Vitamin C serums have an annoying trait – they can oxidize, which means the serum is spoiled and its effectiveness is greatly reduced. Let’s get back to basics – how to choose the “right” one:
Form
It’s useful to know that vitamin C comes in dozens of forms and concentrations. There isn’t one “best” form. As consumers, we’ve been somewhat misled by the market to believe that effective vitamin C is L-ascorbic acid or Ascorbic acid. This is not true – there are many more effective forms.
In fact, L-ascorbic acid and Ascorbic acid are the most unstable forms. The most stable forms are magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (MAP) and sodium ascorbyl phosphate (SAP). Moreover, the concentration can be small. For example, at 10% MAP – it acts as a whitening agent, at 3% – it has a light brightening effect, and from 0.5% to 2% – it promotes collagen synthesis.
Packaging
The packaging should be as airtight and opaque as possible to slow down the oxidation process. Between serums with a dropper in a clear or tinted bottle, always choose the latter. Between a cream in a pump or a jar with a lid you can open with your hands, choose the pump.
No Dyes/Beta-Carotene in the Ingredients
If you don’t want to miss the moment when the serum starts to oxidize, choose formulas without these components. Some manufacturers purposely add a slight orange tint to the initial composition so that oxidation is less noticeable. This is not a crime, and such a product can still be effective. But you won’t be able to visually determine its freshness.
Leave a Reply