One of the biggest trends predicted to dominate skincare this year is a timeless, workhorse ingredient: vitamin C.
“2021 will be all about vitamin C,” Marina Peredo, M.D., dermatologist, told The Zoe Report. “Vitamin C serums will be a huge skin care trend in 2021. Vitamin C serums make skin look beautiful, plump, and glowy. It is also helpful for boosting collagen production and reducing inflammation, making the skin look young and healthy.”
What makes vitamin C such a potent, powerful ingredient for promoting healthy, vibrant skin? Three key properties: the ability to promote collagen production, inhibit melanin production, and rejuvenate damaged skin.
Boosting collagen production
To begin, vitamin C is a critical ingredient for healthier, younger looking skin because vitamin C promotes the production of collagen.
Collagen is a protein that provides structure to the skin and also affects the skin’s softness and suppleness. Unfortunately, collagen production naturally slows down with age. Decreased collagen can lead to skin sagging, crepeing, and enhanced visibility of fine lines.
However, vitamin C remedies these common skincare concerns by increasing collagen production. The presence of vitamin C works to trigger DNA to regulate and maintain the intercellular amount of collagen.
“Because it’s highly acidic, when vitamin C is used topically the skin is triggered to heal itself by accelerating the production of collagen and elastin,” dermatologist Howard Sobel told Allure. “Remember: Collagen and elastin are both naturally occurring protein fibers that help keep skin plump and firm. So, in helping to promote collagen production, topical vitamin C can help prevent premature aging of the skin.”
More even skin tone
Additionally, vitamin C is another key ingredient to a healthy, more youthful complexion as it helps to even out skin tone and reduce hyperpigmentation.
“Fighting against signs of photoaging, especially against visible signs such as skin hyperpigmentation and skin heterogeneity, has become an important and growing aesthetic issue in the last few decades. Due to its proven efficacy and good safety, vitamin C has become the compound of choice to achieve a temporary anti-pigmenting effect,” explain the authors of “Vitamin C Prevents Ultraviolet-induced Pigmentation in Healthy Volunteers,” in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology.
Scientific research has discovered that vitamin C is an excellent inhibitor of melanin, the pigment responsible for skin tone. Vitamin C can reduce tyrosinase activity, which helps to prevents the formation of melanin.
A brighter, more even skin tone is a key benefit of vitamin C!
Thanks to this ability to inhibit tyrosinase activity, vitamin C is excellent at correcting uneven current skin and working to prevent discoloration in the future.
Rejuvenate and repair
“Due to its proven efficacy and good safety, vitamin C has become the compound of choice to achieve a temporary anti-pigmenting effect,”.”
The Journal of Clincal and Aesthetic Dermatology
Finally, vitamin C is a critical ingredient for an effective anti-aging skincare routine because vitamin C can help to rejuvenate and repair damaged skin.
Unfortunately, many common, prevalent factors can contribute to daily damage of the skin, including:
- pollution
- smoke
- stress
- aging
- lifestyle choices, like diet
- sun damage
However, despite the ubiquity of these skin stressors, the topical application of vitamin C can help improve skin health by neutralizing the production of free radicals.
“Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that brightens dark spots, smooths fine lines, and, most importantly, scavenges free radicals from the environment, pollution, and UV radiation,” Sara Hogan, M.D., dermatologist, told SELF.
For consumers with aging skin, stressful lifestyles, or frequent exposure to pollution, vitamin C can offer consistent help, by rejuvenating skin at any age.
The anti-aging powerhouse
Vitamin C is a time-tested anti-aging ingredient, beloved by dermatologists and skincare experts alike. For preventative skincare help, regular use of vitamin C can help improve skin firmness, reduce uneven tone, and repair and rejuvenate damaged skin.
