Attention, glitterati! Your skincare routine is about to get a whole lot more bang for your buck! Did you know that makeup isn’t the only way to get glowing skin? Give your skin a natural glow by adding this powerful ingredient to your skincare routine: Vitamin C.
So put away the highlighter and discover how you can harness the power of Vitamin C to give your skin an unparalleled glow!
What is Vitamin C? When you think of “Vitamin C,” the first thing that comes to mind is probably oranges. Sure, your morning glass of orange juice contains a ton of Vitamin C, but what exactly is it?
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a powerful antioxidant. For those of you who need a quick science refresher, antioxidants prevent or slow down cell damage caused by free radicals.
This basically means that antioxidants (including Vitamin C) help keep your skin and body healthy. What Does Vitamin C Do for Skin? Vitamin C has many amazing benefits for your skin that you may not even know about.
Don’t worry, Revolution will tell you all the secrets…More Glam. Vitamin C is well known for its skin-brightening properties, making dull skin look fresh and radiant. Let your skin glow from within!
Evens out your skin tone: Vitamin C’s excellent brightening properties can even help fade dark spots and hyperpigmentation, evens out your skin tone. This will help improve your complexion and keep your skin looking and feeling great!
Prevents free radical damage. While we all love fresh air, there are things our skin doesn’t like. Sunlight, UV rays, pollution, and other environmental factors can damage your skin and its moisture barrier.
One of the greatest benefits of vitamin C for skin is that it helps protect your beautiful skin from these aggressors and prevent damage. Prevents premature aging of the skin. Vitamin C for skin can also help inhibit early signs of aging.
It stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, ensuring plump, youthful-looking skin. You may not be worried yet, but it’s never too early to start preventing wrinkles (remember: prevention is better than cure)!
How to Use Vitamin C in Your Skincare Routine: Luckily, the skincare community understands the many benefits of vitamin C for skin, and it’s easy to incorporate this important ingredient into your skincare routine.
From vitamin C serums to vitamin C eye creams, you have a variety of options. Vitamin C is safe for most skin types and can be used one to two times a day. Due to its protective properties, we recommend using it every morning to protect your skin throughout the day.
Expert Tip: Don’t forget to apply sunscreen after your morning skincare routine! What ingredients are compatible with Vitamin C? AHAs (such as glycolic acid or lactic acid) and BHAs (also known as salicylic acid) should be avoided with Vitamin C.
The two most common questions about Vitamin C for skin are: Can retinol and Vitamin C be used together? Can Niacinamide and Vitamin C be mixed? There is a lot of discussion about these two topics.
In short, you can use these ingredients together. However, we recommend taking Vitamin C in the morning and Retinol and Niacinamide at night. Best Vitamin C Skincare Products We highlight some of the most popular products
Vitamin C Skincare for an Instant Glow!
Best Vitamin C Serum: Vitamin C serums come in different concentrations. It’s best to start with a small amount and then increase the amount once your skin is prepped! REVOLUTION SKINCARE 3% Vitamin C Serum is designed for beginners. This gentle introduction will help your skin build tolerance to this radiant ingredient.
Revolution is for anyone with sensitive skin.
This is also the best vitamin C serum for sensitive skin. If you’re ready to take the next step, REVOLUTION SKINCARE 12.5% Vitamin C Serum is perfect for you. This super serum works even better and is the best vitamin C serum for anyone who wants to take their complexion a step further. Best Vitamin C Eye Cream If you don’t want to add another serum to your routine, we have other ways to get the benefits of vitamin C for your skin. We recommend Revolution Skincare
Vitamin C Brightening Eye Cream brightens and hydrates your eye area. It creates the illusion of a full night’s sleep! Best Vitamin C Cleanser Start your skin care routine with a Vitamin C Cleanser.
REVOLUTION SKINCARE Vitamin C Brightening Cleanser not only removes makeup, oil, and dirt, it cleanses your skin for a radiant, glowing complexion. Best Vitamin C Face Cream If you like to keep things simple, go with a Vitamin C Face Cream. Try Revolution Skincare
Vitamin C Moisturizer. It hydrates the skin and enhances its natural glow. You can use it alone or after a serum to really reap those benefits.
DQH Knowledge drop: In your 20s, your skin cell turnover decreases. (Cell turnover is a key component in keeping your skin youthful.) You know what else slows down? Your collagen production. Starting in your 20s, collagen decreases by about 1 percent per year. Should you want to prevent fine lines and wrinkles, start by eliminating behaviors that contribute to premature aging. “If it’s bad for you, it’s bad for your skin,” says dermatologist Michel Somenek.
“Cigarette smoking reduces blood flow to the skin and causes premature wrinkling and a dull skin texture. Making the repeated pursed motion to inhale can also cause smoker’s lines. Alcohol and recreational drugs are toxins for the skin that damage its cellular structure and DNA,” Somenek tells us. “The faster you eliminate vices while you are young, the better chance your skin and body have to recuperate.” Also, adopting an anti-aging routine in your 20s is key. After all, the best offense is a good defense. We spoke to Somenek and experts Joshua Ross and Audrey Kunin to find out more.
Keep reading for the best anti-aging products for your 20s, according to skincare professionals.
Sunscreen
“We all know that the sun is the number one cause of skin aging and starting the prevention in your 20s is very important,” Ross says. “The majority of your sun damage won’t start to appear until you’re in your 30s, so don’t wait until you see it surface or you’ll be behind the curve. Stay ahead of it with a good-quality zinc-based sunscreen worn daily.”
Farmacy Green Defense Daily Mineral Sunscreen
An invisible sunscreen with SPF 30, plus botanical extracts meant to protect skin with tons of antioxidants. Bonus: It’s clean and fine to use under makeup.
Bareminerals Complexion Rescue™ Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30
Although we recommend you use your SPF and moisturizer separately, we also understand moments when you don’t have time or energy for that extra step. For those times, this bareMinerals moisturizer is a great thing to have on hand.
Vitamin C Serum
“A great introduction to anti-aging is to start with a vitamin C serum in your morning skincare routine,” Ross says. “It’s a powerful antioxidant that will neutralize free radicals and brighten the skin.” He adds that it’s a great way to counteract the effects of the sun’s harmful rays, which, as previously mentioned, are among the biggest causes of premature aging.
Drunk Elephant C-Firma™ Vitamin C Day Serum
The Drunk Elephant C-Firma is a lightweight serum that promises to give skin a glow by combining the brightening powers of vitamin C with ferulic acid, l-ascorbic acid, and vitamin E. The included sodium hyaluronate is meant to replace hydration loss, so you shouldn’t have to deal with any irritation.
Sunday Riley C.E.O. Rapid Flash Brightening Serum
This potent serum is jam-packed with vitamin C (15 percent, to be exact), which means it’s a potential superstar at both brightening skin and dousing it in antioxidants.
Peptides
Using peptides on your skin has many benefits, says Somenek. “The skin barrier is what defends the body against pollution, UV rays, bacteria, and toxins. It can be damaged by several everyday factors. Using topical peptides aids in building a stronger barrier,” he says. “Peptides comprise elastic fibers, which are a type of protein. These fibers help to make skin appear taut and firm. Peptides can also help repair damaged skin, relieve inflammation, and even out skin tone. Some peptides can kill acne-causing bacteria that is common in 20-somethings.”
Kunin agrees, saying, “Peptides are an excellent entry point for supporting collagen.” She recommends looking for face and eye treatments that contain these collagen-boosting powerhouses.
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue Cream
This Charlotte Tilbury super-emollient eye cream has a base of coconut oil and shea butter (read: it’s incredibly hydrating). Botanicals plus peptides are meant to help reduce dark circles and boost collagen, respectively.
This creamy moisturizer serves up potent collagen-boosting peptides and pycnogenol, and antioxidant-rich vitamin C. “Instead of sitting on top of the skin, peptides penetrate the outer layer so they go deep. The ‘signals’ they send tell the cells to produce elastin and collagen, which are needed for youthful-looking skin,” explains Somenek.
At-Home Peel Pads
Remember that skin cell turnover fiasco we talked about earlier? One way to help support it is by exfoliating. “Exfoliation is important to help keep skin fresh and luminous,” Kunin says. She recommends using at-home peel pads as an easy and effective way to exfoliate.
“The goal in your 20s is to fight the slowing pace of cell turnover. It is wise to use products that gently exfoliate, yet still remove oil and other impurities. Products that have Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA) or Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA) are a good choice.”
According to Somenek, you should only exfoliate two to three times a week. “People of all ages are guilty of over-exfoliating and that can be too much of a good thing,” he says.
Dermadoctor Kakadu C Intensive Vitamin C Peel Pad
A few swipes of this Derma Doctor powerful peel pad promise to leave your skin glowing and smooth, thanks to the seven (yes, seven) types of chemical exfoliants, including AHA and BHA. It also contains vitamin C via Kakadu plum extract for added brightening and antioxidant protection.
KEY INGREDIENTS Kakadu plum extract is sourced from the Kakadu plum, a fruit grown in northern Australia. It contains vitamin C, which restores the skin’s natural barrier, increases collagen production, and soothes irritation.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel Pads
These are the gold standard of peel pads, with a cult following and over 900 five-star reviews on Sephora. They’re easy to use and contain a blend of anti-aging exfoliating acids.
Emollient Night Cream
“In your 20s, you need to start upping the hydration in your skincare routine. You may have been cautious of over-moisturizing because of acne in your teens, but as you enter your 20s, your skin transitions and becomes drier,” Ross says. “I recommend an emollient night cream added into your evening skincare regimen.”
“Twenty-somethings need to make sure that they are not using creams that will clog their pores and cause excess oil production,” says Somenek. Opt for non-comedogenic products.
Cerave Skin Renewing Night Cream
One great choice is the CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream, which is a non-comedogenic night cream that leaves skin soft and glowy. It combines the moisturizing powers of ceramides and hyaluronic acid.
RoC Retinol Correxion Max Hydration Creme
“The best night cream ingredients contain retinol, benzoyl peroxide, and/or salicylic acid or hyaluronic acid. The goal is to moisturize, yet remove excess oil,” says Somenek. This Roc Retinol Correxion cream fits the bill as it contains both hyaluronic acid and retinol so it promises to moisturize while also being non-comedogenic.
