It's best to apply Vitamin C before Retinol, as Vitamin C has a lower pH than Retinol. Once your skin absorbs the Vitamin C serum, your skin will return to its regular pH levels after 30 minutes or so. (You want your skin to return to its normal pH levels so vitamin C doesn't lower the pH of retinol.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A thick moisturizer with hyaluronic acid would be applied after a vitamin C serum, but a hyaluronic acid serum will come before a face cream with vitamin C in its formula. In the case that you have two separate serums, it still comes down to thickness. Apply whichever is thinner first.
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.
If you are applying a Vitamin C serum and hyaluronic acid separately, it's suggested that you apply the Vitamin C first, and then add the hyaluronic acid afterward in order to help fortify the skin barrier and lock in the moisture.
1. Use your vitamin C serum first, and let it dry. Since vitamin C is notoriously unstable, you always want to apply it on clean, dry skin. Then "Let vitamin C completely dry prior to placing niacinamide," says Lamm.
When layering these powerful ingredients applying vitamin C first and leaving about 15 minutes in between applying your niacinamide product will give the skin enough time to absorb and remain comfortable before using niacinamide to lock moisture into the skin.
No matter which form you choose to incorporate your hyaluronic acid, it should be close to the final step in your routine. If you are using it in serum form, you'll apply it immediately after your retinol. If it is part of your moisturizer, it will be your last step.
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. Hogan says.
"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 is used for its anti-ageing benefits as it boosts collagen, improves elasticity and repairs damaged cells. Using it before bed is safer and has far more beauty benefits and thus, we totally recommend you to use it in the night, before hitting the sack.
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.
Now that we know it's a perfectly safe combination, feel free to mix niacinamide and vitamin C to your heart's content. However, if you still feel nervous about combining the two ingredients on your sensitive skin, you can always use niacinamide in the morning and vitamin C at night, or even alternate days.
If you're using these ingredients in separate products, it's recommended to apply niacinamide first and to then follow with retinol. Applying niacinamide first can help protect your skin from the effects of retinol.
But overall, stick to using water-based products and serums together. 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 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.
In the morning, after applying your Vitamin C serum, follow this brightening ingredient with a layer of hydrating Hyaluronic acid. In your nightly routine, apply Hyaluronic acid before Retinol as it can increase its effectiveness while also helping to lock moisture in for maximum hydration.
Combining the two makes for a great all-in-one skin care step. “Hyaluronic acid and vitamin C are commonly used together because they complement each other to hydrate, protect, and repair aging skin,” says Zeichner.