Layering vitamin C and hyaluronic acid serums To layer vitamin C and hyaluronic acid serums, always apply vitamin C first to cleansed, dry skin. Be sure to leave time for your vitamin C to sink in, then follow up with your hyaluronic acid.
When used together, they create a synergistic effect, enhancing each other's effectiveness. To maximize their benefits, apply a hyaluronic acid serum to replenish moisture, followed by a vitamin C serum to boost radiance and protect against environmental damage.
Vitamin C is effectively an acid (it's sometimes known as ascorbic acid), so layering it with AHAs and BHAs like glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids is a big no-no.
Vitamin C brings antioxidant protection and brightening, while Hyaluronic Acid provides deep hydration and plumpness. Incorporating both into your routine, based on your skin's needs, can lead to a well-rounded and effective skincare regimen, promoting a healthier and more radiant complexion.
Incorporating a hyaluronic acid serum into your skincare regimen is easy. This versatile ingredient can be used morning and night and works well with other formulations. As always, we recommend following the 3 core stages of a skincare regimen to layer your formulations.
Vitamin C + Niacinamide
However, when you combine niacinamide with Vitamin C, they'll cancel each other out chemically, making both formulas ineffective on your skin. Niacinamide takes out all the good properties of Vitamin C and makes it into a substance that can cause redness and trigger breakouts.
Skincare ingredients not to mix with vitamin C
Vitamin C, AHAs (glycolic acid), and BHAs (salicylic acid) are acidic in nature. Layering them together can lower the skin's pH, making it more acidic. When skin pH goes off balance, it becomes a recipe for skin irritation, redness, and peeling.
Mixing the types of hydroxy acids known as BHA and AHA and vitamin C tends to be too much for the skin, resulting in discomfort or unwanted side effects.
As a pair, vitamin C and hyaluronic acid benefit the skin in numerous ways, though the duo is most often used to help combat the visible signs of aging.
The most common adverse effects associated with hyaluronic acid filler are pain, bruising, redness, itching, and swelling. These side effects are self-limited and typically last no more than seven days.
As is the case for other natural skin-strengthening components, such as collagen and elastin, our bodily reserves of hyaluronic acid deplete with age. Other lifestyle factors, including unprotected exposure to UV rays, pollution and tobacco smoke, can speed up this natural decline.
You'll want to apply your vitamin C serum to clean, dry skin. “As far as active ingredients go, vitamin C is quite unstable, and it's easily affected by outside elements such as air, light and moisture,” says board-certified dermatologist and LovelySkin CEO Dr. Joel Schlessinger.
Moisturize: Some experts recommend applying Hyaluronic Acid serum directly onto fresh, damp skin, then layering a cream or oil on top to lock moisture in.
Allow 1-2 minutes between the application of each serum for full absorption of the vitamin C by your skin before you apply the hyaluronic acid. This ensures that both ingredients can work together effectively.
AHAs (Alpha Hydroxy Acids) and BHAs (Beta Hydroxy Acids), such as glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids should never be used with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an acid, too, and is unstable, so the pH balance will be thrown off by layering these ingredients together and might as well be useless.
Possible interactions include: Aluminum. Taking vitamin C can increase your absorption of aluminum from medications containing aluminum, such as phosphate binders. This can be harmful for people with kidney problems.
Vitamin C serums are notoriously sensitive to light, air, and heat. Exposure to these elements can cause the serum to degrade, leading to reduced effectiveness. Unfortunately, this is a mistake that many people overlook.
“Hyaluronic acid plays well with most ingredients, while caution must be taken when using retinol in combination with alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids, benzoyl peroxide, and some types of vitamin C.” Linkner echoes the tip about avoiding vitamin C.
Anyway, heat and water are the enemies of vitamin C in potatoes, as they are in all vegetables. Vitamin C is soluble in water, and too long an exposure to heat causes nutrients to vanish. Minimise the time, temperature and amount of water.
Additionally, topical vitamin C can help with acne through its anti-inflammatory properties that help control sebum (oil) production within the skin. In clinical trials, twice-daily application of vitamin C reduced acne lesions when compared to placebo.
Well, not permanently. Instead, vitamin C can cause temporary skin staining (also known as hyperpigmentation), which happens when l-ascorbic acid (the most common form of vitamin C and one that is less shelf-stable) oxidizes and turns into erythrulose (a key ingredient in many self-tanner products).