Can You Mix Vitamin C and Retinol?
How does a combination for the perfect skinning start? Can you mix vitamin C and retinol for the best glow? This may just be everything, but how about side effects too? Do read on.
Can you mix vitamin C and retinol? Of course! These are among the strongest anti-aging agents in skincare, but they’re also one of those duos that experts typically discourage from being paired together.
For this reason alone, you’ll be surprised to hear that, actually, you can use retinol and vitamin C in a single skincare regimen. Yes, you read correctly. You can now officially skip skipping out on one ingredient for the other.
What is Retinol and How Does it Work?
Retinol is a vitamin A derivative used to treat an endless array of skincare problems related to aging, acne, skin tone, and hyperpigmentation.
When applied to the skin, retinol penetrates the outer layer of the skin, or the stratum corneum, and even reaches to the much deeper dermis layer of the skin.
When retinol is absorbed, it stimulates skin cell turnover, an important anti-aging process that gives our complexion a youthful appearance.
Retinol is erroneously believed by many to be retinoids, which in fact is nothing more than an umbrella term to describe a number of vitamin A-derived skincare creams.
Although retinol is a type of retinoid, the two are not equivalent, and unlike most retinoid products, retinol is accessible over the counter.
What is Vitamin C and How Does it Act on the Skin?
Vitamin C is a type of antioxidant known by another name: L-ascorbic acid. Vitamin C is consumed by most people in food form and takes the intake of the vitamin for its long list of medical advantages.
It has become hugely popular in the last couple of years for having some very strong skincare benefits when used topically.
The antioxidant is likely most well-known for its ability to protect your skin cells from external conditions such as sun exposure and air pollution.
Vitamin C does this by destroying the free radicals before they can do any damage to your skin cells. When applied topically, vitamin C can stimulate your own skin’s natural regenerative process and heal any damaged skin cells that you have.
This absorbic acid is necessary for the manufacturing of collagen, the key to young-looking skin. Collagen is the protein that keeps your skin firm, supple, and elastic and hence prevents it from sagging while reducing the visibility of fine lines and wrinkles.
The antioxidant is able to halt excessive melanin production that results in hyperpigmentation and dark spots by inhibiting the creation of the pigment in your skin, leaving your skin brighter and more even in tone.
What to Look for When Choosing a Vitamin C Serum
With its long list of skincare benefits, vitamin C has been a highly desired skincare product. But then, with all the products on the market, it’s crucial to know what to look for when choosing a vitamin C serum.
When choosing your vitamin C product, experts recommend choosing a product that has a level of concentration between 10 and 20 percent in order to get the best possible results. Avoid any product that contains vitamin C as an additive or artificial colors and fragrances as well.
Vitamin C + Ferulic Serum by Software contains one of the most potent of its kind currently available, with the potent formula offering a full 15 per cent concentration of vitamin C.
Formulated with a combination of specialist actives that include ferulic acid, alpha-lipoic acid, and vitamin E, the serum supports vitamin C’s ability to bleach the skin as well as provide protection against stressors in the environment.
In addition, you will never come across any obnoxious additives, parabens, sulfates, or artificial dyes and fragrances in this vitamin C product.
Can You mix Vitamin C with Retinol or Retinoids?
Experts usually do not suggest mixing retinol and vitamin C concurrently. This is due to the fact that the different PH needs of the two products usually cancel out one another.
But only by using retinol and vitamin C at the same time, not in the same routine. It is also extremely safe and extremely effective to incorporate both retinol and vitamin C into your skincare routine, just in case you need to use them at different times of the day.
How to Use Vitamin C and Retinol in Your Skincare Routine
Retinol and vitamin C are both effective anti-ageing products. When you use retinol and vitamin C both in your skin care routine, you can avail the benefits of both products and get even more astounding results.
The range includes a retinol product and a vitamin C-based product merged into the individual anti-aging skin care regimen to effectively tackle fine lines, wrinkles, dullness, and elasticity of the skin.
Final Words
When you use these products simultaneously, you ought to use them at varying times of the day to avoid any irritation.
The vitamin C serum ought to be used in the morning to prepare your skin before any exposure to environmental aggressors, whereas retinol ought to be used in the evening to rejuvenate your skin during the night.
All of these ingredients combined will give your skin the best possible opportunity at maintaining its smooth, bright and youthful appearance.
If you’ve never tried using retinol and vitamin C together (or have very sensitive skin), then it’s also a good idea to start by introducing one product at a time.
Start by adding retinol to your evening skincare and slowly incorporate vitamin C into your morning skincare a few weeks later. This will prevent the skin from getting irritated and allow for a more sustained skincare routine.
