How to Buy a Vitamin C serum for Anti-aging

Vitamin C serum is a very popular topical antioxidant. An antioxidant serum and a sunscreen are some of the best anti-aging skincare products that you can buy. Fight free radicals, repair sun damage, and reduce wrinkles. Before you buy a vitamin C serum read the tips below to find out some important information.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Vitamin C serum

1. Make sure your vitamin C bottle is not a jar and is dark. Vitamin C is one of the most highly unstable antioxidants. Keep serum in a cool dark place, light and air can destabilize it, causing it to be ineffective.

2. Find out the form of your vitamin C serum. There are many forms of vitamin C and they vary in stability and effectiveness. L-ascorbic acid is the most effective, but it is also the must unstable, which is why the type of package is important. Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate is more stable, but not quite as effective. Ester C is also more stable, but not as effective as the L-ascorbic acid.

3. Read the ingredients and percentages of your vitamin C serum. Your vitamin C serum should have a pH of 3.5 or lower to be effective. Make sure the concentration of vitamin C is not higher than 20%.

4. Look for a vitamin C serum that is right for your skin. Try the Skinceuticals AOX 10, 15, or 20 it gets raves for oily/acne prone skin types. Skinceuticals C+E Ferulic is good for dry/acne prone types with 15% L-ascorbic acid and 2.5 to 3 pH. SkinMedica Vitamin C serum is also great for dry skin with 15% L-ascorbic acid and 3.5pH. Avalon Organics vitality serum with 20% Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate and 14% Ester C is good for oily skin.

Tips & Warnings

• Vitamin C and E antioxidants are enhanced when combined together
• Everybody's skin is different so the recommendations may or may not work for you
• Trial and error is still the best way to find out if a product works for you
• Vitamin C can last up to three days on your skin, so that makes the bottle last a lot longer
• Look for the brand recommendations on Ebay, there are often samples bottles for cheaper and they will stay fresher because of the smaller bottle
• 4ml can last more than 3 weeks
• If your vitamin C serum turns brown, it is ineffective and destabilized due to time, light, and air
• Use serum in the morning, because it enhances the protection of your sunscreen
• Wait until serum is dry before putting on sunscreen

Resources

• Vitamin C the Best?
• Vitamin C serum and sunscreen
• Antioxidant serums
• SkinMedica
• Avalon Organics
• Skinceuticals

[lisacasper]

on 10/14/2009 As anyone tried the ANAIS vitamin super serum 27%?
Need your advice on it, I love the skin peels they sale but never tried their Vitamin C super serum.

[Chachafance]

on 6/8/2009 Thanks SO much for this. I was looking for Vitamin C serum for oily/acne prone skin and this directed me to exactly what I needed!

[missforty]

on 8/18/2008 Thanks!

[Halahblue]

on 8/17/2008 Very informative! Thank you.