Under the skin: What therapists say about vitamin C in skincare?

Vitamin C suddenly seems to have become a hot topic in skincare marketing, but is it new, is it worth it and what exactly does it do? Manor House Hotel - Alsager’s Spa Manager, Hannah, explains.

Why has vitamin C become such a buzzword in skincare?

It's really interesting that it’s become such a buzzword because it's never been something that came up as important in skincare in my career. We’ve always spoken about hyaluronic acid, but now vitamin C is very much taking centre stage. We just went through a big refurbishment in our spa and when we looked at having an additional product line vitamin C was in a lot of the products. I think it’s becoming popular because of its ability in strengthening the skin and helping to reform and maintain collagen.

What does vitamin C do for the skin?

Vitamin C is good for strengthening the skin and helping to boost or maintain collagen. If you're going through the ageing process, having strength in the skin could potentially help without resorting to things like botox and fillers.

How should you use it if you want to try it?

The main things are to focus on including it in serums, and using it as part of your morning routine rather than in the evening. At night it’s more about nourishing and repairing, but in the morning it’s about having that barrier of protection for the day ahead. From my experience, I would recommend that you use your serum first as it will help draw moisturiser into the skin. Doing that combination of serum and moisturiser in general is really powerful.

Is there anyone who should be careful using vitamin C in their skincare?

The only thing to be aware of is that it could be hard to sustainably source, so if you are conscious about environmentally friendly skincare then do check the sustainability of your product before purchase. With it being more strengthening and collagen building, you should also check if it's recommended for sensitive skin types or anyone suffering from rosacea as some products could be too intense for sensitive skin. 

What skincare product would you recommend? 

One of my go-tos at the moment is Decléor's Green Mandarin Vitamin Glow. It's heavenly, it's so light and it smells amazing. My skin has been so supple and soft and it’s really helped to control the breakouts I had after I had Covid. It’s also good for wearing on its own as well as under make-up.