Skin Care Products you can mix with Vitamin C (and should not!)

Inspired by one of the member comments at TBJ UNITE beauty group on Facebook (please join and converse with your fellow beauty enthusiasts!), I have decided to talk about what skin care goes and doesn't go well with Vitamin C. Vitamin C is one of the popular serum based on my observation in local beauty groups and questions that I get from readers and followers so here's a quick list of the ingredients and skin care products that you can mix (and not mix!) with Vitamin C.

If this is your first time to encounter Vitamin C skin care, here's a blog post I wrote about Vitamin C that will serve as your quick 101 on this hot skin care product.

Now that you know more about Vitamin C, let's proceed with the topic!

SKIN CARE PRODUCTS THAT YOU CAN MIX WITH VITAMIN C

1. VITAMIN C+ COLLAGEN: Vitamin C's acidic formulation has breaking down action that can help large particle ingredients such as Collagen disintegrate into smaller particles, allowing it to be absorbed into the skin faster.

2. VITAMIN C + VITAMIN E: Both are known antioxidants; if used together, they increase the level of antioxidants delivered to the skin, thus increasing its defenses against free radicals.

3. VITAMIN C + FERULIC ACID: If you want to use acid with Vitamin C, the best acid to pair it with is Ferulic Acid (learn more about Ferulic Acid HERE); Ferulic protects Vitamin C from light degradation; Vitamin C is sensitive to light and will start to oxidize if exposed to light (now you know why most Vitamin C serums are placed in dark- colored bottles!) and Ferulic Acid helps slow down that process so your skin can utilize and absorb it more. On its own, Ferulic Acid has anti- aging and antioxidant properties.

4. VITAMIN C + AHA: There's a lot of advice regarding combining acids and Vitamin C; some say it's best to use them together, but not at once while others would advise against combining the two. It really depends on the acid that you will use and with Vitamin C, it works well specifically with AHA because both have similar pH.

SKIN CARE PRODUCTS THAT YOU SHOULD NOT MIX WITH VITAMIN C

VITAMIN C + RETINOL: May cause over exfoliation and skin sensitivity.

VITAMIN C + NIACINAMIDE: In some cases, Niacinamide may be used to preserve Vitamin C, but if we're talking about combining the two in the form of completely different products, the advice is use them alternately or one in the day and the other at night; because both have different pH levels and may end up canceling out each other; Vitamin C has a pH level of 3.5 while Niacinamide is around 4.5-7 and the latter can increase the pH of the former.

VITAMIN C + BENZOYL PEROXIDE: Benzoyl Peroxide is a known anti-acne treatment and if used in conjunction with Vitamin C, both can cause dryness to the skin.

So these are just the basic skin care products that you should and should not mix with Vitamin C, but this doesn't mean you can't use some forever with Vitamin C; this depends on your skin condition, concern, and how much your skin can tolerate certain skin care combinations. 

One trick to finding out if skin care products or actives can be layered is to know if they have similar or close pH levels; of course there are exceptions to this rule like Vitamin C + Vitamin E, but this is a good place to start if you're finding your way around skin care actives or if you all of a sudden get lost in a sea of skin care advice and recommendations, and you just want to know what works.

P.S. Want to instantly find out the pH level of certain skin care product/actives? Google pH LEVEL OF (INSERT SKIN CARE ACTIVE/PRODUCT HERE). You're welcome. :D

Got any questions? Don't hesitate to ask! Share with me your favorite skin care products/actives combo!