How much do you know about Vitamin C? Perhaps you know it can be found in oranges. Or that it’s one of the vitamins people tend to dose up on when they feel they’ve got a cold coming on.
There’s a lot to know about Vitamin C. For instance, did you know that it’s an ‘essential vitamin’, which means our bodies can’t actually produce it?1 However, that doesn’t minimise the many health benefits it can bring (more on these below).
A 10-second intro to Vitamin C
As we’ve just mentioned, Vitamin C is recognised as being an essential vitamin, that happens to also go by another name, ascorbic acid.
It’s responsible for doing a lot of good in our bodies and helping keep us healthy in so many ways. For instance, Vitamin C alone is responsible for:2
- Protecting cells from oxidative stress
- Maintaining healthy skin, blood vessels, bones and cartilage
- Contributing to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue
You don’t have to just eat oranges to get your Vitamin C boost either
Because our bodies don’t naturally produce Vitamin C, it’s important we try to get our Vitamin C goodness by eating food and veg that contains it. We’re talking Vitamin C foods, such as:3
- Oranges and orange juice
- Red and green peppers
- Strawberries
- Blackcurrants
- Broccoli
- Sprouts
- Potatoes
There are also Vitamin C supplements to add to the equation too
Vitamin C is available in supplement form too. By supplement form we mean Vitamin C powder, tablets or capsules, or Vitamin C that’s combined with something else, e.g. Vitamin C with Wild Rose Hips, Vitamin C and Zinc Blackcurrant or Quercetin + Vitamin C.
There are many more supplements available, we’ve only touched on a few to give you an idea of what’s out there. Next time you get five, check out our full Vitamin C supplement range.
When it comes to taking Vitamin C supplements, some people may solely rely on them to get their daily Vitamin C intake (ideally 40mg a day for adults4) while some may choose to stick to just getting it through their food. While others, do a combination of the both. For more insight on recommended Vitamin C daily intake levels for adults and children, check out the Government’s Dietary Requirements guidance.
Vitamin C and the glow factor
As well as helping to keep our bodies healthy, Vitamin C can also do the same for our skin, thanks to its much-talked-about skin healing and overall glow-giving properties.
According to New York dermatologist, Howard Sobel, Vitamin C can help keep skin looking plump and firm. This is because it’s highly acidic when applied topically and can help to promote collagen production and reduce the appearance of ageing skin.5
Vitamin C’s also earned itself big kudos among many because of its ability to combat brown spots and hyperpigmentation on the skin and, in some instances, stop them from forming. This is because it also contains a property that inhibits the skin’s melanin production levels, two of the culprits that can lead to dark spots and hyperpigmentation.6
Glow-giving Vitamin C skincare products
As with the supplements, there are lots of Vitamin C skincare products available out there too. There are Vitamin C creams that you can apply to your entire face or just elements of it, e.g. underneath your eyes.
Here’s a snapshot of just some of the Vitamin C skincare products that are available to buy. There are:
- Vitamin C exfoliators – Vitaskin Vitamin C Gentle Daily Exfoliator
- Vitamin C eye creams – Vitaskin Vitamin C Lifting Eye Cream
- Vitamin C moisturisers – Trilogy Vitamin C Moisturiser
- Vitamin C serums – Andalou Turmeric + C Enlighten Serum
- Vitamin C skin boosters – Trilogy Vitamin C Booster Treatment
The big deal about Vitamin C for skin is that it is a bit of a big deal – inside and out. Not only can this essential vitamin help support our immunity and contribute to our overall healthiness levels, it can also help support with skin renewal.
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Sources
1 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-c-benefits
2 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/
3 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/
4 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/
5 https://www.allure.com/story/vitamin-c-benefits-for-skin
6 https://www.allure.com/story/vitamin-c-benefits-for-skin
