Can retinol and vitamin C be used together? Retinol and vitamin C can be beneficial ingredients for any anti-aging skincare regimen. Applying a vitamin C serum in the morning helps provide the skin with skin-brightening benefits and antioxidant protection against environmental aggressors.
The truth: You can use vitamin C with retinol and retinoids. Get them as separate products so you can tailor the concentration of each and use them at the right time of day. Although vitamin C can be used day or night, it is ideal for daytime use, while retinol and retinoids should be applied at night.
Combination of 10% Pure Vitamin C and 3 Essential Ceramides
High quality serums, like those from CeraVe, are an effective way to deliver active and beneficial ingredients to skin in a lightweight formulation that can be layered with other products and won't block pores.
It'll also absorb into your skin most effectively after you've cleansed and exfoliated, so it makes sense to apply it during your nighttime routine. When you use your vitamin C serum during the night, you'll also avoid the risk of photosensitivity, which can occur in some cases with daytime use.
Cerave Vitamin C Serum features 10% pure vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) to help visibly brighten the complexion and improve uneven skin tone.
In short: yes, you can use vitamin C and retinol together; try retinol at night and vitamin C during the day—always with sunscreen.
So, should I use vitamin C or retinol for wrinkles? Well, when it comes right down to it, the choice is really in what you're looking to do for your skin. While vitamin C is incredible for the skin because of its ability to help brighten and improve hyperpigmentation, the best active ingredient for wrinkles is retinol.
There's certainly no law against using vitamin C products in the evening, but, again, you may get the most benefit from using them in the morning. “In general, vitamin C products should be applied in the morning before heading out for the day, when UV radiation is at its highest,” Dr.
AHAs and BHAs, 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.
Use your vitamin C serum first, and let it dry.
Then "Let vitamin C completely dry prior to placing niacinamide," says Lamm. That way, the ascorbic acid has a chance to settle into the skin, and there's a smaller chance of combining the two actives.
We all have different skin needs and routines, but as a general rule, we recommend incorporating vitamin C into your skincare regime every—or every other—morning. We specify morning, because the antioxidant helps to protect from things like pollution and UV light, which you're typically exposed to throughout the day.
Apply your vitamin C first, since it has the lower pH of the two. Then, wait half an hour before you apply your retinol. Incorporating the waiting period allows your skin's pH to return to normal, so each ingredient can work at its intended pH.
To reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and other signs of aging, vitamin C and retinol are two key ingredients to keep in your arsenal. Vitamin C is known for its brightening benefits, while retinol boosts cell turnover.
Vitamin C serum protects the collagens while the Retinol serum helps in cell turn over thereby creating new collagens. Vitamin C serum fights dry skin, while Retinol serum may dry out your skin upon regular usage. Vitamin C serum is not as effective as the Retinol serum in anti-ageing therapy.
Is it a good idea to combine Vitamin C, Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid in a skincare routine? Yes. These ingredients work well when used individually and even better when paired together.
"Because vitamin C serum helps protect your skin from free radicals, most dermatologists have recommended applying it in the morning to prevent damage during the day," says Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
Vitamin C serum is typically applied once or twice per day. A good rule of thumb is to cleanse, tone, apply vitamin C serum, and then moisturize. It can be safely used with other active ingredients, although using alongside niacinamide may make vitamin C less effective.
While it's all down to your skin (and no one knows your skin better than you), most prefer to apply vitamin C serums in the morning because of its antioxidant properties—which means that it helps to defend against pollutants and free radicals that could otherwise damage skin throughout the day.
Can you use niacinamide with retinol and vitamin C? You can indeed use all three of these ingredients together, but the order in which you layer them play an important role when avoiding skin irritation. To gain optimal results I would suggest using a serum enriched in vitamin C during your morning routine.
Pairing the two ingredients is safe and can make retinol easier to use. Niacinamide helps hydrate the skin, which reduces the risk of irritation caused by retinol. Niacinamide and retinol can be combined in one product or used as separate products.
Niacinamide With Vitamin C Are a Winning Combination
This means that you're safe to use both niacinamide and vitamin C, either together in the same product, or combined from different products that you layer one over the other.
Yes, you could use niacinamide in the morning and vitamin C at night. Both ingredients are highly effective and are able to deliver impressive results whenever they are applied to the skin.
Vitamin C works best in combination with Vitamin E, Ferulic Acid, Vitamin B, and Hyaluronic Acid.
Both vitamin C and niacinamide increase the natural production of ceramides in your skin which helps to strengthen your skin barrier, keep your skin hydrated, and reduce irritation. However, niacinamide is probably the better option for sensitive skin as it's usually gentler than vitamin C.
Use vitamin C for hyperpigmentation caused by melanin and use niacinamide if your skin can't handle vitamin C. Keep in mind this is a very hard and fast rule because they aren't easy to compare without really knowing your skin concerns and skin sensitivity.