Vitamin C in skincare is legendary for a reason: it really works. Few ingredients are as deserving of a place in your highly competitive routine. If you incorporate this skincare essential into your regime you can say goodbye to uneven skin tone, rough texture, fine lines and wrinkles, acne scars and general dullness. In fact, you can name just about any commonplace complexion concern and there’s a good chance that Vitamin C can tackle it. That being said, with so many Vitamin C products on the market in many different forms it can be a challenge to know which is worth your money and which will have the best results according to your skin concerns. At Young LDN, we’re all about targeted products that transform our clients skin, delivering immediate and long-term results. We’ve got the answers to unlocking the power of this skincare must have, so stay tuned…

WHAT IS VITAMIN C?

You’d be right in thinking of citrus fruits the first time you think of Vitamin C and it’s true, many of us are familiar with this antioxidant’s benefits as part of a healthy diet. Vitamin C boasts some major health benefits such as boosting your immunity to prevent or help get over a cold, wound healing and has even been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease. However, brighter, smoother skin results aren’t simply down to drinking orange juice at breakfast or when we’re feeling under the weather (unfortunately). In short, Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that can neutralise the effect of free radicals. Now, a quick refresher course on antioxidants: they help to prevent and reduce damage to our cells from highly reactive molecules (free radicals). In short, they help to keep our cells healthy and performing optimally.

Therefore, in the same way that consuming your five a day and eating antioxidant rich food helps your body fight off free radicals, applying Vitamin C topically in the form of skincare can do the same for your skin. This goes beyond simply resisting the ageing process, it can help to prevent against damage from UV rays and even exposure to air pollution.

THE SCIENCE(Y) BIT…

How on earth can a vitamin brighten your skin we hear you ask? In simply terms, melanin production in the skin is responsible for it darkening (it’s this process that occurs when you get a tan). A specific enzyme: Tyrosinase, assists the melanin and Vitamin C specifically works to inhibit this enzyme, therefore brightening the skin when applied topically. Suffering from dark spots and hyperpigmentation? vitamin c is commonly found in products targeting pigmentation due to its brightening properties. Although you’ll always find other powerful pigment suppressing ingredients in the products we recommend in a de-pigmentation programme. Vitamin C does however work effectively with these other ingredients to prevent and treat harmful UVA & UVB damage and dark spots caused by excessive UV exposure.

Vitamin C by its very nature is highly acidic, meaning that when it’s applied the skin is affectively triggered or shocked into ‘healing’ itself by accelerating the production of collagen and elastin. These naturally occurring protein fibres keep the skin plump and firm therefore, reducing the first signs of premature ageing. Clever stuff!

Finally, biomedically speaking, Vitamin C is a very complex ingredient and even the best formulas can quickly oxidise and become pretty useless if exposed to sunlight. When Vitamin C has not been stabilised, which it isn’t in many off the shelf beauty products, it is actually having minimal effect on your skin. With that in mind, you should ensure your Vitamin C product of choice is contained in a tinted (ideally opaque) glad bottle or airless pump container and stashed in a drawer out of direct sunlight. This will ensure the formula you part with your hard-earned cash for will continue to be as good from the first use to the last.

A NOTE ON FORMULAS

Vitamin C may well have already made its way into every corner of your skincare stash, but it’s important to note that not every formula is created equal! Ask a Dermatologist and they’ll say that the most effective way to incorporate Vitamin C into your routines is via a serum as they are generally more concentrated (read: effective) than creams or toners.

Some of our absolute favourites are available online at YOUNG LDN. If you're looking for an amazing pure play Vitamin C Serum then you can't go wrong with the Image Skincare VITAL C Hydrating Anti-Ageing Serum. This serum smells divine and acts as a wake-up call on the skin to fight the visible signs of stress and fatigue that commonly appear in ageing skin. The Dermaceutic Tri Vita C Serum was voted Vogue magazines number 1 Vitamin C serum and contains a powerful formula of 30% vitamin C. This is also one of the most stable and active forms of Vitamin C you can get. Another killer formula is the ZO SKIN HEALTH C-Bright 10% Vit C which contains Ascorbic acid (10%) which exfoliates skin surface pigmentation for a more even tone and brighter complexion. It also contains Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate – proven to help prevent new pigmentation formation and Tocopheryl acetate and coenzyme-Q10 for multiple antioxidant protection. 

Like many of us, if you’re primarily concerned about the first signs of ageing around the eyes then you’re not alone. The IS CLINICAL C EYE ADVANCE+ has been formulated specifically for the delicate eye area. It combines copper tripeptide growth factors with Vitamin C with time release technology to quickly and visibly reduce the appearance of those pesky fine lines, wrinkles, and crow’s feet whilst you sleep! The added combination of L-Ascorbic Acid and Sodium Hyaluronate also fights off dark circles and puffiness all the while keeping your delicate eye area protected.

If you’ve read our previous post all about THE trend of the moment: beauty and skincare supplements then you might be looking to give your skin an added Vitamin C boost from the inside out. The Dr. Nigma Talib Vitamin C Cocktail is a potent Vitamin C supplement that features advance nutrient delivery technology to achieve the very best in bioavailability (ensuring that the vitamin C gets absorbed into the body. Simply take one serving daily with food but for optimal results (and the hardcore) mix one serving into 350ml of cool water, stir and enjoy!

I’M SOLD! HOW CAN I ADD IT INTO MY ROUTINE?

Continuing on from its reputation as being a bit fussy, Vitamin C doesn’t play (that well) with others. A general rule of thumb is that it needs to be the closest ingredient to your skin. We would recommend applying to dry skin after your preferred morning cleansing routine to ensure that it is the first thing that goes on your face to get the best impact and maximum absorption. What does this mean in practice? Those toners and essences you’ve been massaging on before starting your serums? Move them to your PM skincare session. Now that housekeeping is out of the way, apply an even layer of serum to face, neck, and décolletage.

If you’re new to Vitamin C, treat with caution. Like many ingredients that actually work, the trick is to start slowly and build up your skin’s tolerance. Start off with only a few drops and build up as your skin grows accustomed to it.  Allow to dry completely before applying any further skincare or makeup.

Keep safe,

YOUNG Ldn x