You might be familiar with vitamin C as a brightening and glow-boosting ingredient, but first and foremost, it should be recognised as an incredibly powerful antioxidant. And it’s cool, I get it. No one actually knows what antioxidant means, right? When it comes to age-defying skincare, though, it’s actually really beneficial to be in the know.
Things like pollution and UV rays trigger our skin to produce harmful particles dubbed “free radicals” which cause long-term DNA damage and speed up the ageing process. What antioxidants do is help counteract and reduce that free radical production, thereby protecting our skin from further premature ageing. “Antioxidants [like vitamin C] support cells, boost collagen and brighten existing skin pigmentation. It is a key anti-ageing ingredient,” says Borysiewicz.
So why the standard hefty price tag? Unlike cheaper, less efficacious ingredients, vitamin C is highly unstable and volatile. This means the minute it is exposed to light, heat and even oxygen, its effectiveness rapidly starts to decline. Formulating an effective vitamin C product can be very costly for a brand, so it is common for great vitamin C products to cost an arm and a leg (see SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic for reference). However, things like dark bottles, airless pumps, booster formulas and single-use designs can help bring the price of effective vitamin C down, so always look for such things when shopping.
Cleverly designed to keep vitamin C at its most potent, you activate this booster on first use and it remains potent for a full 21-day course.
Vitamin C in the form of L-ascorbic acid is considered to be one of the most universally glow-boosting and protective ingredients around. This product champions L-ascorbic acid as well as hydrating and plumping hyaluronic acid.
£18
Formulated with both antioxidant vitamin C and glow-boosting alpha-hydroxy acids, this day cream gets to work fast.
This powerhouse serum utilises peptides to help stimulate collagen production and plump. On top of that, it also contains powerful antioxidants including vitamin C and resveratrol.
Considered nature’s alternative to retinol, bakuchiol is thought to deliver very similar results, with minimal irritation. Personally, I swear by this stuff.
£6
This rich night cream harnesses the power of plant cells to help regenerate and improve the appearance of fine lines.
Formulated with a clever amino-peptide complex, this lightweight, airy moisturiser makes skin appear plumper and more hydrated.
No, this serum doesn’t contain any super-powerful actives, but it does contain a very impressive concoction of hydrating, skin-loving ingredients, such a ceramides, squalane and glycerin, to keep dehydration lines at bay and restore a youthful glow.
It’s affordable but powerful. This serum contains peptides to help stimulate collagen production and hyaluronic acid to rejuvenate and hydrate.
