Why Is Vitamin C A Popular Choice?
“Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which helps protect us against free radicals and sun damage,” explains dermatologist Dr Alice Rudd.
“It can help to brighten the skin. It has been found to assist with collagen production and has some pigment-inhibiting properties,” Dr Rudd said.
It’s great at fighting pigmentation, sun spots and melasma, while also boosting collagen, brightening the skin tone and improving overall radiance.
Plus, vitamin C serums suit pretty much all skin types, including pregnant or breastfeeding women struggling with keeping pigmentation at bay.
But the problem with vitamin C is that it’s a very unstable ingredient. The formulations can often feel unpleasantly sticky or tacky and some people find stronger formulas extremely irritating.
“The main problem is that the active form of Vitamin C, ascorbic acid, can be irritating to sensitive skin types and its formulation is often unstable,” Dr Rudd explained.
Vitamin C is sensitive to heat and light and can oxidise instantly (aka become useless once exposed to the elements) if not dispensed correctly via the right packaging.
That’s why it takes a lot of time, money, research and development to create a really great vitamin C serum, which explains why some of the best and most effective products on the market are sadly also the most expensive.
My favourite vitamin C serum is SkinCeuticals’ C E Ferulic serum, but at $214 a pop, it’s certainly not my bank account’s favourite. Aspect’s Extreme C 20 formula is another awesome product, yet it costs $135 per bottle.
It’s really, really hard to find an awesome vitamin C serum that’s also cheap, because good ones are so expensive to make.