Vitamin C: How and When to Use Vitamin C Skincare in your Routine

Discover how vitamin C serum benefits skin, boosts collagen production, reduces the appearance of pigmentation and works with Hyaluronic Acid and Retinol.

Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid) is a top active skincare ingredient that’s been trending across the skincare category thanks to its wide array of benefits. From anti-aging to skin brightening and even sun protection this powerhouse ingredient has been shown to give skin a healthy and youthful glow. Discover how to incorporate Vitamin C skincare into your routine and when to use it.

Vitamin C Benefits for Skin

Vitamin C to Help Defend Skin from Sun Damage & Antioxidant Properties

Sunscreen is an important part of protecting the skin from sun damage and aging. Whilst Vitamin C may sound surprising, studies have shown that sunscreens containing Vitamin C and the usage of a Vitamin C serum or product in your skincare routine can help to further protect the skin from¹ photo damage (such as wrinkles, roughness, and pigmentation)² caused by UV rays.³ As sun damage can lead to signs of aging further down the line incorporating Vitamin C Skincare products along with daily SPF and sun protection can be a great combination.

Vitamin C is also an antioxidant -- its antioxidant benefits help to protect the skin from free radical damage while improving the visible signs of aging. Vitamin C has good free-radical scavenger properties that helps neutralize ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species)

Vitamin C for Skin Anti-Aging

Anti-aging benefits and results are often a hot topic and desire in skincare products. As an ingredient Vitamin C has been shown to have many anti-aging benefits, especially in the wrinkle department. Applied topically, Vitamin C can improve skin’s natural collagen production which in some cases has been shown to clinically improve signs of photoaging.⁴

An improvement in skin’s natural collagen production may sound great – but what about visible results? Vitamin C benefits aren’t just lurking below your skin and producing results you can’t see. To help skin look more youthful and decrease those pesky aging indicators Vitamin C can help. Vitamin C for skin has also been demonstrated to significantly improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve the texture of rough skin⁵ and give skin a healthy and youthful glow.⁶

Vitamin C for Skin Pigmentation and Brightening

Uneven skin tone can affect all skin types and ages. From hyperpigmentation to birth marks and skin conditions there are a variety of different types of skin pigmentation causes. Uneven skin tone and pigmentation is one visible sign of aging caused by sun exposure.⁷ If you’re looking to actually brighten the look of skin and decrease the appearance of pigmentation (rather than just applying a lot of foundation and concealer to cover it) consider Vitamin C. Whether you choose a Vitamin C serum or a cream enriched with Vitamin C, topically applied Vitamin C has been proven to provide a significant decrease in pigmentation caused by melasma (often caused by sun damage⁸)

Ingredient Compatibility with Vitamin C

If you’re a regular skincare user chances are you use a variety of different skincare products which feature various ingredients to target different concerns. From Hyaluronic Acid to Retinol these ingredients can provide some great results alongside Vitamin C.

Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C

Hyaluronic Acid is an ingredient you may find in many of your favorite skincare products. Renowned for its hydration properties and lightweight consistency, Hyaluronic Acid is a fantastic ingredient for moisturizing the skin.⁹ As Hyaluronic Acid works to hydrate and Vitamin C works to reduce signs of aging and brighten the skin you may like to use a both ingredients. Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C together can work in harmony and some formulations of serums containing these two ingredients have been shown to significantly increase skins moisture, leave skin looking brighter, and decrease the look of wrinkles.¹⁰

Retinol and Vitamin C

You may be asking yourself “can I use Retinol and Vitamin C together?” whilst it may seem enticing if you’re an anti-aging skincare aficionado it’s best to approach with caution. Retinol and Vitamin C are both highly potent ingredients with varying levels of pH balances as such layering Retinol and Vitamin C together may not always be the safest choice. Retinol and Vitamin C can actually produce some great skin benefits as some studies have shown a combination of both is able to reverse some signs of aging caused by both chronologic aging and photoaging.¹¹ So if you’re hoping to gather the benefits of both rather select a product which has been specially formulated to contain both Retinol and Vitamin C.

Niacinamide and Vitamin C

Niacinamide is known to “play well” with other ingredients, meaning that it generally does not cause adverse reactions, but it always recommended to patch test new products or combinations prior to applying to full face to ensure the combination is right for your skin. Using Niacinamide and Vitamin C together can enhance their compatibility. They each provide similar cosmetic benefits and using them together could help provide a better chance of seeing overall results for visible skin smoothness and skin discoloration/hyperpigmentation.¹² Our Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum blends together Niacinamide and Vitamin C with C+Niacinamide a combination of a highly potent, but stable and fast-working form of Vitamin C and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3), which together are known to help brighten skin and help visibly reduce the appearance of dark spots, fine line, and wrinkles.

Lancôme Products with Vitamin C

If you’re looking to incorporate Vitamin C into your skincare routine try a Vitamin C Serum or a serum with Vitamin C.

Génifique Face Serum is one serum with Vitamin C in its formula. This lightweight serum helps strengthen the skin moisture barrier to defend against external aggressors including pollution, UV, cold and dry weather when used morning and night. Vitamin Cg, a water-soluble, stable vitamin C derivative that is known to be gentle on the skin and that will not degrade when exposed to air, heat, or light.

If you’re looking to try a serum which has a load of anti-aging benefits our serum containing Vitamin C Rénergie H.C.F Triple Serum is carefully formulated to help with Volume Loss, fine lines, wrinkles, and dark spots. The expert combination of powerhouse ingredients in this formula, represented by the name H.C.F. (Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C+ Niacinamide, and Ferulic Acid) is designed to deliver optimal anti-aging benefits in one triple dose. The serum contains C+Niacinamide A unique combination of a potent but stable and fast-working form of Vitamin C (3-0-Ethyl-Ascorbic Acid) and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3). Known for their abilities to help target the appearance of dark spots, visibly brighten skin, and help smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

You can also experience vitamin C benefits in Rénergie Lift Multi-Action Ultra Oil-Free Face Lotion SPF 30, where it works alongside hyaluronic acid, peptides and other ingredients in the formula. It’s a moisturizing sunscreen that doubles as a dark spot corrector. The lightweight lotion also helps protect skin against signs of aging, including those caused by sun exposure such as wrinkles and dark spots.

Shop serum containing vitamin c. .

1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5605218/
2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6769024/
3 https://www.bcm.edu/news/benefits-vitamin-c-skin-care
4 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780815515845500120
5 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/509859
6 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780815515845500120
7 https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/11014-pigmentation-abnormal-pigmentation
8 https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/melasma-causes
9 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3970829/
10 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29881301/
11 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15767769/
12 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673383/#sec1-4title