One Must-Have in Your AM Skincare Routine
You guessed it... L-ascorbic acid aka vitamin C! If there's one product you should have in your AM skincare routine, it's this powerful antioxidant. You're probably asking yourself, "What's an antioxidant?" According to Mayo Clinic, an antioxidant is a substance that protects your cells against free radicals that can damage your skin. Some everyday examples of free radicals include UV rays & environmental pollutants. Once your skin is exposed to these free radicals, your cells begin to produce more melanin in the epidermis or dermis in order to protect your skin & will show up as tan, brown, or dark brown spots (hyperpigmentation). This should be reason enough to make you want to add this to your routine. There are several types of hyperpigmentation--sun spots, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, melasma, & freckles--but I would suggest consulting with your dermatologist to give you an accurate diagnose if you think you have any of those conditions.
For me, I use vitamin C mainly for its brightening effect & protection against free radicals, not necessarily for any hyperpigmentation as I don't suffer from acne. There are a ton of formulations out on the market right now that it's definitely hard to choose between them all. Definitely be on the lookout for formulations that contain not just vitamin C, but also vitamin E &/or ferulic acid as this is the dream team of antioxidants to protect your skin against environmental damage. The formulas I'm using right now that I'm a huge fan of are Naturium's Vitamin C Complex Serum & Summer Friday's CC Me Serum. Let's break these products down separately:
Naturium Vitamin C Complex serum contains both encapsulated ascorbic acid (most researched form of vitamin C) + sodium ascorbyl phosphate (a stable, water-soluble form of vitamin C) at a concentration of 22%. The fact that this contains encapsulated vitamin C means that the product absorbs into the skin at a much slower pace, which helps decrease irritation, especially with such a high concentration. This formulation also contains hyaluronic acid to help the skin retain moisture & vitamin E, another antioxidant that has a synergistic effect & increases photoprotection alongside vitamin C. This one has a variety of antioxidants & exfoliants in the formula that aids in brightening your complexion & protecting your skin. It's incredibly beautiful to use as it's non-irritating & spreads & absorbs quickly.
Summer Friday's CC Me serum (gifted) is a new one I've been trying out. It contains 3-O-Ethyl ascorbic acid, which is a derivative of vitamin C that is stable in both water & oil, as well as ascorbyl glucoside, which is another stable form of vitamin C. Since the formula consists of vitamin C derivatives, this one is definitely less potent than the Naturium formula. This serum has fragrance in it, which are lower on the ingredient list, so it may be irritating to those with sensitive skin. I'm not sensitive to fragrance or have sensitive skin in general, so I do find I can use this even when I feel like my skin is irritated. If you're shopping the Sephora sale (8/14-8/23), make sure to use the code WELCOMEBACK for $15 off orders of $75 or $20 off orders of $100! This would be a great product to try out.
An oldie, but goodie vitamin C treatment of all time is the L'Oreal Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C concentrate. Wow! I was so impressed when I used this. It's lighter than a cream, but not watery whatsoever. It's packed in an aluminum tube that doesn't allow the product to oxidize (not once have I experienced even slight oxidation with this). It's paraben, mineral oil, fragrance & dye-free. This one also spreads & absorbs quickly into the skin, but can leave a film on your face if you use too much. It's also readily available at your local drugstore, which is always a plus!
The two other vitamin C products featured in this post are the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Vitamin C Day serum & the C-Tango Multivitamin eye cream (gifted). They are new additions to the line up, so be sure to catch me on Instagram to make sure you stay updated on how they perform on my skin or try them out yourself using the code I mentioned earlier! If you're having a hard time choosing a vitamin C product, I would definitely make sure to determine your skin type first & then go from there. Check out the products I've mentioned above & the links below to see popular options on the market right now!
*Some links are affiliate links. You as a customer pay no more or no less when using my affiliate links, only that I make a small commission off of purchases made through those links.
