GUEST BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Get Glowing for Summer with Vitamin C Serum

Natalie K. Bell, Editor-in-Chief of FutureDerm.com

With sweltering temperatures melting off makeup, having radiant skin seems like a must for summertime. Picking the right products is important for getting a gorgeous — and healthy — complexion. Of course, sunscreen is a must, but vitamin C is the perfect sweet treat for your summer skin. And we’re especially excited about our FutureDerm Vitamin CE Caffeic Serum with 16% vitamin C and 2% vitamin E.

At FutureDerm, we have a saying that, “The more you know, the more you glow.” On our blog, we explain the science behind beauty products to help readers pick the best products. So when we make our products, we do a lot of research to figure out how to make super effective products, and we’re more than happy to explain the science!

So, what makes Vitamin CE Caffeic Serum the perfect summer squeeze?

Vitamin C+E Gives Sunscreen a Boost

As someone with a very fair complexion, I live by the sun-protection rule that you can never be too careful. So, I love that if I layer vitamins C and E under my sunscreen, I’ll get even better protection. In a 1996 study in Acta Dermato-venereologica, researchers found that vitamin C and E actually makes sunscreen more effective.

And since our serum is lightweight and drinks it quickly, it’s easy to layer.

Combats the Season’s Oxidative Damage

Sun exposure and pollution are some of the most common external factors that cause oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species. These damage — and visibly age — the skin by weakening the elastin and collagen, causing dark spots, and slowing cell turnover. Fortunately, you can stop the damage and the aging with antioxidants.

Vitamin C and E’s buddy relationship really shines here. Both are much-loved antioxidants and free-radical scavengers in their own right, but by donating electrons to each other, the friendly pair works better when paired, explains Leslie Baumann, M.D., in her book Cosmetic Dermatology.

But there’s yet another star antioxidant at work: caffeic acid. Studies, like this 1988 one published in Cancer Research, have shown that caffeic acid has even more antioxidant potential than ferulic acid. Many companies use ferulic acid as an antioxidant in their serums, because it stabilizes L-ascorbic acid, a particular form of vitamin C. Because we microencapsulate our L-ascorbic acid, it has greater stability in light and air.

Brightens, Tightens, + Helps Old Damage

Some of us haven’t been perfect to our skin, and even if we’re proactive now, there might still be visible damage from the sun. On the bright side (puns to the minimum, I promise!), in addition to protecting skin, vitamin C actually helps with previous photodamage. There’s a large body of scientific data and clinical studies supporting using vitamin C to treat photo-aging, a 2006 review of research in Dermatologic Surgery found.

Dark Spots? Wrinkles? Fine lines? Vitamin C has been found to smooth and even out these signs of damage. Topically applied vitamin C was shown to lighten hyperpigmentation (dark spots), smooth fine lines and wrinkles, increase firmness, and improve skin quality and texture for patients in both a 2002 study in Dermatologic Surgery and a 2003 study in Experimental Dermatology.