What is Vitamin C?
Vitamin C provides so many skin benefits, the most commonly known is for being utilized by the skin cells as an antioxidant. This means it scavenges free radicals and protects the skin from the damaging effects of UV rays. Another incredible benefit of Vitamin C is the inhibition of melanin formation by preventing melanogenesis, making it one of our first choices in treating hyperpigmentation. One of the more underrated benefits of Vitamin C is the ability to assist the fibroblast in making collagen, making it great for age-prevention.
What's the Catch?
Vitamin C can be complicated to understand because of the short “active period” as well as how quickly and easily it oxidizes. L-Ascorbic Acid is the most widely used form of Vitamin C and can be found in some of the most popular serums. You know those dropper bottles that seem to change colour after a month or two? That's because you often can't use enough of the product before the quality of the ingredient begins to degrade. Another downside of pure ascorbic acid is that it can be irritating, therefore it isn’t our first choice for sensitized or acne prone skin. It's very easy to overdo it when first introducing a Vitamin C product. More doesn't always mean better - especially if this results in red, inflamed, or flaky skin.
Which Formulation is Best?
If L-Ascorbic acid is too active for your skin, we have some other alternatives that deliver the same results minus the irritation. Sodium ascorbyl phosphate (Vitamin C "salt" in mineral form) is a good one to look for if you have more sensitive skin. Ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate is a Face Club favourite. It is an oil-soluble derivative of Vitamin C, meaning it is less acidic therefore less sensitizing. When used in combination with Vitamin E, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate can prevent lipid peroxidation, strengthen the vascular wall and support connective tissue, making it great for rosacea. This formulation is extremely stable and has a longer shelf life. It is non-irritating and passes through the bilayers of the stratum corneum to reach the target cell walls (meaning more active Vitamin C gets delivered to where it is needed). Ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate works extremely well in formulations with Vitamin A. This is why we often reach for our Environ Step-Up Systems to give the skin all the essential vitamins and nutrients needed for healthy skin.
Our Favourites: Environ AVST Moisturiser 1, C-Quence Serum 1 and Environ Mela Even Cream