Is Vitamin C Worth The Hype?

If you’re remotely into skincare, the hype around Vitamin C is inescapable. It’s literally everywhere. Well you know me, when it comes to skincare trends, I want to bring you guys the specifics. I’ve read all about the wonders of Vitamin C from so many of my favourite dermatologists and skin experts, but instead of writing about it myself, I figured, why not go directly to a pro.

To investigate the hype around Vitamin C, I spoke to Chloe Smith, the Scientific Communications and National Education Lead at Skinceuticals Canada. Skinceuticals is known to have the two best Vitamin C serums on the market. Every skincare expert I know raves about it. And I’ve been using it for a couple of months now, and love the results.

So I had a lot of questions for Chloe, and turns out, so did you. I asked you guys to send in your Vitamin C questions on Instagram, and boy, did you guys have A LOT of questions. Spoiler alert: I can bet you’ll be running to buy a Vitamin C serum after reading this.

S: Vitamin C is said to be the fountain of youth. What exactly does it do for the skin when applied topically?
C: Vitamin C is one of the best ingredients for graceful aging. Topically, Vitamin C provides the skin with the right amount of antioxidants needed to fight damage caused by sun exposure, pollution, and even HEV light emitted by computer screens and cell phones.

This miracle vitamin increases collagen to reduce wrinkles and lightens dark spots by slowing down excess melanin production. If you are concerned with either wrinkles, pigmentation, or both, Vitamin C does it all!

S: What are some of its benefits?
C: Aside from the visible results such as reducing wrinkles, brightening the skin, fading dark spots, and improving texture, Vitamin C also provides photoprotection from the sun.

Did you know that using SkinCeuticals Vitamin C serums reduce the risk of DNA mutations caused by sun exposure? SkinCeuticals Vitamin C serums layered with a sunscreen give your skin the best protection from sun damage. This is the primary cause of aging (read: wrinkles and dark spots), and skin cancer.

SkinCeuticals Vitamin C products are for both corrective cosmetic concerns as well as maintaining good skin health.

S: I have a lot of readers who say that hyper-pigmentation is a concern for them. Does Vitamin C help fade sun spots?
C: Yes, Vitamin C helps fade sun spots. It works by inhibiting an important enzyme (tyrosinase) involved in melanin production. When this enzyme is inhibited, melanin production slows down. Dark spots will fade within 8-16 weeks of Vitamin C usage.

S: And in the same breath, is it a good treatment for acne scars?
C: Absolutely! Acne scars can fall into two categories: pigmented acne scars, or depressed acne scars. Because Vitamin C fades pigmentation, it will be effective on pigmented acne scars (called post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation). Vitamin C also produces collagen, which is the protefin needed to help fill in depressed acne scars. However, depressed acne scars are very difficult to eradicate completely. Best results come from combining treatments, such as microneedling, with the proper homecare products.

S: What is the difference between the Skinceuticals CE Ferulic and Skinceuticals Phloretin?
C: Both C E Ferulic and Phloretin CF have the same efficacy when it comes to protecting the skin from environmental damage. However, they differ based on the skin type and skin concern you might have.

C E Ferulic is best for normal – dry skin types, or wrinkles. It contains a high percentage of Vitamin E, which can help alleviate dry skin tightness. The 15% vitamin C also produces a lot of collagen, so wrinkles reduce significantly with this product.

Phloretin CF is best for normal – oily skin types, or pigmentation concerns. The antioxidant ‘phloretin’ also slows down melanin production. With this product, you have two beneficial ingredients for pigmentation: phloretin and l-ascorbic acid.

S: Walk me through the other Skinceuticals Vitamin C products.
C: Serum 10 is our vitamin C serum for sensitive patients. It is a 10% l-ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C), that suits reactive and rosacea prone skin.

SkinCeuticals has a vitamin C eye product called AOX+ Eye Gel. It is a gel formulation containing vitamin C, phloretin, ferulic acid, and caffeine. It is the ideal eye product for eye wrinkles, puffiness, and dark circles. This pairs well with Botox injections to relax crow’s feet, and hyaluronic acid injections to reduce dark circles.

S: There are so many brands that sell Vitamin C products now – are there certain criterions we should look for when purchasing a Vitamin C serum to make sure it’s high quality?
C: Yes, there is a reason SkinCeuticals vitamin C products retail in medical facilities and not department stores / drug stores. To get the best benefits from vitamin C, it requires proper formulation to get inside the skin. The proper formulation of Vitamin C includes:

Being pure l-ascorbic acid (not a derivative of Vitamin C)
At a high concentration (between 10% – 20%)
With an acidic pH (between 2.0 – 3.5)

Only SkinCeuticals vitamin C products are formulated according to these 3 criteria.

Did you know that l-ascorbic acid (pure Vitamin C), must be in a water solution? This means creams containing vitamin C are not beneficial enough for best results. Always make sure it comes as a water-based serum without silicones.

Last, vitamin C is an excellent ingredient, but there are other ingredients that make it work better. We combine l-ascorbic acid with ferulic acid and either vitamin E or phloretin. These ingredients provide 8x the photoprotection, reduce DNA mutations, protect skin health, and correct wrinkles and pigmentation.

S: Should we apply Vitamin C in the morning or at night? Why?
C: Always apply Vitamin C in the morning because it protects you from environmental damage, especially the sun. You expose skin to the environment during the day, so it only makes sense to apply it prior to that kind of exposure!

S: How should we layer Vitamin C?
C: SkinCeuticals vitamin C serums should be the first product applied to clean skin. You want the best penetration of l-ascorbic acid into the skin, and this requires clean skin with nothing on it.

S: What are some products to combine with Vitamin C?
C: The best product to combine with vitamin C is a sunscreen. These two products will help you age gracefully and keep skin healthy for years to come!

Aside from sunscreen, I personally love combining vitamin C with exfoliating ingredients like glycolic acid to boost the glow factor and further smooth skin texture. SkinCeuticals Blemish + Age Defense is my favorite product to do this! It is similar to a chemical peel (and not just for acne, as the name may indicate).

Because vitamin C is not hydrating, you will also need a moisturizer containing nourishing ingredients like ceramides, fatty acids, or hyaluronic acid. This is especially important now that we are entering the cold winter months in Canada, when skin tightness is a real issue regardless of skin type! SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 is a fan-favorite product to keep skin nourished and well hydrated year-round.

PS- Stalk my 5 favourite eye creams and how to maximize that post-facial glow.