Vitamin C and Sunscreen is The Gold-Standard for Sun Protection

UV rays are accountable for actively breaking down collagen and elastin fibers and induce melanocytes to improve pigmentation, which prospects to uneven tone. Translation? Defense versus UV injury is critical. Which is why each and every skincare professional (myself included) stresses the importance of sunscreen and vitamin C for the pinnacle of protection from photoaging. Not too long ago, it turned a detail to pair vitamin C and SPF, and all individuals in the know swear by this duo’s electrical power that claims to be greater at shielding your pores and skin than when applied on their very own. So does utilizing vitamin C raise your sunscreen? Indeed, vitamin C maximizes the defense means of sunscreen, and in this article, we explain the science powering it. Keep tuned.

Vitamin C and sunscreen

Vitamin C is a person of the most powerful anti-oxidants that helps prevent the harm triggered by totally free radicals. Furthermore, vitamin C has brightening and firming talents, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and assists relaxed skin. In other terms, vitamin C is king for fixing sunshine-induced damage.^[1]

Sunscreen is the sunblock skin needs each individual day, at all ages, and acts by absorbing (chemical sunscreen) or deflecting (actual physical sunscreen) sunbeams. Sunscreen is demanded for photoprotection, which may possibly if not guide to untimely wrinkles, dark spots, sagginess, and pores and skin cancer.^[2]

Vitamin C and sunscreen go perfectly with each other as every single of their photoprotective outcomes add up and maximize their rewards. In accordance to the Journal of Beauty Dermatology, vitamin C performs synergistically with sunscreen to increase photoprotection and keep sunshine destruction at bay.^[3] Teaming up vitamin C and sunscreen aids raise the potential of your pores and skin to protect by itself towards oxidative strain and hinder other no cost radicals from weakening collagen, inducing hyperpigmentation, and creating DNA injury.

Reward: So that vitamin C fulfills its photoprotective and restoring advantages, it must be employed in concentrations of at least 10%.^[1]

Vitamin C in advance of or after sunscreen?

Vitamin C generally goes just before sunscreen. The most strong and very concentrated vitamin C items are serums. As such, when you pair vitamin C and sunscreen, do it in this order:

• Cleanse: remove debris, oil, and residues
• Tone: increase extra positive aspects and regulate pH
• Layer vitamin C serum
• Use moisturizer: lock hydration and benefits 
• Use sunscreen

Can vitamin C replace sunscreen?

By no suggests you need to give up using sunscreen in favor of a vitamin C solution. Vitamin C gives some sunshine safety but doesn’t defend the skin as sunscreen does. 

To close

Vitamin C and sunscreen characterize a dynamic duo that will work synergistically to guard your skin towards UV and other free of charge radicals, so using them day-to-day is a top rated priority. Performing so hinders the apparition of dim spots and protects the protein fibers from degrading, maintaining company, elastic, and even skin. 

P.S.: For individuals who fancy minimalist skincare routines and want to slash an further move, a vitamin C sunscreen may occur in helpful.