When it comes to vitamin C in skin care, timing is key: While you can benefit from using a vitamin C serum in the morning or at night, you may get more benefits from this powerful antioxidant at one time of the day.
As TODAY.com previously explained, a basic skin care routine includes cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen — and when you’re ready to add another step, vitamin C is an obvious choice.
But vitamin C is notoriously “tricky,” Victoria Hu, cosmetic chemist and co-founder of Chemist Confessions, tells TODAY.com. Not only is it hard to stabilize vitamin C in skin care formulations, but it’s also tricky to use. when The effectiveness of the product will vary depending on how it is used and stored.
To get the most out of your favorite Vitamin C serum, follow this expert advice.
How does Vitamin C work in skin care?
As a powerful antioxidant in the skin, vitamin C can help prevent sun damage, prevent collagen breakdown and manage pigmentation issues, Shari Lipner, M.D., associate professor of clinical dermatology at Weill Cornell Medical Center, told TODAY.com.
Lipner says there’s also evidence that consistent use of vitamin C can be effective in treating melasma, a stubborn form of skin pigmentation.
Because the preventative benefits of using vitamin C don’t become apparent until years later, it may be difficult for some people to “take the plunge,” Gloria Lu, another cosmetic chemist and co-founder of Chemist Confessions, told TODAY.com.
But these skin-protecting and brightening benefits of vitamin C make it one of the best skin antioxidants for many people, says Lu.
Should I take Vitamin C in the morning or at night?
According to experts, vitamin C products can be safely used in the morning or at night. “Whether you use it in the morning or at night actually doesn’t matter that much,” says Hu.
In general, experts recommend using a sunscreen in the morning, because antioxidant sunscreen pairs well with SPF, she says, but you can still get some benefits from using it just once a day at any time of the day.
“If you want to apply vitamin C at night, I think that’s perfectly fine,” Lipner agrees. “It’s not going to make your skin worse.”
But in the morning, she adds, there’s the added benefit of sun protection from vitamin C. And there’s research to back this up, says Hu.
In one clinical trial, researchers applied a vitamin C product and a placebo cream to subjects’ skin once daily for four days. They then exposed the skin to UV light and measured how well the vitamin C protected it. The results showed that cumulative application of the vitamin C product over four days prevented skin swelling, the formation of sunburn cells, and DNA mutations associated with skin cancer.
Interestingly, vitamin C doesn’t seem to be effective after the fact, Hu says. In a small study, researchers looked at whether applying vitamin C between 30 minutes and two hours after UV exposure. They found that it didn’t offer the same effectiveness or protection as applying it beforehand, Hu explains.
So while using Vitamin C can have other beneficial effects, using it in the morning before you go outside can also protect your skin from damage caused by exposure to the sun.
Another factor to consider is the other products you’re using in your routine: “At night, a lot of active ingredients like retinols and exfoliants get used together,” says Hu. While these products may be fine on their own, the combination may be too harsh, especially for those with sensitive skin.
Meanwhile, “there’s plenty of room for vitamin C to be incorporated into your daytime routine,” says Hu. While she recommends most people use it in the morning before moisturizer and sunscreen, “to be honest, it’s totally fine to apply it at night,” she says.
Can I use Vitamin C more than once a day?
If you’re dealing with skin pigmentation that’s hard to treat, you might be tempted to use Vitamin C more than once. And, generally, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Vitamin C can be used both morning and night. and Lipner says a nighttime skincare routine can be effective as long as it’s not irritating to your skin.
When it comes to treating hyperpigmentation symptoms, some clinical studies have participants use vitamin C twice a day, Hu says, “but most of the data is actually on once-daily use.”
So if you want to use double, do so, but keep in mind that high-quality vitamin C serums can be pretty pricey, says Hu. need For best results, use once daily.
“It can be used up to twice a day,” says Lu, “and has extensive data on preventing photodamage, making it a perfect addition to your morning routine.”
