Deep Dive: Vitamin C Skincare Benefits

By now, you know how much we love Vitamin C. It's a powerhouse ingredient that does everything from brightening your skin to refining its texture, from protecting your skin's barrier to correcting hyperpigmentation. Vitamin C is one of the most trusted antioxidants in skincare, recommended by dermatologists and estheticians alike as an integral part of your morning skincare routine.

Ascorbyl Glucoside: Ascorbyl Glucoside is a stable form of Vitamin C combined with the sugar Glucose. The Glucose is derived from a natural starch source, such as rice, while the Vitamin C portion is synthetic. When properly formulated and absorbed into skin, it breaks down to ascorbic acid, also known as pure Vitamin C. Once absorbed, its breakdown to Vitamin C is gradual, creating what's known as a reservoir effect within skin. This leads to longer-lasting benefits.

It's a stable form of Vitamin C combined with starch-derived glucose, which allows it to maintain many of the same benefits as pure Vitamin C. It easily penetrates skin to brighten and improve your skin tone — benefits that are even further enhanced by the Niacinamide in CC Me Serum. It also has excellent antioxidant properties to improve skin's environmental defenses.

Our best-selling CC Me Serum actually contains two kinds of Vitamin C to double the serum's antioxidant and brightening power, so we're taking a look at the difference between the two and how they work together to make CC Me such a great product.

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid: Also known as Ethylated Ascorbic Acid, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is the more stable form of the two Vitamin C types. 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid consists of Vitamin C and an Ethyl Group bound to the third Carbon position, making this form of Vitamin C very stable and soluble in both water and oil. This placement also enables it to penetrate the skin's deeper layers without causing irritation.

As it is soluble in both water and oil, 3-O-ethyl Ascorbic Acid is easily incorporated into a wide range of cosmetic formulations. Its efficacy is enhanced by its rapid absorption into the skin, which helps to yield the best results. At the recommended pH (of between 4 and 6), 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid is stable against oxidation and resistant against discoloration. This reduces the possibility of skin irritation caused by oils in other products which may oxidize due to exposure to high temperature or UV radiation.

In CC Me, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid works to both brighten the skin and protect against free radicals and other environmental stressors.

Vitamin C + SPF: While Vitamin C can be used both day and night, it's more commonly recommended for your AM routine because of how well it pairs with SPF. Vitamin C and sunscreen are the perfect pair to protect your skin from the sun. Sunscreen is your first line of defense, blocking UV rays from penetrating into the skin. Vitamin C is like an insurance policy that neutralizes free radicals caused by UV light that penetrates into the skin despite our best efforts in wearing sunscreen.

After cleansing your skin with Super Amino Gel Cleanser, apply CC Me Serum for antioxidant protection and Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream for hydration. Top off your routine with your choice of SPF and you're ready to go!