Whether you are a skincare fanatic or have just started your journey towards creating your own beauty regime, you would have come across a multiplicity of ingredients on skincare product labels that often leave you wondering what’s a good fit for you. The most versatile yet tricky amongst those is Vitamin C.

Most people get a fair dose of this vitamin from the food, fruits, and vegetables they eat. It is a legendary supplement required to keep our immune system robust and fortify our bodies against diseases. It has also played a crucial part in our fight against Covid-19.

With countless benefits internally, the vitamin has equal, if not more, dermatological advantages. Arushi Thapar, Senior Marketing Manager, Plum, PurePlay Skin Sciences Pvt Ltd. shares more on the new ‘in’ natural additive.

C the advantage! : Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals, but what does that mean for your skin? Vitamin C is known to be a difficult ingredient to develop and work with owing to its fragility and photosensitivity. With advancements in research, we know that the potent L- Ascorbic acid or also known as the most stable form of Vitamin C which can effectively reduce dark spots, protect from sun damage & treat dull skin. With age and due to sun exposure, collagen synthesis in the skin decreases, leading to wrinkles- once again Vitamin C is the only antioxidant proven to stimulate the synthesis of collagen, minimize fine lines, scars, and wrinkles. Therefore, its important to understand the make of such a potent concoction with multifold benefits. Many skin care products on the market today, deep dive into the skincare science and highlight the vitamin C derivatives, which is an important part for consumers to understand and choose the right Vitamin C serum. Products with the right concentration, formulation and other mix of ingredients like Japanese Mandarin and Kakadu plum that boost the performance of Vitamin C, are important factors to take into consideration before purchasing a Vitamin C serum.

Why Plum Mandarin & Vitamin C serum should be your holy grail: Make sure your Vitamin C serum checks these boxes before purchasing or using them.A greater absorption of skin is possible with the use of vitamin C in serum-based formulations. The concentration should be between 10-20% with the sweet spot at 15%- any higher nullifies the benefits and could damage your skin. Another important aspect to pay attention to is the pH value. Human skin tends to have a pH value between 4-5 hence, the serum should have a similar value to be effective. Other factors to consider while adding Vitamin C to your beauty shelf include packaging, colour, and smell. As mentioned before, Vitamin C is photosensitive; i.e its properties change with exposure to light. It is, therefore, important for the serum to be packaged in a dark or amber coloured bottle. Store away from sunlight and in a dry environment. Be mindful of the colour and smell- ideally any skincare product should be free of artificial colours & fragrances. A change into a yellow, orange, or brown colour means it has oxidised; a sour or rancid smell means the product has lost stability and its use must be discontinued.

Once you have the ideal Vitamin C infused serum you can mix it up with your existing AM/PM regime- As a base alongside sunscreen is basic but an absolute must-have for glowing skin. It can also be used with Hyaluronic acid for hydration; combined with peptides making it a specialist for mature skin, or mixed with Vitamin E for ultimate nourishment for your skin! Ingredients such as niacinamide, chemical exfoliants, and retinol should not be applied together. Vitamin C with Niacinamide could be potent, with exfoliants causing destabilization, and combined with retinol becomes too much for the skin to handle at one time.