One of the most popular and widely used anti-aging skin ingredients is of course Vitamin C. In anti-aging skin treatment, Vitamin C is probably the most effective ingredient of them all. The skin receives many great benefits from Vitamin C such as helping to get rid of the free-radicals that can seriously damage your skin and also helps your body to increase it's production of collagen. Manufacturers have also invested vast amounts of money into researching ways to find alternative forms of solving the major oxidation problem that occurs when Vitamin C is exposed to air and it oxidizes immediately thus rendering it ineffective. Increasing the concentration of Vitamin C so it doesn't loose its effectiveness is just one solution they have found to counteract this problem. Often at times, manufacturers will increase the concentration to 10%. As the concentration of Vitamin C increases so does the price. So for this reason many consumers look for alternatives to skin products that contain Vitamin C.



Some derivatives of Vitamin C can easily penetrate the skin cells and release a proper amount of acid to help the production of collagen, and these are ideal. The most common fat soluble Vitamin C derivative in skin care products is called ascorbyl palmitate. This ingredient is more stable and less irritating than Vitamin C alone. Another derivative is the water soluble magnesium ascorbyl phosphate. This ingredient is also good for products that are made specifically for sensitive skin and can reduce any effects of itching and rashes etc. Both of these derivatives don't oxidize as easily as Vitamin C and don't cause as much irritation which is a great step forward (although it should be noted that they aren't as effective as pure Vitamin C). Now depending on the individual using it, the effectiveness of a product will vary, sometime by quite a lot. While Vitamin C products will work well for some they can be useless for others. Some skin care product ingredients don't respond effectively for all skin types either, so in order to maintain and improve the efficiency of products you should make sure you store products properly.

So, which Vitamin C products should I be buying then?

Well, that's a good question indeed, in fact it is definitely best to check a product first before buying a . You can also determine the effectiveness by the color of the product - a product is useless and harmful if it is yellowish-brown since this means it has been exposed to the air and is oxidizing as previously explained. With Vitamin C products you should read the label very carefully to ensure you aren't wasting your money on a product that won't work!