What is a vitamin C serum?

What is a vitamin C serum?
If you're interested in skin care, you've likely heard of a vitamin C serum.

Vitamin C is touted as one of the best ingredients on the market for aging support - and the key to maintaining smooth, even and glowing skin.

Although you probably get vitamin C in your diet, there is no way to guarantee that it will reach your skin directly. Using serums and other topical products is the direct way to reap these benefits.

Benefits
There are a lot of benefits to using vitamin C on your skin. For example, vitamin C:

 

• Safe for most skin types
• Provides hydration
• It can lighten your skin
• It can reduce redness
• Can reduce hyperpigmentation
• It can reduce the appearance of circles under the eyes
• Boosts collagen production
• May help prevent sagging
• May protect from sun damage
• May soothe sunburn
• May help wound healing

How to use a vitamin C serum?
Although topical vitamin C is generally well tolerated, all skin products have the potential to cause side effects.

You should always do a patch test to assess your risk of allergic reaction. Here’s how:

Select a small area of skin that’s easy to conceal, like your forearm.
Apply a small amount of product and wait 24 hours.
If no side effects occur, you can apply it to your face. Discontinue use if you develop a rash, redness, or hives.
When it’s time for a full application, follow the instructions on the product’s label.

It’s possible to have a skin reaction after repeat exposure, so it’s best to introduce new products one at a time, spaced out by a few weeks.

Vitamin C serum is typically applied once or twice per day. A good rule of thumb is to cleanse, tone, apply vitamin C serum, and then moisturize. Be sure to apply skin care products with clean hands.

It can be safely used with other active ingredients, although using alongside products containing niacinamide may make vitamin C less effective.

According to a 2020 review Trusted Source, a combination of tyrosine, zinc, and vitamin C was shown to increase the bioavailability of vitamin C 20 times more than just vitamin C alone.