If your skin is looking dry, dull, or stressed, it probably needs a dose of vitamin C! Vitamin C plays a key role in skincare, helping keep skin strong, youthful, and healthy-looking. Lack of vitamin C can cause dullness, uneven tone, lines and wrinkles, dark spots, and other signs of oxidative damage. That’s because every day, skin is bombarded with free radicals, which are unstable atoms created by environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke, and even stress.

One solution to oxidative damage caused by free radicals is the antioxidant vitamin C, which neutralizes free radicals by binding them together before they can cause damage to cells. Bottom line? Antioxidant vitamins like vitamin C are essential to achieve a youthful, healthier-looking complexion.

Vitamin C: Not Only Oranges
Citrus fruits are usually known as the kings of vitamin C, but did you know that some vegetables contain more vitamin C than an entire orange? For example, broccoli, kale, bell peppers, and even asparagus have sky-high levels of vitamin C. Sounds like a good reason to load up your shopping cart in the produce aisle, right? But if you want vitamin C to help improve the look of your skin, keep in mind that you would have to eat an enormous amount of vitamin-C-rich fruits and vegetables to get the same skin benefits as what you might get in one well-formulated, topical skincare product.

The solution? Be sure vitamin C is one of the ingredients in your skincare because it provides extra protection to skin by slowing, halting, or reversing signs of premature aging.

Vitamin C and Skin
What benefits does vitamin C have for skin, and why exactly do you want vitamin C in your skincare? An easy way to get schooled in the benefits of vitamin C for skin is to categorize them as the “ABCs of Vitamin C.”

• A is for “Antioxidant.”
  Vitamin C wards off free radical damage caused by UV rays, pollution, and even blue light from tech devices like computer screens, cell phones, televisions, and tablets. Studies have shown that the antioxidant activity of vitamin C helps prevent and treat photodamage from ultraviolet (UV) rays.
• B is for “Brightening.”
  Vitamin C evens out skin tone, minimizes dark spots & lights up skin from within. Vitamin C is also known to break up pigmentation and cause a reduction in melanin production, leaving skin looking more evenly toned and brighter.
• C is for: “Collagen.”
  Vitamin C encourages collagen production for stronger, firmer, and bouncier skin. The use of vitamin C (3-20%) in topical applications for at least 12 weeks has been shown to decrease wrinkling, reduce protein fiber damage, and increase collagen production. Bonus: topical vitamin C can help reduce acne lesions and control oily skin.

Not all Cs are the Same
When it comes to skincare, stability in vitamin C really matters. If the product contains an unstable form of vitamin C, such as l-ascorbic acid, then it is prone to oxidize and turn brown when exposed to light or air. When that breakdown happens, oxidized vitamin C won’t effectively boost collagen synthesis or scavenge free radicals. And who would really want to use an ugly, oxidized serum? Look at it this way: If your lunch contained sliced apples that had oxidized and turned brown, they wouldn’t be very appetizing. By extension, why put oxidized skincare products on your skin?

Stability Matters
Synthetic forms of vitamin C tend to oxidize more slowly than other forms of vitamin C. One of the best stable forms of vitamin C is a magnesium salt of ascorbic acid called magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, or MAP for short. Although all vitamin C oxidizes, MAP does so at a slower rate, so it remains stable, in contrast to l-ascorbic acid, for example.

The magnesium component of MAP provides the added value of suppressing dark spots and hyperpigmentation by inhibiting tyrosinase, an enzyme that triggers the production of melanin. The benefits of MAP also include superior stability, fast absorption, collagen synthesis, antioxidant benefits, and the suppression of melanin formation to reduce the appearance of dark spots and hyperpigmentation.

Classic Glow-Getter: Vita-C Serum
Ready to hit the reset button on dull, hyperpigmented, or sun-damaged skin? Use Le Mieux Vita-C Serum, a super-potent, glow-getting serum. It’s loaded with not just 1, but 2 stable forms of stable vitamin C: magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (MAP) and aminopropyl ascorbyl phosphate (AAP). Both MAP and AAP remain stable and effectively reduce excess melanin production that can lead to dark spots and hyperpigmentation. These two forms of vitamin C also help inhibit free radical activity and protect the skin from signs of environmental and oxidative damage.

Overall, Le Mieux Vita-C Serum is like a brightening potion. Not only does it contain 20% vitamin C, but it is also packed with vitamin E, vitamin B3, provitamin B5, and amino acids to clarify and brighten skin, support collagen synthesis, and neutralize free radicals to protect against signs of environmental damage. Le Mieux sources its vitamin C from Japan, which is known for premium grade, high potency MAP and AAP.

Nighttime use of Le Mieux Vita-C Serum is recommended. Vitamin C works more effectively after you've cleansed and exfoliated at night, right before skin goes into its repair mode while you sleep. Also, topical vitamin C in the evening helps counteract oxidative damage that may have occurred during the previous day AND prepares skin to ward off oxidative damage the next day. GET YOUR DOSE


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