Vitamin C is an awesome ingredient in skincare: collagen boosting (-> less wrinkles), brightening, and as an antioxidant, protecting you from free radicals that damage your skin (think pollution, UV-damage). EVERYONE wants brighter, smoother skin, right? But should you use it?!

In 2019, I found out that my skin doesn’t like acids a lot. On paper, acids do a lot of what I want in skincare (reduce fine lines, prevent breakouts, brighten skintone), but, in reality, I didn’t find a product that wouldn’t give me reactions like redness, uneven skintone etc. And that’s when I started to think more about a new approach to finding skincare products that suit me.

How to identify the right products for your skin

the role of vitamin c in skincare
  • What do I want and what are my skin’s needs? – First step, exactly identifying the answers to that. Do I want to address dull skin, wrinkles, acne? What’s supposed to work for exactly that problem?
  • Trial that, and only that product. The more products, the more actives – the more actives, the more potential for irritation. Retinol, acids AND vitamin C all in one routine may defeat even the strongest skin barrier: irritation occurs. This way, I found out about my aversion to acids – the benefits didn’t seem to outweigh the negatives.
  • Re-introduce slowly: during my trials I skipped Vitamin C products for a long, long time – nearly a year. I then re-introduced it rather abruptly, which wasn’t, you guessed it, a particularly bright idea. Yes, my skin tolerated it really well when I used it – no, that doesn’t mean that after one year, it still tolerates the same doses.
  • Don’t convince yourself that if you want to like a certain ingredient, your skin will follow suit. Tranexemic acid? Sounds great, but doesn’t do a thing for me. Ceramides? Nope. Peptides? I have trialled a LOT of expensive products – no effect. So I stopped using them. If you like something on paper, or your favourite blogger does, it doesn’t mean your skin will like it, too.

So, here’s the first answer to the initial question: No, you don’t need a Vitamin C product in your skincare routine. There can be a lot of side effects as irritation, and some people will only get the side effects without ever seeing the benefits.

Second answer: I used The Ordinary’s Vitamin C now for a few months, and I like it a lot. I’ll tell you why.

The Ordinary 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder review

The Ordinary L Acorbic Acid Powder review

The Ordinary says…

The format of this formula is a very fine, anhydrous, L-Ascorbic Acid powder and, as such, provides the most direct exposure of extremely high concentrations of Vitamin C topically. With such format, a very strong tingling but non-irritating sensation is expected during the first 1-2 weeks of use until the skin’s tolerance to such high exposure is elevated.

Vitamin C is an effective antioxidant that brightens the skin tone and reduces the appearance of signs of aging. This formula (…) visibly targets the appearance of uneven skin tone, dullness, and signs of aging and is formulated to be mixed with other treatments.

The Ordinary

What is it and the problems of Vitamin C

The Ordinary Vitamin C

The issue with L-Ascorbic Acid is that while it does all those great things mentioned above, it’s rather unstable in water (which is why it’s often used with formulas whose main ingredient is either oil or silicone, which makes it regularly feel greasy and not exactly ‘cosmetically elegant’), because it oxidises quickly. Oxygen and light speed up that process (and that’s why you should always pay a lot of attention in which kind of bottle your Vit C serum comes in: best is opaque and in a system that doesn’t pump air into it). You also have to use it up quickly. I was kind of over that, so when The Ordinary released L-Ascorbic Acid in its purest form, as a very fine-milled powder, I was intrigued.

How to: application

  • using Vitamin C powder
  • Vitamin C powder skincare how to
  • Ascorbic Acid powder skincare
I mix a tiny bit of The Ordinary’s L-Ascorbic Acid Powder in The Inkey List’s Hyaluronic Acid serum.

The Ordinary says…

Mix a small amount with other treatments in the palm of your hand and apply to face in the AM or the PM. Avoid contact with the eyes. A tingling sensation can be expected after application. Do not mix with formulations containing Niacinamide or EUK 134. If irritation occurs, cease use and consult a physician. Use only as directed on unbroken skin. Patch testing prior to use is advised. (…) Keep out of reach of children.

The Ordinary says up front that you aren’t supposed to mix big batches of your own Vit C serum with this, because, well, oxidation. They give you a dinky little scoop so you can actually mix yourself one serving each time you use it.

Rule number 1: don’t use a full scoop. DON’T. Start with very little (I use the handle to scoop out an amount that’s approximately as big as a pinhead. If you think (after four to six weeks) your skin tolerates more, take it from there.

Rule number 2: while TO says to mix it with any other ‘treatments’, I’d suggest to mix the powder with a simple, hydrating serum like a hyaluronic acid one. Don’t mix it with one that contains a lot of Niacinamide, because you could potentially suffer from a niacin flush.

Results

Vitamin C powder for your face

OF COURSE I started with an amount of L-Ascorbic Acid that was, in hindsight, too much. That was fine for the first two weeks (it gave me a seriously bright complexion during that) and then my skin was like ‘nope’ and started to burn each time I applied it.

PSA: no matter was TO says, I don’t believe that skincare suitable for you is supposed to tingle, burn or hurt in any way. (And dermatologists seem to back me on this.) That means that your skin barrier is likely compromised and your skin tells you that by being irritated.

Consequently, I stopped using the powder for about a week, pampered my skin, went on a short diet from actives and started again with lower amounts. So, don’t be like me: start slooooooooooooow, even if your skin is used to Vitamin C products. This stuff is potent.

All in all, I’m happy to have some Vitamin C back in my routine again. I like to give my sunscreen a bit of a boost (I’ll only use it in my AM routine for that) and it does the brightening thing. Spots also seem to fade a bit quicker. Recommended!

Where?

At Deciem, it’s 20g for 5,80€: it comes in a simple screw-top tub that’ll last you ages. Don’t sneeze or handle it in a very humid environment. I salute TO for using a recyclable glass tub for this.