Chances are, Vitamin C already has a place in your everyday routine. It’s in your morning cup of orange juice or the supplements you take to help boost your immune system. So should you be adding Vitamin C into your skin care routine? Absolutely. At Obagi, we’re major fans of L-Ascorbic Acid -- the most bioavailable form of Vitamin C -- and its ability to help defend against the visible signs of skin aging. But that’s not the only reason we love the powerhouse ingredient. Here are a few of our favorite reasons why.
1. Vitamin C Reduces the Appearance of Fine Lines and Wrinkles
As we age, our skin naturally tends to show more signs of photoaging, such as fine lines and wrinkles. But by adding antioxidants like Vitamin C into our skin care, we can help maintain a more renewed and healthy-looking appearance. Vitamin C encourages the skin to rebound from previous visible skin damage, in turn reducing the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
2. Vitamin C Helps Skin Retain Moisture
You probably already know that adding and sealing in moisture is an important part of your daily skin care routine. But, here’s a fun fact: in addition to your usual lotions and creams, Vitamin C can also help keep skin moisturized, by strengthening the skin barrier and allowing the skin to hold moisture. So by adding a Vitamin C serum into your everyday routine, it’ll work hand-in-hand with your daily moisturizer to help skin stay fresh-looking and moisturized.
3. Vitamin C Brightens Skin
There’s nothing more appealing than beautiful, glowing skin – and by adding a topical Vitamin C into the mix, you can help defend against oxidative stress, which can help brighten your complexion.
Where to Find Vitamin C
Professional-C® Serums
Jumpstart your morning routine with Vitamin C in our Professional-C Serums. These concentrated formulas contain 10%, 15% or 20% L-Ascorbic Acid, the most bioavailable form of Vitamin C, for optimal skin absorption and results. Choose your strength based on your skin’s level of sensitivity: 10% for dry to normal skin types, 15% for normal or combination skin types, or 20% for normal to oily skin types.
Professional-C® Microdermabrasion Polish+Mask
Exfoliate and prime the skin for infusion of 30% L-Ascorbic Acid with this multi-tasking mask. Ultra-fine crystals help remove surface debris and the most superficial layers of the epidermis, while powerful antioxidants are infused into the skin, leaving behind a brighter, more radiant-looking appearance.
Obagi-C® Systems
Combining Vitamin C and Arbutin, the Obagi-C Systems provide complete skin care regimens that promote skin rejuvenation and enhance skin tone for a healthier-looking complexion. Talk to a skin care professional about how adding Vitamin C can benefit your skin and take a look at Obagi’s full line of products featuring Vitamin C.
References:
Traikovich S. Use of Topical Ascorbic Acid and Its Effects on Photodamaged Skin Topography. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1999;125(10):1091-1098 Farris PK. Topical vitamin C: a useful agent for treating photoaging and other dermatologic conditions. Dermatol Surg. 2005;31(7, pt 2):814-818. Alster TS, West TB. Effect of topical vitamin C on postoperative CO2 laser resurfacing erythema. Paper presented at: Annual Meetings of the American Society of Laser Medicine Surgery (ASLMS) April 1997 San Antonio, Texand the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Dermatology Surgeons (ASDS); May 1997; New Orleans, La. Basketter DA, et al. Influence of vitamin C on the elicitation of allergic contact dermatitis to p-phenylenediamine. Contact Dermatitis. 2016 Jun;74(6):368-72. Coenraads PJ, et al. The role of the antioxidant ascorbic acid in the elicitation of contact allergic reactions to p-phenylenediamine. Contact Dermatitis. 2016 May;74(5):267-72. Campos PM, Gonçalves GM, Gaspar LR. In vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo efficacy of topical formulations containing vitamin C and its derivatives studied by non-invasive methods. Skin Res Technol. 2008;14(3):376-380. Burgess C. Topical vitamins. J Drugs Dermatol. 2008;7(7 suppl):52-56. Kameyama K, Sakai C, Kondoh S, et al. Inhibitory effect of magnesium L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate (VC-PMG) on melanogenesis in vitro and in vivo. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1996;34(1):29-33. Espinal-Perez LE, Moncada B, Castanedo-Cazares JP. A double-blind randomized trial of 5% ascorbic acid vs. 4% hydroquinone in melasma. Int J Dermatol. 2004 Aug;43(8):604-7. Product specifications. OMP, Inc. Data on file. McCullough JL, Principal Investigator. OMP 05-02: In vitro percutaneous absorption of Vitamin C in topical formulations in human skin. April 27, 2005. OMP, Inc. Data on file.​ Lehman PA, Watson J. Evaluation of the percutaneous absorption of [14C]-L-ascorbic acid, in vitro, using the Franz human skin finite dose model. Protocol number R10-0296; April 7, 2010. OMP, Inc. Data on file.
