What Makes Vitamin C The Ultimate Illuminator?

It is far from the new skincare fad, after it it has been around since the 1930's, but vitamin c is having a new moment in the sun!

Our increased awareness of our environment and the ways it affects our skin is shinning a new light on this ingredients antioxidant super powers with its hero status showing now sign of fading!

Collagen Boosting Prowess

Vitamin C's proven anti-ageing rigour has been tried and tested with efficacious results to treat discolouration while promoting collagen synthesis. It is one of only a few molecules to make it past your skin's upper layers to enter collagen-making cells, increasing collagen up to eight-fold, to keep skin firm and young.

Unfortunately very little Vitamin C makes it to the skin, which is why it is so important to topically apply products spiked with this powerhouse antioxidant.

When it comes to getting your daily dose, Vitamin C can come in many disguises; pure ascorbic acid, Vitamin C esters, silicone suspensions, powders and water-free formulas. Regardless of the form of Vitamin C, unanimously all forms will help to reduce skin inflammation, irregular pigmentation and promote healthy collagen production.

Free Radical Defenders

One of Vitamin C’s many talents as an antioxidant is the ability to neutralise free radicals before they can cause damage to the skin. Free radicals increase oxidative stress within the skin and are among the biggest causes of skin damage, wreaking havoc at a cellular level to damage DNA. 

As a result, the skin’s barrier is weakened, collagen is degenerated and the skin responds to UV radiation by increasing melanocyte activity to protect itself, contributing to  the appearance of sun spots, pigmentation and photo-aging.

Brightening Prowess

When it comes to brightening skin, vitamin C can inhibit melanogeneis, the process of pigmentation by as much as 80% in human melanoma cells.

Vitamin C is one of only a few molecules to make it past your skin's upper layers to enter collagen-making cells. The skin is naturally equipped with Vitamin C receptors to recognise this molecule and draw it towards the nucleus of the cell to produce collagen up to eight-fold maintaining the skin’s external structure and functioning against environmental assaults such as pollution and UV rays.

Investing in a skincare product that combines vitamin C with its helpful henchman vitamin E and hyaluronic acid can result in even better skincare results.

Enhanced Sun Protection

Vitamin C should form part of your sun protection strategy used regularly under your SPF broad spectrum sunscreen to boost overall UV protection. Vitamin C and E work in synergy to provide superb antioxidant protection against UV rays and environmental pollution. For this reason you will often find these two ingredients combined together in products.

New players in Vitamin C technology

There are many different forms of Vitamin C used in skincare products; ascorbic acid, the most pure form of Vitamin C is perhaps the most well known, however it presents challenges for cosmetic chemists due to its highly unstable nature.

Consequently we have seen the development of Vitamin C derivatives such as ascorbyly tetraisopalmitate (ATIP) have become available with increased stability abilities.

The penetrative abilities of this oil soluble form of Vitamin C are so great in fact, that it surpasses the penetration of pure Vitamin C threefold at the same concentration, transcending successfully into the deeper layers of the skin. It is these deeper layers that Vitamin C does most of its brightening and anti-aging work.

Vitamin C is often combined with anti-ageing, UV damage fighting antioxidant vitamin E, or hyaluronic acid, which penetrates into the dermis boosting the elasticity and hydration of the skin.

All ages and skin types should use vitamin C

Vitamin C can be incorporated into your skincare routine at any age, in fact, the earlier the better. As well as being an anti-ageing skincare ingredient which generally helps to gently brighten and smooth your skin, it's one of the most powerful antioxidants out there. Regularly applying vitamin C within your skincare routine helps to protect your skin against free radical damage caused by the environment, which can breakdown your collagen and encourage wrinkles and sagging.

To start benefiting from Vitamin C, try our Luminosity Vitamin C Serum, a luxuriously rich antioxidant formulation that combines a highly stable form of vitamin C (ATIP) with Vitamin E and high sources of polyphenol botanicals, such as rosehip oil to specifically increase brightening benefits to the skin.