Why Synthetic Vitamin C Should be Avoided in Face Products

At Nakin we are huge advocates of natural skincare and we spend a lot of time researching the best ingredients to use in our anti-ageing face care products. Our key criteria are that they help skin to flourish and thrive but without any negative effects for skin. This is why we avoid lots of ingredients that are proven to have anti-ageing effects for skin, but unfortunately can be irritating to the face. This in our opinion is counterproductive, as it might well help skin to look fresh and youthful, but if it is causing irritation, an imbalance or weakening to the skin barrier, then we feel it is best avoided. One of these ingredients is synthetic vitamin C. There has been an explosion of face products that contain synthetic vitamin C in recent years as it can have lots of anti-ageing skin benefits, especially to help with collagen production, an uneven skin tone and brightening of the skin. However, we recommend only using face products that have natural versions of vitamin C.

As an alternative to using synthetic vitamin C in our products, at Nakin we use plant actives and extracts that have vitamin C in them naturally and also offer the same benefits. So, for brightening, pigmentation and skin repair treatments we would recommend using our Exfoliating Radiance Tonic and our Performance Face Serum instead. The exfoliator is filled with fruit extracts that naturally exfoliate the face and neck, which brightens the skin and helps with pigmentation and an uneven skin tone but without irritation. Then our serum contains a wealth of ingredients that help to improve skin in all sorts of ways, including helping to even out the skin tone and increasing collagen production, for plump healthy skin.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant and protects skin from any damaging free radicals in the environment, which can cause premature ageing. It is also an ingredient that helps in the production of collagen, so it is an all-round excellent anti-ager for skin protection and improvement. However, if you have sensitive skin then we recommend avoiding synthetic vitamin C. Obviously there is a huge range of differences when it comes to the vitamin C products available and their qualities, and there are different varieties of vitamin C ingredients that can be used. But synthetic vitamin C can be irritating to sensitive skin and might cause that itchy, irritated stinging feeling.

We hope that you found our feature helpful about why synthetic Vitamin C should be avoided in face products. There are many reasons why synthetic vitamin C should be used with caution when in face products. First and foremost, it can cause irritation and damage to the skin. Another thing to bear in mind is that synthetic vitamin C is typically made from ascorbic acid, which is a very unstable compound. This means that it will break down quickly when exposed to light or air, rendering it useless. This is why we recommend using natural vitamin C products which are derived from fruits like pomegranate, orange and bilberry. These are more natural than synthetic vitamin C, and they will not cause any irritation or damage to your skin.