When it comes to looking for anti-ageing skin care ingredients to make you look younger, look no further than vitamin C. It’s the number one anti-ageing ingredient to help give your complexion a glowing boost. To find out more about this potent ingredient, we chatted with Jeannie Bourke, owner of Venustus Beauty & Body Lab.
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What skin conditions can vitamin C treat?
“Vitamin C works by stimulating the production of collagen,” says Jeannie. “It can also assist with ageing concerns, melasma and hyperpigmentation.”
Is vitamin C suitable for all skin types?
“Vitamin C is great for most skin types except for sensitive skin or those with broken skin,” she explains. “But no matter what your skin type, it’s important to start off with a lower concentration of vitamin C as overuse can make the skin look aged.”
What are the benefits of using vitamin C in skin care?
“Vitamin C is great for anti-ageing as it can help protect against free radical damage caused by the sun,” explains Jeannie. “It’s also a powerful antioxidant that can help reverse skin damage, decrease the appearance of fine lines and unwanted pigment.”
How does it work to treat these conditions?
It treats these skin conditions in a number of ways. “Firstly, it repairs the damage done by free radicals, protects the skin from UV damage, inhibits unwanted pigment formation and decreases inflammation of the skin,” says Jeannie. “But it also acts as a collagen biosynthesis regulator and therefore decreases the appearance of fine lines.”
How often should you apply vitamin C to your skin?
“It’s best to follow the advice of the skin care brand you’re using,” says Jeannie. “Depending on the ingredient listing, some can be applied daily and others every third day.” When it comes to the vitamin C facial treatment Venustus offers, they use various facials steps containing vitamin C so you can choose to have it weekly or monthly.
Flick through our gallery for our top pick of vitamin C infused anti-ageing beauty products.
Alpha-H Vitamin C Serum with Hyaluronic Acid and Grapeseed
Infused with vitamin C, grapeseed oil and hyaluronic acid, this serum not only stimulates collagen production and assists in the improvement of radiance, elasticity and skin texture, but also helps to reduce pigmentation, refine pores and provide ongoing protection against future sun damage.
Your say: “This is my third bottle of alpha h vitamin c serum and that’s how much I love it. I noticed that when I stopped using this serum, lines start to appear on my forehead and cheeks due to collagen depletion as I get older (I am in my early 40s). Applying this serum once a day in the morning has helped bring back firmness and luster to my skin.” -bh member, April347
The Body Shop Vitamin C Microdermabrasion
An intense weekly treatment to help improve skin tone and texture by exfoliating and smoothing skin with the help of camu camu extract and vitamin C.
Your say: “This is by far the best facial scrub I have ever used. The product contains ultra fine garnet, meaning it is super course and fine, helping to remove all those little bits of dead skin. It also contains Shea Butter, which means that it won’t make your skin feeling tight and dry afterwards. The bests part is that because it’s so course, you really only need to use it once a week, making the bottle last SUPER long.” -bh member, HeidiJoann
DMK Direct Delivery Vitamin C serum
A high potency form of vitamin C, this serum helps to reduce the appearance of environmental ageing, sun damage, fine lines and scarring.
Your say: “This serum gives my skin life in the morning. 1 pump with 1 pump of Beta Gel after cleansing, makes my skin glowy and healthy, ready for the day ahead. The formula is so concentrated and you don’t need much to spread over you face evenly. It’s perfect in assisting in the revision of environmental ageing, sun damage, fine lines and scarring – all those horrible things most of us get from you know, life!” -bh member, KellyLee88
Paula’s Choice Resist Vitamin C Spot Treatment
Made to spot treat brown spots and wrinkles, apply this treatment product at night in the last step of your skin care routine.
Your say: “This is not an all-over serum, instead it is a targeted treatment. I use it under my eyes (sometimes) or on red marks left over from breakouts, and it works really well for both. It has helped fade the few red marks I previously had. It is a strong vitamin C product, so patch test and start slow. I would recommend getting the trial size first, which can last you several weeks.” -bh member, Inna9
philosophy the microdelivery peel
A two-step, at-home peel, containing vitamin C, to help smooth and resurface rough skin, minimise the look of fine lines and brighten and even skin tone.
Your say: “As for the appearance of my skin after using this product…..wow! It is initially a little pink but this fades quickly even on my sensitive skin. My skin looks dew and absolutely glows. It helps with fine lines, rough patches, enlarged pores, blackheads, whiteheads, you name it! I love this product and would definitely purchase it again and recommend it to others. You’ll love it!” -bh member, Sandyfeet
Skin Republic Brightening Vitamin C Face Mask Sheet
A sheet mask infused with vitamin C to help reduce the appearance of dark spots, plus green tea to rejuvenate and cocoa extract to deal with free radicals.
Your say: “What surprised me was how cold the serum felt while the mask was in place. My skin was very wet when I removed the mask but it eventually dried leaving my skin glowing, plumped and smooth. The following morning I couldn’t believe how alive, smooth and firm my skin looked. My skin leans more towards the dry side so I was amazed at how hydrated and nourished my skin looked.” -bh member, onlyoni
Vitamin C great for inner and outer body. There are some fabulous products that contain vitamin c.
Totally wouldn't have thought it would be Vitamin C. I would've thought for it to be retinol but these sound like awesome products probably super expensive as well
I was a bit sparingly with vitamin c but now I’ve incorporated it within my routine.
Really want to try the Alpha-H serum and the skin physics masks. The Skin physics vitamin C range also seems lovely, I really like their mist toner but havent tried anything else from the range.