What is Vitamin C & Why is It Good for The Skin

Vitamin C is one of the most well-loved ingredients in all of skincare thanks to its antioxidant properties and skin brightening abilities. From protecting skin from premature ageing to adding a juicy glow to dull complexions, it’s no surprise that vitamin C can be found in serums, creams, face masks and more. However, understanding the many intricacies of this powerful antioxidant can be a confusing to say the least.

This guide will give you the answers you’ve been looking for about how vitamin C can help you get your glow. We’ll answer common questions like ‘what is the difference between ascorbic acid and vitamin C?’, break down the different types of this ingredient and introduce you to our range of vitamin C-enriched products.

 

What is Vitamin C?

Yes, the vitamin C found in skincare like our Green Labs and Skin Active ranges is fundamentally the same stuff you can get from oranges. Vitamin C in skincare comes in several different forms including pure vitamin C and derivatives, all of which are designed to be potent and easily absorbed enough to make a visible difference to your skin. These can be synthetic or natural in origin. Let’s go through some common types you’ll see on ingredient lists.

L-ascorbic acid: It’s one of the more well-known forms of vitamin C, but what is l-ascorbic acid? As a pure and potent form of vitamin C, this type can have strong benefits. However, it can also take some getting used to for those with sensitive skin and is trickier to keep stable.

Vitamin Cg (ascorbyl glucoside): This vitamin C derivative can be found in Garnier products and has powerful skin benefits. Once on the skin, vitamin Cg transforms into pure vitamin C for optimal benefits within your skin.

What is Vitamin C good for?

What is vitamin C important for? This powerful antioxidant can help your skin in so many ways – so we’re going to need to answer this question in sections.

Brightening your complexion

Overall brightening properties are perhaps the most highly lauded benefit of vitamin C in skincare.  UV rays and pollution are known to damage the skin by making it look dull, tired, and lacklustre, but a concentrated vitamin C serum can help with this. Vitamin C acts as a brightening agent to help your complexion look more even and glowing. For example, our  Vitamin C Brightening Serum combines vitamin C with comforting niacinamide and gently exfoliating salicylic acid to boost your glow. To remove makeup and impurities on dull looking skin, our Micellar Vitamin C Cleansing Water works to gently cleanse and brighten skin with the inclusion of vitamin Cg in one application. 

Minimising hyperpigmentation and dark spots

In addition to overall brightening properties, vitamin C can also directly target the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C can help block melanin production, helping balance out your skin tone. Using products containing vitamin C can also help visibly fade existing dark spots, post-acne hyperpigmentation and sun spots. Try our Green Labs Pinea-C Brightening Serum Cream SPF 15 to help manage dark spots and uneven skin tone. The SPF will protect against sun-related pigmentation, while the vitamin C and pineapple will target existing dark spots.

Hydrating skin

Aside from everything else, different types of vitamin C are also hydrating, meaning they can help decrease the amount of water lost through the surface of your skin. This is one reason why vitamin C products combine well with the skin benefits of hyaluronic acid. Using face masks with vitamin C can help lock in moisture barrier and leave your skin looking and feeling plump and healthy. Try our Vitamin C Anti-Fatigue Ampoule Face Sheet Mask with Pineapple Extract, featuring our highest concentration of vitamin Cg in a mask, with the added benefits of pineapple.

Slowing down visible signs of ageing

Vitamin C also remains a powerhouse ingredient for anti-ageing - your body needs vitamin C to synthesis collagen, so replacing gradually declining levels with a vitamin C serum can help give your collagen a boost. The result? Increased firmness and elasticity and decreased sagging and wrinkles.


Antioxidant protection

Last but not least, vitamin C provides powerful antioxidant protection. This means applying vitamin C can help neutralise the harmful impacts of free radicals, unstable molecules that come with pollution, UV rays and stress. We recommend using a vitamin C product like our Pinea-C Brightening Foaming Gel Cleanser in the morning to utilise antioxidant protection as you take on the day (and the environmental aggressors that come with it). 

 

 

Learned a lot from this article? Read our Ultimate Guide to Sheet Masks to keep building your skincare knowledge.

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