If there’s one topic I could talk about for hours on end, it’s vitamin C.
Hands down, it's the best invention the skincare community has ever made.
It doesn’t matter if you’re in your 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond, or have sensitive, dry, oily, combination or 'normal' skin: just like you need a good sunscreen in your life, you NEED a good vitamin C on rotation as well.
It’s been three years since I Introduced vitamin C into my life and I’ve never looked back, but if I'm honest, I don't quite remember how this powerful active ingredient came onto my radar.
What I do remember, though, is scrolling for HOURS on Instagram seeing glowy selfie after glowy selfie and sitting there thinking, ‘How do I achieve this?’
Growing up, I was lucky to blessed with good skin. I suffered the odd hormonal breakout like any teenager, but acne was never my primary concern. Pigmentation? Now that was a whole other ball game.
Sure, my Indian genetics meant I was able to get a tan in an hour flat, but combine my imbalance of melanin - the pigment in our skin - and not wearing sunscreen every damn day (honestly, why don’t they teach this as a subject in school already?) and the result was hyperpigmentation that mainly presented on my face.
For years, I would wake up and immediately slap on foundation to cover the darkness that plagued the area around my mouth. I tried every trick in the book to ‘even out' my skin tone, from colour correctors to supplements.
I'd almost given up on my stubborn pigmentation, but it wasn't until I discovered vitamin C serums that I saw the discolouration around my mouth lift. Here's a look at the difference six to nine months of using a vitamin C serum made.
By now, you must be wondering, what is this magic ingredient?
Keep scrolling for the basics on what vitamin C can do for your skin, and the vitamin C serums that quite literally changed my life.
What Is Vitamin C and What Does Vitamin C Do for Skin?
Vitamin C is SO much more than just a pick me up beverage with your Sunday breaky. Here's the rundown:
Vitamin C a potent antioxidant that leaves your skin looking bright and radiant.
The powerhouse ingredient boosts collagen production - the protein that strengthens and supports our bone structure for plumper, bouncy skin.
Vitamin C also inhibits the enzyme tyrosinase, which works towards lightening existing pigmentation while helping to prevent further melanin production.
Importantly, using a vitamin C serum can help treat hyperpigmentation, without affecting your normal skin tone.
Research has shown that combining a vitamin C serum and a broad-spectrum sunscreen in your skincare routine neutralises the effects of free radicals. In other words, their benefits multiply when used together. Just like my favourite duo peanut butter and dark chocolate - they’re good on their own, but oh SO much better together.
You can learn more about hyperpigmentation and how to manage it in this video below!
