Use vitamin C serum in the morning or in the evening?

The skin is the largest human organ. So it's no wonder that she gets special attention and daily care. An important part of a comprehensive and effective skin care routine is vitamin C. The active ingredient is said to be a guarantee for radiant and healthy skin.

But what is vitamin C anyway? Does a vitamin C serum work better in the morning or in the evening and what should one consider when using serums with vitamin C on the skin? You will find out all this and more in this article.

What is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is the so-called ascorbic acid . It is often mentioned in connection with a healthy diet, since the vitamin C contained in food is said to strengthen the immune system. However, vitamin C is considered a real miracle cure in skin care, which has become indispensable in many care routines.

Vitamin C is a water-soluble and elementary vitamin that our body needs to support a wide variety of functions - our skin also benefits from the effects of vitamin C. Ascorbic acid is said to play a central role in the formation of proteins, fats and collagen .

The fact is that the vitamin C has to be supplied from the outside, since the body cannot produce the ascorbic acid itself and cannot store it over a longer period of time. Therefore, the regular supply of our body with vitamin C through food or even dietary supplements is essential.

A lack of vitamin C can have a negative effect on the complexion. If the supply of ascorbic acid is insufficient, the skin should appear pale and slack , which should be prevented by the regular use of special skin care products with vitamin C.

What does vitamin C serum do on the skin?

Vitamin C in skin care is said to have a major impact on the complexion. Basically, the miracle vitamin is said to have the following effects:

1. Antioxidant effect: Vitamin C is one of the best-known antioxidants. Applied to the skin, the ascorbic acid is said to protect against environmental influences and free radicals. These include cigarette smoke, pollution of any kind and harmful UV radiation from sun exposure. The antioxidant vitamin C is supposed to fight the radicals that occur on the skin during metabolic processes by fending off unwanted components and skin cells like a shield. This protects the skin from damage and strengthens its protective barrier in the long term.

2. Stimulating collagen formation: In addition to the antioxidant effect, vitamin C is also said to stimulate the production of collagen. The antioxidant should stabilize the already existing collagen framework and its structure and also be involved in the formation of vitamin E. Vitamin E is known to be the so-called "tightener" of the skin, which is supposed to ensure that the skin remains elastic and resistant. Due to the increased collagen production, the skin should appear plumper and wrinkle-free. For this reason, vitamin C is often used as part of anti-aging skin care.

3. Anti-inflammatory for blemished skin and acne: the antioxidant is said to soothe and sustainably alleviate micro-inflammations that are involved in the development of pimples, blemishes or even acne. This is mainly due to the fact that vitamin C is said to have an anti-inflammatory effect. For this reason, it is important not only in our diet but also in skin care. The complexion should be significantly refined through the regular use of vitamin C serums, as redness and pimple marks should heal faster. In addition, the development of new pimples should be slowed down by vitamin C. Hormone-related acne, on the other hand, should always be treated by a dermatologist, as the cause must be clarified.

4. Lightening of pigment spots and sun spots: According to several studies, vitamin C is said to help inhibit the excessive formation of melanin in the skin. This is intended to lighten existing spots, such as pigment spots or sun spots, and thus make them practically invisible. This effect is also said to be due to the antioxidant properties of ascorbic acid. The vitamin C should prevent the oxidation of a certain amino acid, so that no brownish discoloration should occur due to melanin in the top layer of the skin.

Does vitamin C serum work better in the morning or in the evening?

Skin care products usually come with instructions for use . On the packaging or directly on the bottles and jars, information on use is usually given in the form of "apply in the morning or in the evening". In the case of vitamin C, however, it actually doesn't matter when it's applied.

Whether the vitamin C serum is applied in the morning or in the evening depends solely on the personal preference of the user . However, the type of application should not have any influence on the effect.

Applying a serum with vitamin C in the morning is said to have many benefits. On the one hand, serums are usually absorbed into the skin much faster than rich gels or creams. Therefore, they can be optimally integrated into the morning care routine by applying them to the face before applying moisturizer.

The sun protection can then be applied, creating a perfect base for daily make-up. In addition, the use of vitamin C in the morning is said to ensure that the skin is protected from environmental influences and free radicals throughout the day. In addition, the skin cells should be protected from UV-induced skin aging by vitamin C in combination with a suitable sun protection.

The skin regenerates itself at night. For this reason , using a vitamin C serum in the evening before bed has just as many benefits. During sleep, the vitamin C should support the skin's regeneration process and ensure that the rest of the night care can effectively penetrate the skin. In addition, damage caused during the day should be repaired by applying the serum at night. In addition, vitamin C is known to stimulate collagen formation, which makes it ideal to integrate ascorbic acid into the evening care routine.

Better to use it in the morning and evening

There is no general answer to the question of whether vitamin C serum should be applied to the skin in the morning or in the evening. Both times of application have their advantages, as the active substances and ingredients contained in the serum are intended to have an effect both during the day and at night .

However, if you want to get the best of both worlds, vitamin C can basically be used morning and night, depending on your skin type. However, it should be noted that the skin's need for vitamin C will be covered after some time, so that the ingredients may not be able to be absorbed further.

For this reason, it is recommended to use a serum with a low concentration of vitamin C for daily use twice a day, so as not to over-irritate the skin.

Those are the benefits

Due to increasing environmental pollution from smog and other influences, skin care is becoming more and more of an issue. There is a constant search for a suitable routine that should optimally protect the skin barrier from free radicals. The list of active ingredients is long, but vitamin C products are clearly at the top.

Vitamin C is said to offer the following benefits for the skin:

• Neutralizing free radical damage

• Protection against UV radiation

• Stimulating collagen production

• Improving the firmness and elasticity of the skin

• tightening of the skin

• Leveling of pigment spots or pimple marks

• refinement of the complexion

Pay attention to the concentration

The selection of vitamin C products is huge, as the market now offers a lot - from cheap products from the drugstore to expensive high-end serums. However, it is not just the quality of the vitamin C serum that is decisive for its effectiveness, but above all the concentration of the vitamin C.

Dermatologists recommend starting with a low-level vitamin C serum. These products usually have a concentration of around 10% . Depending on tolerability, the dose of the active ingredients can be slowly increased to 15% or 20% . However, a too high concentration of up to 25% should be avoided, as vitamin C can irritate the skin and lead to redness or even allergic reactions .

In addition, products with the ingredient L-ascorbic acid should be particularly suitable for oily to normal skin and accordingly achieve the best results. In the case of dry or particularly sensitive skin, on the other hand, the water-soluble vitamin C in the form of magnesium ascorbyl phosphate should be the most tolerable.

If you take cortisone for neurodermatitis , it is advisable to consult your dermatologist before using vitamin C.

Cream or serum?

A good skin care routine usually does not consist of just one single product. In principle, various active ingredients should be integrated into a holistic routine. These include antioxidants such as vitamin A and moisturizing serums and creams with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and ceramides .

In most cases, the integration of vitamin C in creams is difficult because ascorbic acid is very susceptible to oxidation and thus quickly loses its effectiveness through decomposition. Therefore, so-called derivatives such as magnesium ascorbyl phosphate or ethyl ascorbic acid are usually used in vitamin C creams. Although these are said to be gentler on the skin, they are also said to have a lesser effect than pure vitamin C.

For this reason, the most effective form should be a serum with a high dose of vitamin C. In serums, the vitamin C is stabilized by an acidic pH value so that the valuable active ingredient is retained. A pure vitamin C serum can be recognized by the fact that the term ascorbic acid appears in the INCI list.

What to look for in a vitamin C serum?

When buying vitamin C serums - just like with all other cosmetic products - you should definitely pay attention to the quality and ingredients . In addition, the following purchase criteria are decisive:

• Ingredients and active ingredients (vitamins, hyaluronic acid, pure ascorbic acid, retinol)

• Concentration (not higher than 20%)

• Delivery (airtight pump dispenser or pipette)

• Packaging

• Quantity and price per milliliter

Which serum is best suited for your own skin must be tested individually . However, a visit to the dermatologist can provide information about the skin type, so that the search for a suitable vitamin C serum can be much easier.

When should you start anti-aging care?

It is generally assumed that skin aging begins slowly from around the age of 25 . For this reason, anti-aging care can be started at an early age. The use of vitamin C should at least slow down UV-induced skin aging.

In addition, some vitamin C serums also contain hyaluronic acid, which supplies the skin with moisture and thus makes the face appear plumper and plumped up. In this way, wrinkles should only appear slowly.

However, a vitamin C serum can also be an integral part of the skin care routine for young skin or skin prone to blemishes . If in doubt, it is worth consulting a dermatologist to find a suitable anti-aging product for your own skin.

FAQ

Why not vitamin C in the evening?

Whether you use a vitamin C serum in the morning or in the evening should not affect the effectiveness of the antioxidant. Both application times have their advantages, so that vitamin C can generally be used in the evening without hesitation.

Can you use vitamin C serum every day?

In theory, you should be able to use vitamin C serum every day. Depending on the skin type, however, the acidic skin care products can definitely cause irritation, so the concentration must be observed here.

Which serum in the morning and which in the evening?

A serum with vitamin C can be applied both in the morning and in the evening. However, there are other serums with active ingredients such as BHA, AHA or retinol. These should be applied in the evening.

What do you have to consider with a vitamin C serum?

If it is a pure vitamin C serum, the pH value should definitely be acidic. Otherwise, the effectiveness of vitamin C can be negatively influenced, since the active ingredient is considered to be highly susceptible to oxidation.

Conclusion

Vitamin C is a real all-rounder! A high-quality serum with a sufficiently high concentration of vitamin C offers many advantages for the skin - it is not for nothing that the diverse ascorbic acid is an important component in the daily skin care routine.

In addition to antioxidant properties, vitamin C is said to have an anti-inflammatory and skin-refining effect by fighting free radicals on the skin. With the right product, the skin barrier should be sustainably supported in many different ways - for a younger and fresher-looking complexion.