Use Retinol & Vitamin C - Together or Separate?
Just about everyone yearns for flawless skin. Who can blame them? For most of us, puberty plagued our skin with an assortment of zits and pimples, none of which we miss. Thanks to the Internet (and TikTok), everyone’s been sharing their favorite hacks, experiences, and advice. Recently, there has been a trend for two items: retinol and vitamin C. Today we’re going to go down the road of achieving flawless skin with the help of these two magical ingredients (plus a bonus one).
Understanding the Definitions
Retinol is a retinoid derived from vitamin A and works on cell turnover. Our skin has a delicate barrier that comes into contact with all sorts of things such as dirt, sweat, etc. Retinol helps with increasing cell turnover to keep skin looking tight, fresh, and flawless.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant aka it also acts as a barrier, but against free radicals (compounds that can lead to illnesses such as diabetes or cancer). Additionally, the active form of vitamin C is made up of l-ascorbic acid, but to keep things simple, I’m continuing to use vitamin C as the name. In order to keep the number of free radicals down, vitamin C neutralizes the molecules and helps brighten the skin, reduce acne scars, and much more.
Should you use retinol & vitamin C together?
TBH, the answer’s a little complicated.
Although retinol and vitamin C both combat wrinkles and dark spots, they are still completely different. How? For starters, let’s look at their pH levels. If you need a refresher on the importance of pH levels in skincare, read our “pH Levels: Skincare’s Forgotten Trait” article.
Retinol’s pH level ranges from a 5.0 to a 6.0 while vitamin C is 3.5 or lower. If you combine retinol and vitamin C together, the pH levels will change. There have been a lot of conflicting opinions over whether combining the two decreases the effectiveness of retinol and vitamin C. Some have also said that since retinol is oil-soluble and vitamin C is water-soluble, the two won’t mix and penetrate the skin.
How to use retinol & vitamin C together
However, regardless of those opinions, everyone seems to agree that retinol and vitamin C should be less like a couple that lives together and more like a long-distance relationship. They should definitely not be layered one on top of the other or mixed like you would when bake a cake. If you go this route, it can increase skin irritation and decrease its effectiveness.
Here are three ways to use retinol and vitamin C at the same time:
Use vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night
Alternate the nights you use vitamin C and retinol
Layer vitamin C on at night, wait 30 minutes and then apply retinol
Bonus Ingredient: Niacinamide
Retinol and vitamin C are definitely the most popular topics to debate and discuss. However, there’s another ingredient on the rise and its name? Niacinamide, a vitamin B3. Like retinol and vitamin C, niacinamide works to help the skin. Unlike retinol and vitamin C, niacinamide is much more gentle on the skin and just as beneficial. It helps reduce inflammation, soften wrinkles, and control acne.
Because niacinamide is gentler, it pairs well with retinol. However, pairing it with vitamin C is a whole other story. It’s not the worst combination, but there can be some risks. Similar to the pH levels of retinol mixing with vitamin C, some studies say that mixing vitamin C and niacinamide will decrease their effectiveness. However, those studies are outdated and more experiments have been conducted. Just in case, I advise you to proceed with caution!
Need a quick recap? Here’s a bullet-point breakdown:
Niacinamide + Retinol = the Perfect Match
Niacinamide + Vitamin C = Probably a Perfect match
Vitamin C + Retinol = a Long-Distance relationship
General Skincare Tips
Though these are the different ways you can use retinol and vitamin C together, there are some other tips you should consider. First, don’t immediately change your skin routine. Retinol and vitamin C are powerful beings and you need to make sure they react well to your skin.
It’s sort of like lightening your hair. It’s much better to go from dark brown hair to platinum blonde in stages and not all at once.
Start by introducing retinol or vitamin C into your skincare routine once a week. If all goes well, increase your use to three days a week and then every day. Keep an eye on your skin for any changes. Everyone is different, some use retinol or vitamin C every day and some do it every few days. It all depends on your individual skin.
The second tip is to always wear sunscreen. Yes, even if it’s a rainy day in Forks, Washington (Twilight anyone?). Before retinol and vitamin C, sunscreen is EXTREMELY useful as an anti-aging product and protection for the body.
Our best products with Retinol & Vitamin C
If you didn’t know, Genie Supply aims for products that are green and clean. Here are some examples of our best retinol and vitamin C products below:
Clean Retinol Drops (pictured above)
CLEAN Retinol Drops
Remember when I said you should use retinol at night? You won’t ever forget with these retinol nightly drops. Our retinol drops product is non-irritating and super stable, perfect for daily (or should I say nightly) use! Its natural ingredients add to the beauty of this product with notes of coconut and vanilla to lull you to sleep.
Luxury Vitamin C Face Serum (pictured above)
Luxury Vitamin C Face Serum
Normally, vitamin C products are made of l-ascorbic acid, but our vitamin C face serum is made of tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate. It’s a better form of vitamin C that increases skin viability by up to 30% compared to l-ascorbic acid. You can also choose to have this product with or without a scent. Make sure you use this product at night for the best results!
Look for our niacinamide product Debut!
In the meantime, check out our other green and clean products here.
