff can hold up to six liters of water.
HA is very gentle on the skin and works like a dream with most other skincare ingredients, especially vitamin C whose anti-aging and texture-enhancing abilities get enhanced like nobody’s business by the powers of HA. HA can also counteract any sensitivities or dryness you might experience from vitamin C. Major plus points.
Vitamin C + MSM: The Collagen Protectors
It upsets us that MSM isn’t center stage like vitamin C and retinol, but hey, not everyone can be the leading lady, right? But don’t let that fool you because, just like any great movie, the supporting actors are just as important. Often even more so. And MSM is all that… and then some.
Not familiar with the powers of MSM? Well, to quote its full name, methylsulfonylmethane is a natural-occurring form of sulfur that’s often referred to as the ‘beauty’ or ‘healing’ mineral. Does it deserve such a nickname? Absolutely. Its inherent ability to encourage blood flow, fight inflammation and boost collagen makes it a total whizz-kid for the skin. Simple as. It also works darn hard to fight environmental damage by helping to enforce your body’s natural defense system, so there’s also that.
In skincare, vitamin C helps your skin to readily absorb MSM, doubling up their combined collagen love and working extra hard to fight off the visible signs of premature aging.
Try: Vitamin C Deep Hydration Night Cream
Insanely Good Skincare Ingredients That Pair Well With Vitamin C
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