Ready to feel more confident when reading your beauty products’ ingredient labels?
Enter, the Allure Ingredient Index. And if Allure’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey is any indication, it’s one of the most in-demand ingredients in skin care today. Given that interest about the ingredient is seemingly at an all-time high, we felt a deeper dive into the wonders of vitamin C was warranted.
We consulted the experts to learn all about what really makes vitamin C such a sought-after skin-care ingredient, as well as the best ways to reap its many benefits.
First Off, What Is Vitamin C?
As far as your skin is concerned, vitamin C is “a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals,” explains board-certified dermatologist Patricia Wexler, M.D. “Because of its antioxidant properties, vitamin C aids in your skin’s natural regeneration process, which helps your body repair damaged skin cells.”. So, in the same way that consuming antioxidant-rich foods aids your body in fighting off free radicals, topical antioxidants do the same for your skin by helping to offset daily aggressors like UV damage and exposure to air pollution.
Quick refresher course on antioxidants: They prevent or reduce damage to our cells by neutralizing the production of highly reactive molecules called free radicals.
How Else Does Vitamin C Benefit The Skin?
Amazingly, vitamin C’s skin-saving benefits aren’t limited to its antioxidant status. It has plenty of other skin-healing properties that make it worthy of a permanent place in your medicine cabinet.
For one, when vitamin C is used topically, because it’s highly acidic, “the skin is triggered to heal itself by accelerating the production of collagen and elastin,” explains New York City-based dermatologist Howard Sobel, M.D. Remember: Collagen and elastin are both naturally occurring protein fibers that help keep skin plump and firm. So, in helping to promote collagen production, topical vitamin C can help prevent premature aging of the skin.
May Help Protect Against Sun Damage
03/2020 Reviewed by Melinda Ratini, DO, MS on November 03, 2020
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SOURCES:
Oregon State University Linus Pauling Institute: “Vitamin C and Skin Health.”
American Osteopathic College of Dermatology: “Hyperpigmentation.”
The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology: “Topical Vitamin C and the Skin: Mechanisms of Action and Clinical Applications.”
Harvard Health Publishing/Harvard Medical School: “Skin Serum: What it Can and Can’t do.”
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: “Dietary Nutrient Intakes and Skin-aging Appearance Among Middle-aged American Women.”
Cedars-Sinai: “Collagen for Your Skin: Healthy or Hype?”
Nutrients: “The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health.”
Harvard Health Publishing/Harvard Medical School: “Finding the Right Serum for Your Skin.”
Cleveland Clinic: “Understanding the Ingredients in Skin Care Products.”
Mayo Clinic: “Wrinkle Creams: Your Guide to Younger Looking Skin.”
National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: “Vitamin C Fact Sheet for Health Professionals.