Vitamin C, when used topically in a serum, is extensively acclaimed as top-of-the-line elements for brightening pores and skin, boosting collagen manufacturing, and defending pores and skin towards environmental harm. It’s so standard that even on the 2024 Medical Spa Present that I attended, vitamin C was an enormous matter of dialog. Nonetheless, not everyone seems to be as constructive about it as it’s possible you’ll assume. Whether or not you’re an esthetician, dermatologist, or only a skincare fanatic, you’ve doubtless heard of 1 main downfall with regards to this ingredient: the vitamin C acid burn.
So, what is that this? Sure vitamin C formulation, when utilized to the pores and skin each day, may cause a burning and stinging sensation, together with redness, pores and skin that’s sizzling to the contact or a normal feeling of irritation. This happens as a result of a topical vitamin C is eliciting a nervous neural response in your pores and skin. As your pores and skin senses publicity, it tries to warn you towards one thing it doesn’t need– on this case, a low pH product. Nonetheless, I don’t imagine this aspect impact ought to discourage you towards vitamin C completely– let me clarify.
Advantages of Vitamin C In Your Skincare Routine
The addition of a topical vitamin C serum into your skincare routine may be extraordinarily useful on your barrier and enhance total pores and skin well being. Listed here are essentially the most notable the reason why.
- Brightens Pores and skin Tone
- Possible essentially the most revered profit, vitamin C lessens pigment manufacturing in pores and skin, making it look brighter.
- Boosts Collagen Manufacturing
- Not solely does this ingredient assist defend the collagen you have already got by inhibiting enzymes that typically break it down, nevertheless it additionally aids in more healthy collagen manufacturing.
- Protects Towards Environmental Harm
- Vitamin C’s highly effective antioxidant properties neutralize free radicals and defend the pores and skin from harm brought on by UV radiation, air pollution, and different environmental stressors.
- Enhances Pores and skin Hydration
- This ingredient has additionally been proven to have moisturizing properties, serving to improve hydration ranges and plump pores and skin.
Understanding Vitamin C Sensitivity
Let’s resolve why this painful burning and stinging sensation typically happens– and what you are able to do about it!
Why Does Vitamin C Burn or Sting?
The burning sensation is usually brought on by three issues:
- A extremely low pH. Low pH ranges of two.5-3.5 can probably irritate the pores and skin. They will improve the acidity of a serum, resulting in a compromised barrier and a better potential for stinging, particularly for delicate pores and skin.
- A excessive amount of ascorbic acid. This ingredient must have a minimal of 8% to have any efficacy in pores and skin. At round 22%, the pores and skin stops with the ability to soak up it. So most of those vitamin C serums that sting have a low pH and excessive amount of ascorbic acid. This acid is a really small molecule, so it will probably simply get into the pores and skin and disrupt its pure pH stability.
- A compromised barrier or latest use of actives. Individuals who use energetic elements (retinol, retinoids, exfoliating acids, and many others.) and folks with compromised limitations usually tend to really feel a stinging sensation. It is because whenever you use exfoliating acids or retinoids, you expertise numerous pores and skin turnover, which means that the pores and skin on high is extra uncooked and uncovered. If you have already got a decreased barrier and proceed to make use of vitamin C, you received’t have sufficient lipids in your pores and skin to assist defend it from a product with a low pH. That is going to trigger a extra detrimental expertise, and in flip, can really result in extra irritation.
Don’t Give Up – There’s a Answer!
Simply because it’s possible you’ll be coping with a vitamin C acid burn, doesn’t imply it’s a must to forego the ingredient completely. There are nonetheless methods to obtain the entire advantages of vitamin C– with out the acid burn! Let’s talk about.
- What to keep away from
- Low-pH Merchandise: These can result in long-term irritation within the pores and skin, inflicting accelerated indicators of growing older and elevated pigmentation (as soon as your physique receives a sign that there’s irritation, elevated pigment manufacturing might happen). Search for formulation with a ph vary of 5.0-5.8. A good model ought to let you know the pH if it’s not publicly listed.
- A No-Ache-No-Achieve Philosophy: Not like retinol, ache (ie stinging) isn’t an indication of vitamin C efficacy however may very well be an indication of irritation.
- Vitamin C Sandwiching: Whereas a retinol sandwich is an effective way to obtain the entire potent advantages of a retinoid with none of the dryness, flaking, or irritation, the identical can’t be stated for this ingredient. When sandwiching a vitamin C serum between two layers of moisturizer, it really simply impedes the power of the ascorbic acid, somewhat than minimizing the potential unwanted effects of vitamin C.
- What to do
- Search for Options: There are many vitamin C kinds utilized in skincare, and which one you select undoubtedly issues. In case you are experiencing a vitamin C acid burn, it’s time to search for a extra secure system. Preserve studying to find out which one is best for you!
Discovering Stability
In search of out a secure vitamin C is the easiest way to keep away from a vitamin C acid burn, however what precisely does this entail?
What Does A “Steady Vitamin C” Imply?
While you hear {that a} type of vitamin C is “secure,” this refers back to the skill of the product to take care of its effectiveness over time and publicity to air, gentle, and temperature. A secure vitamin C will sometimes preserve its efficiency longer, be much less vulnerable to oxidization, and can doubtless comprise supporting elements that improve efficacy.
Ever observed your white or beige serum start to show yellow or gentle brown? This implies the product has turn into unstable and begun to oxidize, which means you’re not receiving the whole lot of its meant advantages.
It’s essential to notice that all skincare elements finally expire, even essentially the most secure of vitamin C serums. Be sure you use it earlier than you lose it!
Why Do Vitamin C Formulations Matter?
Selecting the best vitamin C therapy could seem a bit difficult, however since vitamin C doesn’t all the time work the identical, it’s essential to know their variations. Vitamin C formulations matter as a result of they’ll tremendously affect the steadiness, effectiveness, and total efficiency of the vitamin C product. Components equivalent to energetic versus inactive types of vitamin C, pH worth, extra elements, and even texture, scent, and total really feel can tremendously have an effect on how your pores and skin responds to a particular product.
What Makes Vitamin C&E Remedy Completely different?
What’s nice about Vitamin C&E Remedy is that it doesn’t use excessive portions of ascorbic acid and it has a extra skin-friendly pH. Utilizing each lipid and water-soluble types of vitamin C, this serum gives potent antioxidant exercise deep throughout the epidermal layers.
Using tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (THD), this skin-brightening cream ensures a slower launch time than water-soluble molecules, which means an extended window of energetic vitamin C and a decrease potential for irritation. For those who’re seeking to profit from all the advantages of vitamin C with not one of the burn, this long-time best-seller is the one for you.
Ideas for Selecting Steady Vitamin C Merchandise
As intimidating as it could be, strive to not be discouraged by the huge array of vitamin C merchandise in the marketplace. Listed here are a number of suggestions for avoiding the ache and discovering the right serum for you.
Ingredient Verify
On the subject of widespread types of vitamin C in skincare, there are 4 that come to thoughts: L-ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ascorbyl Methylsilanol Pectinate, and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate. Right here’s how they differ.
- L-ascorbic acid: Regardless of being a tried and true ingredient, this isn’t your greatest guess with regards to antioxidant safety. The one energetic type of vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid is extremely unstable and, because it’s an antioxidant, it desires to react with nearly every part in its atmosphere. This implies this ingredient has a excessive probability of oxidizing earlier than it will get an opportunity to make it into your pores and skin.
- Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate: An awesome choice for pores and skin sorts that battle from breakouts, this has been confirmed to assist enhance zits, however can nonetheless be fairly reactive.
- Ascorbyl Methylsilanol Pectinate: A fancy mix of many compounds somewhat than only a simple vitamin C spinoff, this manner has been proven to strengthen the membrane of pores and skin cells and have improved supply into pores and skin.
- Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate: That is certainly one of my private favorites (and the star ingredient in Vitamin C&E Remedy) as it’s the solely oil-soluble type of vitamin C that I’ve talked about to date. Due to this, it received’t react till it comes into contact with the oils in your pores and skin, making it essentially the most secure type of these 4. Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate can be recognized to penetrate pores and skin 20x greater than ascorbic acid!
Packaging Issues
As I discussed, vitamin C serums may be extremely unstable, reacting to nearly every part from gentle and warmth to oxygen, water, and metals. This is the reason product packaging could make all of the distinction.
This ingredient must be packed in opaque or tinted bottles that defend the product from gentle publicity, as gentle, particularly UV gentle, may cause it to degrade and turn into much less efficient. Ideally, the product also needs to have an airless pump to attenuate air publicity, preserving the serum contemporary longer. Each of those can even scale back the chance of contamination, guaranteeing it will probably ship its desired results to the pores and skin.
Vitamin C Utility Methods for Comfy Use
Wish to begin your journey towards the very best vitamin C for you however frightened in regards to the penalties? Right here’s the easiest way to get began!
Patch Testing
Whereas looking for the precise vitamin C product for you, it could take a little bit of trial and error– however you don’t must destroy your pores and skin barrier within the meantime. Each time anybody is making an attempt out a brand new product, the very first thing I do is suggest a patch take a look at. Apply vitamin C to your neck (the place pores and skin is essentially the most delicate) to assist decide what forms of merchandise or elements will trigger a detrimental or allergic response in your face. This can assist slim down which skincare product or ingredient to check out sooner or later.
In conclusion, whereas vitamin C is a extremely praised skincare ingredient recognized for its skill to brighten pores and skin, enhance collagen manufacturing, and defend towards environmental harm, some individuals might expertise the dreaded vitamin C acid burn. This burning or stinging sensation may be attributed to components equivalent to low pH ranges, excessive concentrations of ascorbic acid, or a compromised pores and skin barrier. Nonetheless, I don’t assume this could deter you from reaping the advantages of vitamin C. By understanding the causes of sensitivity and selecting secure formulations, you may incorporate vitamin C into your skincare routines successfully and comfortably. With the precise strategy, vitamin C could be a beneficial addition to any skincare routine, selling more healthy, extra radiant-looking pores and skin.
I hope you discovered this publish informative! And as all the time, #obeyrenee
Superstar Esthetician & Skincare Professional
As an esthetician skilled in beauty chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching pores and skin, educating her viewers, and constructing an award-winning line of merchandise. Her hands-on expertise as an esthetician and trusted skincare professional has created a real-world resolution — merchandise which can be formulated for 9 various kinds of pores and skin so your face will get precisely what it must feel and appear its greatest. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives across the globe, her huge real-world information and fixed analysis are why Marie Claire calls her “essentially the most passionate pores and skin practitioner we all know.”