How to tell if your Vitamin C serum is oxidized?
The benefits of using a Vitamin C serum are endless, and many of us have already incorporated it into our daily routines. Despite the benefits of Vitamin C for the skin, it also has the disadvantage of oxidation, which can cause the ingredient to become less potent and effective in treating the skin. There are many factors to consider when trying to determine if your Vitamin C serum is oxidized. How does it look? What should you do if you find that your product is compromised? How does it affect your skin? We will answer all of these questions today.
How to tell if your Vitamin C serum is oxidized?
Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which means it is a powerful force in keeping your skin healthy and radiant, and protecting it from free radicals and other skin damage. Of all the skin care products available, Vitamin C has the shortest shelf life, as its effectiveness immediately decreases once the product comes into contact with oxygen.
The easiest way to tell if your Vitamin C serum is oxidized is to look at the color. Serums with higher levels of Vitamin C are clear, and the color begins to turn yellow or brown about 3 months after opening. Once this happens, it’s a clear sign that the L-ascorbic acid is losing its effectiveness and, when broken down, turns into erythrulose, which is exactly what you find in self-tanning products and can last up to 7 days. The problem with erythrulose is that it can also cause unnecessary skin damage as it is exacerbated by increased exposure to free radicals, causing your skin to have to regenerate itself.
What Should a Vitamin C Serum Look Like?
As mentioned before, it’s always advisable to choose a Vitamin C serum that looks clear. This shows how high the level of Vitamin C in the formula is and allows you to see if it has been oxidized. While it may be difficult to reconsider your initial opinion that Vitamin C should be orange, some brands have been known to add dyes to their formulas to recreate this orange color. It’s best to choose a colorless product in an opaque sealed bottle so that the Vitamin C stays as fresh as possible and isn’t exposed to too much UV light and oxygen, which can cause it to deteriorate faster.
Is It OK to Use an Oxidized Vitamin C Serum?
Once the product has been opened and used, Vitamin C has a shelf life of about 3 months. After this time, you should expect the formula to start to fade and turn brown. There is nothing wrong with using the rest of the product, especially if there is still more than 10% active vitamin C left. There is concern about how serums react to your skin. It can cause discoloration and irritation, and some people experience breakouts such as spots and acne.
Is oxidized vitamin C bad for your skin?
There is no scientific evidence that oxidized vitamin C has any effect on the skin. However, there are many cases of skin irritation and discoloration due to oxidized L-ascorbic acid turning into the erythrulose ingredient in tanning products. Oxidized vitamin C is no longer a powerful antioxidant and can lead to the production of free radicals, environmental aggressors, and daily aggressors, making the skin vulnerable to damage and making premature signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles visible.
Because the L-ascorbic acid content in the product formula is low or even absent, you may find that vitamin C serums are less effective and have no effect on your complexion.
Can vitamin C serums be used daily?
Compared to other alpha hydroxy acids (also known as AHAs), vitamin C is safe to use daily. It fights skin damage and other stressors, creating a protective layer on the skin as you go about your daily life. Vitamin C serums are very effective in the mornings due to their antioxidant effects. However, many people find that applying them at night gives the AHAs a chance to work, uninterrupted by the daily damage faced during the day.
If you want to learn more about AHAs and their effects on the skin, you can read our blog on the benefits of AHAs and BHAs for skin care.
When should you throw away your vitamin C serum?
If your serum starts to turn yellow, it’s a clear sign that too much air has been mixed into the formula, making the vitamin C less effective. Once the formula shows any discoloration, it’s best to throw the product out completely. Vitamin C is a notoriously difficult ingredient to work with, and it’s not stable in aqueous solutions, making it even harder to determine if the percentage of vitamin C is at active levels and truly benefiting the skin. To ensure it’s treating the skin in the best possible way, it’s best to look in the ink on the packaging to see where the L-ascorbic acid is listed. If it’s below 6, it’s not enough to provide the best results for the skin.
Here are some answers to the most common questions about vitamin C and how to tell if it’s oxidized. There is a very dedicated blog post on the benefits of Vitamin C for skin care that you can check out and get a better idea of the overall benefits and results you will see when applied to your skin.
Here is some more information on Vitamin C. If you have any additional questions, don’t forget to follow us on Instagram. You can reach one of our skin care experts in a private message.
