The skincare market can be complicated and confusing - with so many products to choose from, it's often difficult to decide which are going to be the most beneficial. If you're considering adding a serum into your regime, the experts are hailing vitamin C as the ingredient to boost and plump the skin, as well as protecting from harmful free radicals and pollutants in the environment. Not sure where to start? HELLO! caught up with complexion experts Dr Nick Milojevic and Amanda Von Dem Hagen to get the low-down on all things vit-C…
What is vitamin C?
"Vitamin C - listed on ingredients labels as ascorbic acid, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate and various other names - is a potent antioxidant that’s particularly effective in diminishing the look of fine lines, wrinkles, dullness, and uneven skin tone," says dermatologist Dr Nick Milojevic of Harley Street's Milo Clinic. "This well-researched water-soluble vitamin is considered an anti-ageing superstar for all skin types."
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What does vitamin C do?
"When applied topically, vitamin C has been proven to preserve skin’s resiliency so it takes on a firmer feeling and smoother appearance," continues Dr Milojevic. "Research shows that vitamin C also helps improve an uneven skin tone and brighten dull skin so it’s visibly more radiant.
"Like most antioxidants, vitamin C also can calm and help hydrate skin so it’s better able to withstand the rigors of daily life and the environment’s impact on how skin looks and feels - and has shown impressive efficacy in concentrations from 0.5 per cent to 20 per cent."
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“Vitamin C provides a range of benefits when added into your daily skincare routine, from evening out your skin tone, shielding skin from the visible impacts of pollution, considerably improving hydration, and keeping your skin looking youthful,” adds Amanda Von Dem Hagen, lead skincare development officer at Glo Skin Beauty and licensed esthetician.
How should vitamin C be used?
"Vitamin C is found in all sorts of products, from lip balms to eye creams, but you’ll get the most out of this antioxidant if it’s in targeted solution products and skin-brightening products," says Dr Milojevic.
"To combat the negative effects of city air on the skin, you should be using an antioxidant serum," says Amanda. "Vitamin C serums not only protect against damage from the environment, but brighten, increase cell turnover and strengthen the skin.”
The key is to find products with high concentrations. "For me, the best antioxidant products are the Obagi vitamin C serums, which come in strengths of 10 per cent, 15 per cent and 20 per cent," concludes Dr Milojevic. "The Skinceuticals range also has some incredible serums which contain good levels of vitamin C - including the CE Ferulic serum."
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