Why Vitamin C is Great for Your Skin

So what’s the deal with vitamin C? All the brands are promoting it, all of the publications are writing about it, and your favourite beauty gurus are telling you that you need to use it. It all sounds nice, but what does vitamin C actually do for your skin?

Vitamin C Explained

Vitamin C is an antioxidant. In a nutshell, antioxidants are a saving grace when it comes to protecting you from environmental stressors that attack the health and appearance of your skin.

When we use the term environmental stressors, we mean things like pollution from simply going outside or commuting on the tube as well as things like UV rays from the sun and blue light. All of the things that pretty much cannot be avoided. Antioxidants are a shield and protector for your skin.

...In comes vitamin C.

You can get a good amount of vitamin C by consuming antioxidant rich foods as part of a balanced diet. Think broccoli, bell peppers, kale and strawberries, which contain more vitamin C than your typical oranges.

Aside from consuming vitamin C, you can also reap its benefits by applying it topically. You’ll find vitamin C in things like facial serums and moisturisers.

The skin already has natural levels of vitamin C, however they begin to deplete as we age, which is why it’s so important to top up.

Top Four Vitamin C Benefits Your Skin

So what does vitamin C do for your skin?

Brightens the Skin and Treats Hyperpigmentation

Hyperpigmentation can be a real issue for many of us, especially women of colour with skin that is more prone to scarring.

Hyperpigmentation and scarring occur when the melanocytes get a bit too over-excited and over-reactive, leading to an increase in melanin production. This can be triggered by UV rays and heat. Studies have found that vitamin C can be an effective way to treat or prevent this from happening.

UV Protection

First things first. Vitamin C is not a replacement for sunscreen.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, vitamin C helps to limit damage from UV rays. It cannot absorb UVA and UVB rays like a regular sunscreen would, however vitamin C will protect against damage from free-radical activity.

With that being said, that is why it is seen as a way to boost the protection already provided from your usual SPF.

Anti-aging

Aging is inevitable, but the least we can do is age well. Premature-aging on the other hand isn’t so great and can be caused by poor diet and lifestyle, but one of the main culprits is the exposure to harmful UV rays from the sun and other stressors lingering around in the environment.

Signs of aging are loose, saggy skin, a decrease in elasticity and your signature fine lines and wrinkles. What Vitamin C does is aid to not only regulate but increase the production of collagen in the skin.

In other words, vitamin C is going to make you look youthful and give you plump skin with fewer or no wrinkles.

Skin Healing

Vitamin C helps to reduce inflammation in the body, while it’s abilities to boost collagen production also help with the skin’s healing process.

Some studies note the increased results of wound healing when vitamin C is combined alongside vitamin E.

You can find vitamins C and E in our organic face serum, specifically formulated for a healthier, clearer complexion with oils like baobab, camellia and rosehip oil. Be sure to sign up to our mailing list so that you don't miss out on our launch!