Truths and myths about vitamin C

Vitamin C significantly improves the quality of the skin and beautifies it more than any makeup. In a matter of weeks, it can make your skin radiant and supple, healthier and more hydrated. These abilities are fairly well known as vitamin C itself is well researched, but there are still a lot of myths, untruths and inaccuracies surrounding it. Let's take a look at the most common ones.

TRUE: VITAMIN C REJUVENATES

Vitamin C is an antioxidant that protects the skin from the damaging effects of sunlight. It promotes collagen formation and also protects the formed collagen from damage. Collagen is an important protein whose production in the body decreases with age and it is also significantly destroyed by harmful UV rays or an unhealthy lifestyle. The less collagen our body produces, the older our skin looks. Let's help the skin to make more of it.

FALSE: THE TYPE OF VITAMIN C DOESN'T MATTER

The type of vitamin C matters a lot. Scientists have created many forms of it for us, and it is a true that navigating them can be a problem for the consumer (e.g., l-ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate). They have different properties, vary in their degree of stability (and therefore safety), vary in whether they are fat or water soluble and their ability to withstand heat and light is different too. For example, while ascorbic acid is very unstable, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate is stable, while ascorbic acid irritates the skin in higher concentrations, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate is mild and non-irritating. In order for ascorbic acid to develop its effects, its concentration needs to be at least 20 per cent. In contrast, ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate achieves the same effects at a concentration as low as three per cent. Pro-Collagen Vitamin C Night Oil Serum contains ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate.

FALSE: IT IS ONLY THE VITAMIN C APPLIED TO THE SKIN THAT IS BENEFICIAL FOR THE SKIN

So, this is a common and thankfully false claim. Not only does the skin benefit from the vitamin C we apply to it, but it also benefits from the vitamin C we ingest in our diet. And it is most effective if these two paths are combined. If we want to have healthy skin, we need to supplement it with vitamin C from both the outside and the inside.

FALSE: VITAMIN C IS GOOD FOR DAYTIME USE

Several manufacturers declare that their skincare products containing vitamin C can be used during the day. Even if this is not untrue, it is most definitely uncertain. We do not yet have any clinical studies on whether its daytime use is safe. So, we stick to the original scientific recommendation and advise to use our serum at night. If you are to use it for daytime, then only with higher UV protection.

TRUE: VITAMIN C PREVENTS HYPERPIGMENTATION

Vitamin C can really can do this. It blocks unwanted melanin production. Therefore, if your skin is prone to reacting to UV rays by forming pigment spots, it's time to put a stop to it. Get a vitamin C serum and protect your skin from UV rays consistently throughout the year.

FALSE: THE MORE VITAMIN C, THE BETTER

At Noili, we use the vitamin C derivative called ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, which is highly effective even at low concentrations. This is one of its main advantages. Its effect is easily equal to the highest concentrations of ascorbic acid used. It is also well known that the skin cannot utilize a higher proportion of vitamin C, and this is another reason why it is really unnecessary to exaggerate the strength of the concentration. Plus, too much vitamin C causes uncomfortable tingling on the skin and products with high proportion of vitamin C can irritate sensitive skin.