Vitamin C has become increasingly popular as a skin care product. Its popularity isn’t new though. Vitamin C use for skin care actually began over 1500 years ago. It was used by the ancient Tibetans as well as by Native Americans in various forms. The popularity of Vitamin C has endured for one simple reason: it’s effective.
Benefits of Vitamin C Cream
Vitamin C applied topically has been shown to increase collagen production, fade and reduce wrinkles, and fade age spots. It’s nature’s cure for brightening and firming your face and keeping it youthful. In fact, your body cannot build the collagen that provides structure to your skin without the presence of Vitamin C. It’s the crucial piece in linking amino acids together into collagen.
Oral ingestion of Vitamin C is essential for many other functions in your body, but that’s just not the best way to make the nutrient accessible to your skin. Applied topically, Vitamin C is able to saturate your skin 20 times better than if consumed orally. This is why skin care products have taken up the slack.
The other reason Vitamin C creams are so popular is that Vitamin C is one of the most effective antioxidants out there! Because sun exposure is one of the primary causes of free-radicals in your body, especially in your skin, a Vitamin C cream not only heals past blemishes and lines, but it prevents further damage to your skin by preventing new free radicals from forming. This protects your cells and DNA from damage and keeps your skin from aging prematurely.
Creams vs Serums
Vitamin C can be applied to the face by both a serum and a cream.
Vitamin C serums are generally water based and are highly concentrated for quick absorption and maximum potency. Serums are generally also more expensive because of their high concentration.
Creams are typically oil and wax based and are less highly concentrated than a serum. Their main purpose is as a moisturizer that acts as a carrier for the Vitamin C.
Both serums and moisturizers are often used in conjunction as they serve the same purpose through different mediums.
What to Look for in a Brand
When looking for a good Vitamin C cream, it’s important to find something that contains a high concentration of the vitamin and that has a nourishing and wonderful feeling base. It’s equally important that any product NOT contain sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate. These preservatives, in addition to being questionable chemicals, react with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) to form benzene, a known carcinogen that is linked to leukemia.
It’s also worth noting that some people have an increase in sun sensitivity from Vitamin C creams. For the majority of people, a Vitamin C cream is a great daytime moisturizer to help shield skin from the sun, but in certain cases it causes sensitivity. If this is the case, a Vitamin C cream can still be used, but it’s best to apply it at night when it can work to heal and repair damage from the sun without the risk of sensitizing the skin before sun exposure.
Top Brands
Below you’ll find a list of the three top brands that we recommend.
1. Amara Organics
This cream is a light, soft moisturizer in a nice pump bottle. It’s made with an aloe base and contains coconut oil, cocoa butter, and jojoba oil for fantastic moisture. You only need a small amount for full coverage, and the cream absorbs very quickly. Amara Organics also boasts a 5% concentration of Vitamin C, enough to be potent and well balanced with your skin’s natural pH. It’s also gentle enough to use twice a day for non-stop moisturized skin.
Amara Organics Vitamin C Cream contains no parabens, dyes or fragrances, is cruelty free and made in the USA. It also comes with a 100% money-back guarantee, so there’s really no down-side to trying it. If you don’t like it, they’ll refund you your purchase price. It also contains a variety of soothing botanicals, such as lavender, calendula, arnica, and chamomile. These botanicals calm irritation and are antimicrobial, meaning that this skin cream will also help reduce acne.
The brand is popular not only as a face, neck, and décolletage cream, but for hands as well. Hands are often overlooked when considering beauty products, but they are one of the first places to show signs of age and this product can definitely minimize that.
2. Avalon Organics
Avalon Organics Intense Defense Renewal Cream is loaded with Vitamin C and other skin beautifying ingredients. This is a trusted formula that people have loved for years. It’s 100% vegetarian and 70% organic. It is SPF 10, which makes it perfect as an every day sunscreen, although the company recommends using it as a night cream so that your skin can renew itself.
The formula is also loaded with a variety of other vitamins and soothing agents in addition to Vitamin C. Vitamin E is one of the other primary additions, making this an especially good scar cream and blemish healer. In fact, many people love this cream for use on cuts and scrapes all over their body because it’s wonderful at protecting the area while it heals.
3. Joyal Beauty
This product is an intensely hydrating cream. It contains Vitamins C, E, A, and B5, all derived from organically grown plants such as sunflowers and grapes. The vitamins help to improve the skin’s natural moisture barrier, as well as to heal and protect skin. These vitamins, particularly the Vitamin C, are very effective at preventing the sun from causing free radicals in your skin. They also firm and strengthen skin, making it appear plumper and brighter. Wrinkles disappear and spots fade.
The many healthy oils contained in this blend also work hard to combat skin disorders such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea. The cream is incredibly soothing on sunburn and it minimizes redness.
Joyal Beauty’s Vitamin C Cream is completely paraben, sulphate, and phthalate-free, and is never tested on animals.
Conclusion
Whatever your skin type, if you want clear, bright skin that stays youthful for years to come, then any one of these Vitamin C creams will get you there. Our top pick is the Amara Organics brand. Test it out! You’ll be delighted with the result.