A vitamin C serum is a staple in any skin care routine, including one targeted toward anti-aging. This powerful antioxidant has been shown to fight free radical damage. Since free radicals can speed up the aging process, a potent vitamin C serum is a must.
Keeps Skin Looking Younger
Vitamin C can help your skin look younger for longer, not only by stimulating collagen production, but by evening out your skin tone and brightening your complexion as well.
Products like retinol, epidermal growth factors, and vitamin C serums can reduce signs of aging by treating fine lines, making wrinkles less deep, and lightening hyperpigmentation.
Vitamin C is a powerful ingredient in many anti-aging products. Some studies show that it can reduce the appearance of wrinkles when you use it for at least 12 weeks. A healthy diet that's high in this nutrient might help, too. Research suggests that people who eat more vitamin C have fewer wrinkles.
“Vitamin C is essential for skin health. The addition of vitamin E makes it even better.” This power-packed serum features not one, not two, but THREE sources of vitamin C. Pure vitamin C + vitamin E support skin's natural repair process.
Hyaluronic acid is best if they're looking to moisturize dry skin, while retinol works better by encouraging better skin by boosting collagen production. They have several benefits that can work in tandem for better results, though patients need to be careful with the exact formulations they use.
Best Overall Anti-Aging Serum: Clinique Smart Custom-Repair Serum. Best Drugstore Value Anti-Aging Serum: No7 Protect & Perfect Intense ADVANCED Serum Bottle. Best Anti-Aging Serum for Sensitive Skin: L'Oréal Paris Revitalift Derm Intensives Hyaluronic Acid Serum Ampoules.
What Are the Benefits of Combining the Two? Good news: Retinol and hyaluronic acid actually have a synergistic effect. “They can be combined so that the benefits of retinol can be achieved more easily with concomitant use of hyaluronic acid, which helps to prevent retinol irritation,” says Hartman.
Can You Use Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C Together? Not all powerful skincare ingredients can be mixed, but hyaluronic acid and vitamin C are two that become even stronger when paired with one another. These ingredients can provide both immediate and lasting results when used together in anti-aging formulations.
Retinoids and serums can be used together, especially if the serum is soothing or hydrating. Be careful using very aggressive face oil serums with retinoids.
Vitamin E can't make your wrinkles disappear or prevent sunburn. But applying products with vitamin E can benefit dry skin. And when consumed in the right amount, vitamin E may also help your skin stand up to environmental stressors from the inside out.
Best overall vitamin-C serum
Four of our dermatologists recommend SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic, which they (and our editors) hail as the gold-standard vitamin-C serum and is suitable for all skin types.
One study even recommends applying a vitamin C serum every eight hours, or twice daily for the pinnacle of protection. Vitamin C has photoprotective properties and staves off oxidative stress from the free radicals we meet throughout our day.
The protective antioxidant effect of vitamin E may reduce the risk of certain diseases and promote healthy aging.
When taken by mouth: Hyaluronic acid is likely safe when used appropriately. Allergic reactions might occur but are rare. When applied to the skin: Hyaluronic acid is likely safe when used appropriately. Allergic reactions might occur but are rare.
Drinking enough water each day replenishes your skin's tissue and cells, allowing for younger and healthier looking skin. Another key to maintaining a youthful appearance is to simply get some rest! When you sleep, your body continuously releases hormones that promote cell turnover and renewal.
With age, that fat loses volume, clumps up, and shifts downward, so features that were formerly round may sink, and skin that was smooth and tight gets loose and sags. Meanwhile other parts of the face gain fat, particularly the lower half, so we tend to get baggy around the chin and jowly in the neck.
Don't Mix: Retinol with vitamin C, benzoyl peroxide, and AHA/BHA acids. AHA and BHA acids are exfoliating, which can dry out skin and cause further irritation if your skincare routine already includes retinol. As for benzoyl peroxide and retinol, they cancel each other out.