Vitamin C serum is the holy grail of the skin care industry. It is among the most recommended serum by dermatologists for a reason - or several. Experts believe one of the ways to achieve a smooth, bright and glowing skin is to incorporate Vitamin C serum in your skin care routine.
Though fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of vitamin C, your skin may still not get all the benefits from those alone. Recent studies have found that to give the best of vitamin C to your skin, topical application is much more effective.
Our skin is constantly exposed to oxidative stress factors like UV rays, free radicals, pollution, radiation, etc. Exposure to such external stress leads to a breakdown of collagen synthesis and promotes ageing of skin.
Vitamin C is rich in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing and immunomodulatory properties. It helps fade fine lines and wrinkles by encouraging synthesis of collagen, improve skin’s immune system and ward off harmful free radicals that may result in causing harm to the skin. Moreover, it also protects against harsh UV rays and treats dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
Topical vitamin C is available as creams, moisturisers, lotions, serums, etc. But vitamin C serum for face is often the most commonly recommended formulation by the dermatologists. Serums are formulations with the highest concentration of the main ingredients and are known to penetrate in the skin more easily than other formulations such as creams or lotions.
In This Article
Benefits of Vitamin C Serum
The small bottle of vitamin C serum is nothing less than the genie’s magical lamp with its numerous benefits. Here are 6 benefits of vitamin C serum:
- Vitamin C Serum for Wrinkles
Skin ageing is one of the biggest concerns today, especially due to premature ageing. While ageing is a natural process of our body that occurs with time, there are several cases where people experience an early onset of skin ageing.
Oxidative stress such as over-exposure to UV rays can result in breakdown of collagen and elastin fibres. Collagen and elastin are naturally occurring proteins of the skin that help keep the skin youthful and firm. But when external factors lead to a breakdown of these proteins resulting in a decrease of their levels, the skin may develop fine lines and wrinkles.
Topical application of vitamin C protects the skin from the harsh UV rays and promotes the production of collagen and elastin, thereby preventing premature ageing of the skin.
Religious use of vitamin C serums, a highly concentrated formulation of the vitamin, can speed up the process of fading the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Vitamin C Serum for Protection Against UV rays
Oxidative stress such as UVA and UVB rays are among the most harmful constituents that damage our skin. When our skin is constantly exposed to UV rays, vitamin C levels in our skin tend to drop. Low levels of vitamin C also results in dry, damaged skin and slow wound healing of the skin.
As an antioxidant, vitamin C neutralises the free radicals that may otherwise cause damage to the skin. Topical use of vitamin C serum before stepping out in the sun has shown to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It also helps in wound healing and revitalising dry, damaged skin.
- Vitamin C Serum for Skin Hydration
A lack of sufficient moisture may result in dry skin. Dry skin also leads to premature ageing, dull, irritated and inflamed skin.
While some people may have a naturally dry skin type, those with other skin types can also experience dry skin at times. Dry skin can be a result of several factors such as season, medical history, age, lifestyle habits, certain skin care products i.e. products that may not suit the skin type, etc.
A recent study found that topical use of vitamin C helps in retaining skin hydration and prevents transepidermal water loss or dehydration of skin. It also prevents skin from becoming extremely oily and promotes skin elasticity.
Moreover, when the skin is sufficiently moisturised, it does not produce excess sebum or natural oils. This is specially in the case of the oily skin type. Those troubled with acne, oily and greasy skin can, too, opt for vitamin C serum for oily skin.
Using vitamin C serum for dry skin can positively impact the skin by increasing skin moisture and repairing and maintaining the lipid barriers.
- Vitamin C Serum for Hyperpigmentation
Pigmentation of the skin is a direct result of the melanin produced in our body. Melanin is responsible for the tone and shade of our skin, hair and eyes.
Excess melanin production can result in the appearance of dark skin patches on our body known as hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation can also be a result of genetics, certain medication, exposure to UV rays, underlying health conditions, etc.
Tyrosinase is an enzyme involved in the production of melanin. Vitamin C has shown to inhibit the production of the tyrosinase enzyme, thus naturally preventing hyperpigmentation.
Adding vitamin C serum to your skin care routine can help in the treatment of hyperpigmentation, dark spots and prevention against the harsh UV rays.
While vitamin C is used to lighten and fade hyperpigmentation and dark spots, it cannot lighten the natural skin tone to result in a ‘fairer’ skin tone.
- Vitamin C Serum for Acne
Acne is a result of clogged skin pores. Skin pores are general hair follicles that are also outlets of sweat and natural oils. When these hair follicles are clogged with natural oils or sebm, sweat, dirt, grime, etc., it can result in the development of acne.
Acne can be stubborn and painful. These can also lead to swelling, inflammation of skin, redness, acne scars and dark spots that may impact our mental health.
While there isn’t any significant research available to prove that oral intake of vitamin C may help in acne treatment, a number of studies have found topical application of vitamin C is beneficial for acne.
Vitamin C has anti-inflammatory properties and it thus, can prove beneficial in reducing inflammation and redness of the skin. A 2010 study found that topical application of vitamin C can significantly reduce the appearance of acne lesions.
Additionally, vitamin C helps synthesis collagen production. Collagen is a natural protein responsible for healthy skin and its structure. Thus, vitamin C while regulating collagen production, also helps to repair skin wounds and acne scars.
Since vitamin C serum is a highly concentrated formulation of the vitamin that helps penetrate deep with the skin, those with acne issue can opt for the serum for more quicker results.
- Vitamin C Serum for Under Eye Circles
The skin around the eyes is generally thin and more delicate than the overall facial skin. But it may become even thinner and weaker due to factors such as ageing, fatigue, sun damage and dehydration.
What you really see with the appearance of under eye circles are networks of blood vessels close to the surface of the skin.
Vitamin C serum may help in reducing these under eye circles. A recent study found that religiously using vitamin C for a period of 6 months helped thicken the skin around the eye and reduce dark circles. Its antioxidant properties also help improve the skin’s elasticity, thus, masking the blood vessels around the eyes.
How to Pick the Best Vitamin C Serum?
Vitamin C serums are suitable for almost every skin type and skin concern. But how should you choose and what should you look for in a vitamin C serum?
Apart from the goodness of vitamin C, the serum is also packed with other ingredients. When looking for the best vitamin C serum for face, it is important to look out for certain ingredients. The best vitamin C serum for you also depends on your skin type and current skin concerns.
The best vitamin C serums include ingredients like vitamin E that help increase photoprotective effects of vitamin C, hyaluronic acid as it is one of the best moisturising ingredient, ferulic acid as it influence collagen production, slow down skin ageing and also reduce the effects of UV rays on the skin and sodium hyaluronate for preventing dehydration of skin and reducing inflammation of the skin.
Developed with L-ascorbic acid which is one of the most effective formulations of vitamin C, SkinQ’s 15% Vitamin C Glow Serum is a dermatologist recommended vitamin C serum in India. Created especially for Indian skin, 15% Vitamin C Glow Serum has proven to fight skin concerns such as melasma and pigmentation. With religious use, it also helps to reduce skin tanning and prevents hyperpigmentation of skin. Additionally, with active ingredients like ferulic acid, sodium hyaluronate and emblica it reduces sun - induced skin damage and results in bright and hydrated skin.
The Bottom Line
Owing to its almost endless list of benefits, vitamin C is one of the most loved ingredients of the skin care industry. Including it in your skin care routine is a definite treat to your skin, but before including it in your regime, it is recommended to always perform a skin patch test.
