Experts typically recommend using vitamin C products in the morning and retinoids at night. This route often ends up working out best since retinol products can increase the skin's sensitivity to UV rays, which is why it's better to save them for p.m. use.
If you're wondering when to apply a vitamin C serum, the answer is both morning and night, after cleansing and toning. One study even recommends applying a vitamin C serum every eight hours, or twice daily for the pinnacle of protection.
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.
"They usually contain the ideal delivery system, and are designed to be used before moisturizer," he explains. While vitamin C can be used in the morning or evening, most prefer to apply it during the day since its antioxidant properties act as a shield to deflect pollution and other environmental aggressors.
A Vitamin C serum should be used in your bedtime routine and a couple of drops of it should suffice. Tap it on your skin using your fingertips and leave it on overnight. Wash your face in the morning and apply SPF to avoid any skin irritation.
During sleep skin's blood flow increases, it rebuilds collagen and repairs damage like fine lines, wrinkles and age spots that have been caused by UV exposure. So using vitamin C serum during the night means that it's likely to have the most effective impact on the skin.
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.
Since serums contain the active ingredients that you want to penetrate as deeply as possible into your skin, you should always apply a serum directly to your skin after cleansing or toning and before your moisturizer and sunscreen. Don't put your serum on after you moisturize.
Always allow your serum to absorb for 60-90 seconds, to ensure it has time to penetrate the skin. Follow up with a moisturizer to lock in the goodness of your serum, and bolster your skin's protective lipid barrier.
Vitamin C serum (leave to absorb for 1-2 minutes)
Dr Khan explains: “With vitamin C, you want to get the most out of the product by not diluting it. A couple of minutes should be an adequate time for the product to dry down before you go in with your next step.”
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.
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.
Hydrating serums and the like can be used both in the morning and evening. The general rule of thumb for applying skincare is thinnest consistency to thickest. In terms of when to apply your serum in your skincare routine, it should be applied after cleansing and before moisturizing.
No, you can start using Vitamin C serum once you are 20.
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.
The best time to apply vitamin C serum is in the morning or before bed—you only need to apply it once a day. Start by washing your face. Then, gently rub 2-3 drops of vitamin C serum into your skin. Wait at least 5 minutes for the serum to soak in, then apply your moisturizer.
To allow serums to fully absorb, apply and wait 5 minutes before moisturizing. Take note: Well-formulated serums absorb quickly and disappear into your skin. If they leave an oily or sticky residue, they're not doing their job well.
In most cases, it makes sense to apply serum before moisturizer. This is because serum is usually more lightweight, whereas moisturizer tends to be thicker. Applying serum first can also give the skin more opportunity to absorb the active ingredients. In many skin care routines, moisturizer is the last step.
Pat any excess product onto the top of your hands, neck, and décolletage. Step 4: Apply a moisturizer (Yes, your moisturizer should come after your Vitamin C serum — remember the “thinnest to thickest” rule.) Step 5: Apply your favorite eye cream. (This list of the best anti-aging eye creams is a great resource.)
Most face serums are safe to be applied twice daily – once in the morning on a cleansed face, before the rest of your makeup, and once at night before bed.
Ultimately, face serum and moisturizer are both necessary for a holistic skin care routine and to ensure that your skin doesn't dry out during the day. Face serum can't replace moisturizer, and moisturizer doesn't give your skin the extra vitamins and nutrients it needs to succeed and look great for years to come.
Use a water based or non comedogenic moisturizer which means it doesnt clog your pores. AcneOC is a good one which is light, non-greasy and non comedogenic.
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.