Sarah Chapman
Radiance Recharge
System, £145EXPENSIVE,
YES, BUT THIS IS YOUR
BEST BRIGHTENING
BOOST BET IF YOU ONLY
HAVE 1O DAYS TO DO IT.E
Ceramide Capsules
Radiance Renewal Serum,
£42 for 30 capsules
A DAILY DOSE OF VITAMIN C
BLENDED WITH CERAMIDES FOR
EXTRA SKIN-PLUMPING POWERS.194 ELLE.COM/UK^ April 2020
Elle BEAUT Y
S
collagen, but it also ‘regulates the production’ of the pigment in our
skin, melanin – which means it is excellent at fading pesky dark spots.
Vitamin C must be treated with respect, otherwise it downs tools
and goes on strike. The first thing to remember is that it’s incredibly
light sensitive, so any brand that sticks it in a clear glass bottle should
be avoided. Not only will your serum stop working, it will probably
start to smell and go brown. Seek out opaque
packaging or dark brown glass jars.
The other thing to consider is your product’s
percentage. Vitamin C in skincare is usually
within the range of 8-2O%. Of course, baby
steps are best when using active ingredients, so
find a product at the lower end of the scale and
work up as you build your tolerance. After 3O% ,
there is an efficacy plateau so there’s not much
point in further upping the ante.
There’s another thing. It’s an acid (ascorbic
acid) and your skin’s ability to benefit from it is hugely dependent on
the pH of the formula. Sensitive skin take note, as anything below pH
5 or 6 will aggravate your face, whereas normal skin should be quite
happy with a low pH of 3.5. I told you it was temperamental – sorry.
I could go on, but you’ll probably lose the will to ever give this
wonderstuff a go. The most important rule of thumb is to watch your
packaging and percentage and, if you crave a glow so good that
t’s all about remembering your daily vits.When I first read the marketing spiel about vitamin C serum I was
war y. This was back in the ear ly Noughties, when most of us thought
microdermabrasion was the thing to give us glossy, radiant skin.
(Hands up who thought sloughing your face off with a bowl of crushed
apricot kernels was good for us. Yes... We’ve all been there.) Then
along comes this little serum that says it can do all that with just
a few drops applied to the skin every day.
Here we go... I’d hit my thirties. Pigmentation
spots were starting to scatter themselves along
my hair line, while my youthf ul skin, once so glow y
it looked like I had two 4O -watt bulbs inside
my cheeks, had long departed. I’d tried peels.
I’d tried more-than-punchy scrubs. Then I tried
vitamin C. A month later and the chocolatey
spray of ‘freckles’ around my hairline started
to fade, while my skin tone immediately
began getting its light and bounce back. I was
converted. Today, I bung it on in the morning before my moisturiser.
Essentially it’s an antioxidant, which means it fends off cell-
damaging free radicals whenever stress, pollution or the sun shows
up. But new research has shown it may be even more than that. A study
at Semmelweis University in Budapest suggested it could defend
against pre-cancerous cells caused by UV damage. While it’s too
soon to take that as gospel, it’s certainly worth buying sunscreen
that contains it. Its acidity triggers the production of s“MY SKIN TONE
IMMEDIATELY
BEGAN GE T TING
ITS LIGHT AND
bounce back.
I WAS CONVERTED”WHEN YOU GE T PAID TO TEST BE AUT Y PRODUCTS FOR A L IV ING, WH AT DO YOU
ACTUALLY PAY TO USE? ELLE’S BEAUT Y DIRECTOR Katy Young COMES CL E ANWh at I use...
VITAMIN C SERUMS
£81.50A LOW DOSE AT
4%, BUT MIXED WITH GENTLY
PEELING LACTIC ACID
FOR DOUBLE THE SKIN -
SMOOTHING WHAMMY.Alpha Arbutin 2%,
£10AT ONLY 8%,
THIS IS A GOOD PLACE
TO START – AND GOOD
VALUE TO BOOT.Medik8 Super C30, £44
NOT FOR BEGINNERS,
BUT AN EFFICIENT,
POWER-PACKED
3O% SERUM FOR
FADING ANY LAST
SIGNS OF DARK SPOTS.t A V C gTheB
The Ordinary
AbiAid8%yyBEST
D
BEDITOR
LOV ES