Vitamin C benefits for your skin
It’s no secret that Vitamin C is an essential part of your diet to help maintain healthy skin, bones, cartilage, and cells, but why exactly is it so good for your skin?
Vitamin C is essential for keeping your skin looking youthful, supple, and strong as it is needed by the body in order to produce collagen. Collagen one of the most abundant proteins in the body, found in all the connective tissues, making it one of the major building blocks of the skin, muscles and tendons. Vitamin C helps with to produce Hydroxyproline and Hydroxylysine, both of which are needed by the body to produce collagen.
Collagen is naturally produced by the body, however, exposure to UV rays can decrease collagen production and the body stops producing collagen all together when you reach your mid-twenties, resulting in the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin if the skin’s levels of collagen in the are not maintained.
Vitamin C also increases the skin’s formation of elastin which works to heal and protect the skin cells, to maintain the moisture levels, increase the skin’s circulation and plum the skin to make it look younger, tighter and more radiant.
Vitamin C is extremely high in antioxidants, which help to protect the skin from damage from UV rays. Whether you’re ingesting Vitamin C or applying it topically, such as with the SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum, both help to protect against free radicals, which develop after exposure to the sun, as well as helping to reduce sun burns and sun damage, especially when applied topically. It can also help to protect the skin from discoloration including dark spots, sunspots and pigmentation.
For more on the benefits of vitamin C for skincare, check out our full blog here.
How to get the most out of your vitamin C serum
Now that you’ve purchased an antioxidant serum, you want it to be effective until the very last drop. Follow these tips to keep your vitamin C in tip-top shape so you can get the protection and results you’re looking for.
Store it properly: It goes without saying that you need to close your serum bottle tightly after each use, and you should also find a cool, dry place to store it. This is especially important if you have a small bathroom that gets hot and steamy when you shower, so you may want to keep it in your kitchen refrigerator (as crazy as it may sound). If you have the room, consider getting a dedicated skincare micro-fridge for your vitamin C and other unstable products.
Use it every day: No product can help your skin if it stays in the bottle. SkinCeuticals recommends using a vitamin C serum within three months after it’s opened—and if you apply the suggested four-to-five drops to the face, neck and chest every morning you should be right on schedule. After this point, it’s likely that the serum won’t be as effective—and you may notice a chance in its smell as well.
Don’t judge based on color: Your serum may be clear or slightly yellow when you begin using it—and it’s normal for the product to darken after opening due to air and light exposure when you apply it each morning. Regardless of color, your serum should maintain its potency as long as you use it within three months.
SkinStore’s top vitamin C picks
At SkinStore we’ve combed through reviews, tested many products, and have came up with an exhaustive list of our all-time favorite vitamin C skin care products. For our full range of vitamin C skin care, go to our vitamin C page here.
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$75.00 Buy now with Skinstore US Perricone MD Vitamin C Ester Brightening Eye Serum
Buy now with free deliveryDr. Perricone has made a Vitamin C Ester Eye Serum that delivers! The formulation doesn’t dissipate once it’s applied to the skin. Just smooth this silky liquid over the eye area for firmer, brighter, younger-looking eyes. Oh, and BONUS, this serum is also amazing on the fine lines around your mouth. I noticed instant improvement when I just put a drop of this on those pesky fine lines starting to creep in on my upper lip. Lines? Eradicated. Since I saw that, I decided to put it on my whole mouth. My lips became plumper, more defined, and softer. I almost love it more as a lip treatment than for the eyes, but it’s great for both. Yet another benefit, it pairs really well with the Perricone MD High Potency Eye Lift.
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$45.00 Buy now with Skinstore US Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer
Buy now with free deliveryWe love Illamasqua’s Hydra Veil Primer, a one-of-a-kind cosmetic care product that serves as part hydrator, part primer.
Formulated with microalgae, vitamin C and B3, Hydra Veil creates a perfect equilibrium surface between rehydration and priming, so that your make-up never flakes or dries, but glides on and stays put.
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$182.00 Buy now with Skinstore US SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic with 15% L-Ascorbic Acid Vitamin C Serum
Buy now with free deliveryThe iconic Skinceuticals C E Ferulic is a revolutionary topical antioxidant combination. This is the multivitamin for your skin, your Strawberry juice in the morning, your skin’s personal bodyguard against free radicals.
C E Ferulic offers maximum anti-aging results and neutralizes and protects against the damage caused by oxidative stress.
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$27.00 Buy now with Skinstore US Skin Authority Beauty Infusion Turmeric & Blueberry for Brightening
Buy now with free deliverySkin Authority’s Beauty Infusion Turmeric & Blueberry Serum utilizes vitamin C-rich blueberry in their formula and works to restore a luminous complexion, deliver intense moisture, and leave the skin looking smooth and refined.
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$142.00 Buy now with Skinstore US Obagi Professional–C Serum 20% Strength
Buy now with free deliveryObagi’s Professional-C Serum is a highly concentrated anti-aging serum which works to address the visible signs of aging. The lightweight serum contains a blend of L-ascorbic Acid with Hyaluronic Acid which work to flood the skin with moisture and brighten the complexion for a more plumped, radiant looking complexion. The lightweight serum effortlessly melts into the skin to leave it feeling moisturized and protected.
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$125.00 Buy now with Skinstore US Jan Marini C-ESTA Serum
Buy now with free deliveryThe Jan Marini C-ESTA Serum is a science-backed vitamin C serum great for all skin types. One of the major players as far as ingredients go is the DAE complex contained in the formula, working with vitamin C to increase skin firmness, soften fine lines, and create a rejuvenated glow on your skin. This product also works well with glycolic acid products, Retin-A, some topical medications, moisturizers, and makeup making it easy to incorporate into your every day routine without concern. SkinStore customers love this one, so if you aren’t convinced, see their reviews here.
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$88.89 Buy now with Skinstore US Juice Beauty STEM CELLULAR Anti-Wrinkle Booster Serum
Buy now with free deliveryJuice Beauty’s STEM CELLULAR Anti-Wrinkle Booster Serum is an ultra-light gel that quickly absorbs into the skin to get to work reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Not only does it contain the antioxidant powerhouse vitamin C, but Vitamin E and B5 are also present providing additional skincare benefits. Your skin elasticity and luminosity will be restored with this potent serum all while protecting you from free radicals to combat premature aging. Not convinced? Read SkinStore customers’ reviews here.
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$34.99 Buy now with Skinstore US Vichy LiftActiv Brightening and Anti-Aging Vitamin C Serum with 15% Pure Vitamin C (0.67 fl. oz.)
Buy now with free deliveryChalk full of antioxidants, Vichy LiftActiv provides the skin with two powerful dermatologist active ingredients: an awakening boost of 15% pure Vitamin C with a shot of fragmented natural origin hyaluronic acid, which promotes skins production of collagen and helps the skin retain moisture. Worry no more about slow-working ingredients! With two powerful, natural-origin active ingredients, this powerful antioxidant formula is clinically proven to express results in ten days.
This super-powered serum with natural origin active ingredients will significantly improve skin’s radiance and tone quickly and effectively! By using this powerhouse serum just once a day, you can combat dull, tired-looking skin no matter what your day job or age! This serum’s formula is largely built on active, natural-origin ingredients, which means there are no texturizing, filler ingredients like silicon to diminish its quality. -
$158.00 Buy now with Skinstore US iS Clinical Super Serum Advance Plus (Worth $176)
Buy now with free deliveryThe iS Clinical Super serum Advance Plus serum is a powerhouse of anti-aging benefits in a great antioxidant serum. Not only do you get the collagen-building benefits of vitamin C, but you also get Copper Tripeptide Growth Factors. These intelligent ingredients will help with elasticity, repair lines and wrinkles, and improve texture! On top of that, it lightens dark spots safely over time.
