📌 What you’ll learn
- What vitamin C can and can’t do
- 3 common wrong expectations
- Pure vitamin C or derivatives: how to choose
- How to apply and store it so it doesn’t oxidise easily
“Just use one bottle of vitamin C and all the spots on your face will disappear.” You must have heard this before. Sadly, it’s just not possible.
Vitamin C really is an old star among skincare ingredients. It has a lot of research and has been used for many years, and many aunties have a bottle on their dressing table. But because it’s so famous, people often talk about it as if it can solve everything.
Today Derrick will make it clear: what vitamin C can and can’t do, plus how to choose it, store it and apply it, so you don’t waste your money.
Why is vitamin C so popular?
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a very common antioxidant ingredient in skincare. There are two main reasons it’s popular.
1. It is linked to how melanin is formed
When the skin makes melanin, it needs the help of an enzyme called “tyrosinase”. Dermatology literature points out that vitamin C affects how this enzyme works. That’s why it has long been used in skincare that aims to improve dullness and make skin tone look more even.
But even when the label says “vitamin C”, the form used inside may be different, and what each product can claim is not necessarily the same. When buying, just spend one minute reading the ingredient list and the description on the packaging.
2. The body needs it to make collagen
Inside the body, making collagen needs the help of some enzymes, and vitamin C is the “helper” these enzymes need to do their work. This is well-established nutrition knowledge.
But be clear: this is vitamin C’s role as a nutrient inside the body. Skincare you put on your face is a cosmetic. It does daily care, like improving dullness and making skin tone look more even and radiant. It is not a treatment.
Vitamin C is not a cure-all: 3 common wrong expectations
Myth 1: Use vitamin C and your spots will disappear
Dark spots have complicated causes: sun, hormones, inflammation and your own body type all play a part. Different spots also differ in depth and location. What skincare can do is everyday maintenance.
If you want to deal with spots that are already very obvious, or a spot changes in colour or shape, please let a dermatologist check it. To understand why spots tend to come back, read “Spots faded, will they come back?“.
Myth 2: The higher the concentration, the better
A higher concentration doesn’t mean the effect keeps going up, but the chance of irritation clearly goes up. An early skin absorption study (Pinnell et al., 2001) found that once pure vitamin C reaches around 20%, the amount in the skin peaks, and going higher doesn’t add more.
If your skin is more sensitive, or it’s your first time, starting with a low concentration or a gentle derivative is safer.
Myth 3: With vitamin C on, you don’t need sunscreen
It’s the opposite. Vitamin C cannot replace sunscreen. Here the sun is strong all year round. Waiting for the bus, going to the pasar, walking to the hawker centre for lunch, you’re in the sun the whole time. Without sun protection, even the best skincare will struggle to show results. Read why in “Brightening serum not working? 3 common reasons“.
How to choose vitamin C skincare: 4 key points
1. Check the packaging: opaque, less contact with air
Pure vitamin C is sensitive to light, heat and air, and oxidises easily once exposed. Choose an opaque bottle. Pump bottles and airless bottles also let in less air than dropper bottles that you open every time.
2. Check the colour: if it turns dark yellow or brown, stop using it
Fresh pure vitamin C serum is mostly clear to pale yellow. If it turns dark yellow, orange or even brown, it has oxidised. It works less well and may be more irritating, so it’s best to throw it away.
3. Check the form: pure vitamin C or a derivative
Pure vitamin C is water-soluble, so it usually comes as a watery serum. Derivatives can be made into lotions, creams, even powders and other textures. Neither one is absolutely better. What matters is that it suits your skin and you can keep using it.
4. Check the combination: are there other antioxidants?
Vitamin C often appears in formulas together with vitamin E and ferulic acid. Research (Lin et al., 2005) found this combination can improve vitamin C’s stability, so they help each other.
Skincare works the same way. As we get older, if uneven skin tone and fine lines bother you, vitamin C can be planned together with other ingredients, for example retinol at night. For how to pair them, read “What is “C in the morning, A at night”? A beginner’s guide“.
How to apply and store it?
- When to apply: most people use it in the morning, after cleansing and toner, followed by moisturiser and sunscreen.
- Start small: the first time, use it every other day. If there’s no discomfort, move to every day.
- Storage: keep it in a cool place away from sunlight. Don’t leave it in a hot, humid bathroom. Close the cap tightly right after use, and finish it soon after opening.
- Stinging or redness: stop first and watch, don’t force it. If the discomfort doesn’t go away, see a doctor. For how to tell the difference, read “Peeling or stinging from skincare: is it normal?“.
Does taking vitamin C by mouth help?
Vitamin C is a nutrient the body cannot make on its own, so you must get it from food.
Guava (jambu batu), kiwi, oranges, mandarins, papaya, bell peppers and dark green vegetables all have plenty of vitamin C. People with a balanced diet usually get enough from food.
If you want to take supplements, more is not better. Taking too much may upset your stomach. If you have a history of kidney stones, a chronic illness, or are on medication, please ask your doctor or dietitian first.
- Rejuvenating C Powder: C Powder uses magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (a more stable vitamin C derivative), plus tranexamic acid, in powder form that you only take out when you use it. Suitable for people who want to start using vitamin C but worry about oxidation. Remember to dry your hands and close the lid tightly right after.
- No.4 White Radiance Cream: No.4 is the brightening care for the morning, with several brightening ingredients like tranexamic acid, arbutin, glabridin and ascorbyl phosphate. Mix it with 9A and apply together to help improve dullness.
- 6A Multi-Effect Brightening Protection Cream: vitamin C must be paired with sun protection. 6A is a moisturising SPF20, good for daily outings. If you will be outdoors for a long time, Singapore’s Ministry of Health and dermatologists generally recommend SPF30 or above, plus a hat or umbrella.
Products aren’t a must. Choose based on your own skin; if you’re not sure, ask me first.
In closing: a good ingredient also needs the right expectations
Vitamin C is worth adding to your skincare routine, but it is “care”, not an eraser.
Choose the right form, store it well, pair it with sun protection and give it enough time, and then you’ll see what it can really do. Once your expectations are in the right place, skincare actually becomes much easier.
FAQ
Q: How long before I feel a difference with vitamin C?
Skincare usually needs to be used consistently for 8 to 12 weeks before you judge it. If you expect obvious changes in one or two weeks, you’re likely to be disappointed.
Q: Can sensitive skin use vitamin C?
You can start with a low concentration or a gentler derivative, and try it first on a small area behind the ear or on the chin. If your skin is inflamed or peeling, pause first and wait until it settles.
Q: My vitamin C serum has turned yellow. Can I still use it?
Slightly yellow usually means it’s starting to oxidise, so just finish it soon. If the colour has clearly turned darker, it’s better not to keep using it.
Q: If I put on vitamin C in the morning, do I still need sunscreen?
Definitely. Vitamin C cannot replace sunscreen. When you’re outdoors, remember to reapply regularly.
- Pinnell SR et al. (2001). Topical L-ascorbic acid: percutaneous absorption studies. Dermatologic Surgery
- Lin FH et al. (2005). Ferulic acid stabilizes a solution of vitamins C and E and doubles its photoprotection of skin. Journal of Investigative Dermatology
- Al-Niaimi F, Chiang NYZ (2017). Topical Vitamin C and the Skin: Mechanisms of Action and Clinical Applications
- American Academy of Dermatology: How to select a sunscreen
- American Academy of Dermatology: How to test skin care products
Want to know how to care for your skin?
Tell me about your situation, no pressure 😊
※ This website is run by Derrick, an independent IT’S BEATTIYA distributor, and is not the official website of the IT’S BEATTIYA company. This article shares general skincare knowledge. Cosmetic results vary from person to person and cannot replace medical advice; if your skin reacts abnormally, stop using the product and consult a dermatologist.
