Cosmopolitan UK - 09.2019

COSMOPOLITAN · 27

Vitamin C is the volatile

Mariah Carey of skincare

actives. It’s one of the few

guaranteed to improve the

state of your skin – a good

vit C brightens, beats back

pigmentation and keeps

collagen production from

falling off a cliff.

What’s a “good” one?

That’s the $64 question.

In the wrong formula,

vitamin C keeps skin

healthy but has few visible

results. If you’re going to

pay big for aproduct with

an impressive-sounding

Cosmopolitan’s beauty

director INGEBORG VAN

LOTRINGEN on your

vit-C need-to-knows

dose of this diva vitamin,

you need your nerdy specs.

Hit me... Ascorbic acid is the

active vitamin-C molecule

that does all the work. You

want to spot it on your

ingredient (INCI) list (any

= good, 10-15% = optimal).

Other “ascorb”-containing

terms need converting to

ascorbic acid in the skin.

This process leaves only

a small percentage of

active that has little

transformative power.

What else? Water oxidises

(ie kills) ascorbic acid in

PHOTOGRAPHS GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK

Sesderma C-Vit Radiance

Glowing Fluid, £38.60

Full of ethylated ascorbic acid.

Zelens High Potency Vitamin C

Treatment Drops, £130

Deep-penetrating THD ascorbate.

Eucerin Hyaluron-Filler

Vitamin C Booster, £19.99

Freshly mixed ascorbic.

WHAT’S

THE DEAL

W ITH...

Vitamin C?

OBSESSED

Medik8 R-Retinoate Day & Night

Eye Serum, £90 R-Retinoate is the

retinoid with all the power and

none of the pesky irritation.

IMPRESSED

Ciaté London Marbled Metals

Metallic Glitter Shadows, £24

each Makes lids look coated in

two-tone metallic foil in a swipe.

NON-PLUSSED

Code8 Decode 3 In 1 Make Up

Remover, £21 Teeming with (eco)

glitter to “add radiance” – and

scratchy bits near your eyes.

PERSONAL SHOPPER

days (you’ll see your serum

go from clear to orange-y),

so ideally you don’t want

“aqua” on your INCI list

at all. If there is any, look

for antioxidants (such as

vitamin E) to slow the

degradation, and use it up

in weeks. Apply your vit C

in the AM (it fights off UV

damage) and top with an

SPF moisturiser.

Any downsides? Pure

ascorbic must live in an

acidic formula to work,

so it can sting and cause

uneven pigmentation on

darker skins. The next best

choices (which don’t break

down in water – bonus):

tetrahexyldecyl (THD)

ascorbate (potent despite

requiring conversion)

and ethyl ascorbic acid

(doesn’t oxidise and

doesn’t need conversion).

LOVES

+ 2019 +