For example, if you have oily skin, Vitamin C may be a better choice than hyaluronic acid, as it's less likely to make your skin greasy. If you're concerned about wrinkles, spots, or other signs of aging, you can use both of these ingredients in your daily skincare routine.
Should you take hyaluronic Acid or vitamin C serum? Both actives are great, but they work best when bought and used together. By purchasing both products and using them simultaneously, you'll keep your skin looking and feeling youthful while also hydrating through increased collagen and elastin production.
Instead of vitamin C, try a serum that features resveratrol, green tea, or coenzyme Q-10. Resveratrol is the antioxidant found in grapes, and the reason why red wine is considered health food in some circles. Green tea's active antioxidant, a polyphenol called EGCG, is photoprotective and soothing.
Yes, you can. However, it's recommended to apply hyaluronic acid after vitamin C, as it can help lock in the benefits of the Vitamin C.
Can You Use Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C Together? Not all powerful skincare ingredients can be mixed, but hyaluronic acid and vitamin C are two that become even stronger when paired with one another. These ingredients can provide both immediate and lasting results when used together in anti-aging formulations.
While most people can tolerate daily use of vitamin C serum, some people may experience redness, irritation, or even breakouts.
Schlessinger says people with very sensitive skin should consult with a dermatologist before use, since potent forms of vitamin C can sometimes irritate sensitive skin. Vitamin C serum may result in yellowing of the skin or clothes, stinging, or dryness, though those effects are rare.
The most common side effects of using a vitamin C serum include skin irritation like tingling upon application, redness, and itching, but this mostly happens to “sensitive or reactive skin,” Dr. Chiu says. Always patch test an area of skin before you try any new product, especially a potent one like a serum.
The hero ingredient of any skincare routine, hyaluronic is perfectly safe to use every day. In fact, most experts would encourage you to apply it twice a day, every day, as part of your morning and evening rituals.
Vitamin C (especially L-ascorbic acid) is notoriously unstable—it loses potency when it's exposed to air, light, and water—which is why you want to apply it on clean, dry skin right after washing. You'll also want to let it dry completely, as piling on products right after could potentially deactivate the vitamin C.
Many Vitamin C serums already include that healthy dose of weights of hyaluronic acid, so you don't have to add it in as a separate step. After applying a hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid serum (or serums), wait a few moments for it to absorb, and then gently smooth on your regular moisturizer.
If you're dabbling in both vitamin C and hyaluronic acid in separate products, remember vitamin C is best deployed in your AM skincare routine, while hyaluronic acid can be used both morning and night.
When applying these two ingredients separately instead of in a single serum, you'll want to first apply your vitamin C serum. After giving it time to absorb into the skin, hyaluronic acid goes on to help keep the product in the skin while also providing additional moisture to keep the skin hydrated.
You can use both serums every day. Just layer them only once during your morning routine, since their effects last all day long. And here's how you can use vitamin C and hyaluronic acid together to bring about flawless and glowing skin!
Vitamin C serums are good for the daytime because they neutralize free radicals and can counteract uneven skin tone that comes from sun damage. On the other hand, retinol is best used at night to smooth fine lines and increase cellular turnover while you rest.
pH of vitamin C serum
According to the expert, the foremost deciding factor is the pH of the serum. So, if the pH is anywhere between 3-3.5 or even 2.5 to 3.5, your vitamin C can work. However, when the pH gets higher there is not enough active vitamin C for it to be effective.
In most cases, you will begin to see the long term effects of regular Vitamin C serum use in about six to eight weeks. Though, you may notice that your skin looks and feels softer, brighter, and more supple within a couple of weeks.
While it can be applied daily, start with 3-4 times a week if you like to play it safe and work your way up. Although vitamin C is most commonly used in the morning, there is a place for it in your PM skincare routine too, Hirsch tells us.
But overall, stick to using water-based products and serums together. AHAs and BHAs, such as glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids should never be used with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is an acid, too, and is unstable, so the pH balance will be thrown off by layering these ingredients together and might as well be useless.
In a Vitamin C skincare routine, it's important to apply the moisturizer after the application of the serum. This is because the serum helps the moisturizer gets absorbed better, and the moisturizer helps seal the serum's nutrients within the skin so they can work all day.