Vitamin C is a household word that for decades has conjured up thoughts of health and wellness. Chances are that when you’ve felt a cold coming on, you’ve stocked up on the OJ and Vitamin C pills, and you have probably noticed that a lot of your skincare products contain some Vitamin C. What you may not realize is that Vitamin C is a widely underrated ingredient and unsung hero of anti-aging skincare innovation. What’s more, using Vitamin C in its purest form amplifies age defying benefits – that’s why we’re obsessed with our new C The Light Vitamin C Serum, which can easily be used alone or in conjunction with your favorite skincare serums. Infused with five Vitamin C derivatives – orange peel, lemon peel, citrus essential oils, mandarin orange and citric acid – skin appears brighter, smoother and more even-toned in as little as four weeks and is perfect for layering under other serums and moisturizers.

So when it comes to skincare, what exactly does Vitamin C do?

It brightens. Vitamin C works directly on the mechanism that causes uneven skin tone, including sun spots and hyper-pigmentation, to lighten and brighten skin tone. It’s also safe enough to wear during the day and as a part of your nighttime regimen.

It stops damage. As an antioxidant, Vitamin C fights against free radical damage that causes reddened, irritated skin. By minimizing free radical damage skin appears smoother and more radiant. This makes C The Light a perfect companion product to The Guardian Environmental Protection Serum. You can learn more about the effects of free radical damage in our blog post about pollution.

It boosts collagen. One of the most unique benefits to Vitamin C is that it has the ability to boost collagen, therefore decreasing the appearance of crow’s feet and wrinkles while keeping skin nice and firm. This is because Vitamin C works on the skin cells that have depleted with age and enables them to make more collagen. In fact, Vitamin C is the only collagen stimulator that can also boast having antioxidant properties.

It minimizes pores. Since Vitamin C stimulates collagen, it also thickens the appearance of skin and helps to make pores look smaller. This is why so many use C The Light as a natural primer right before makeup application.

Finally, it cocktails. Adding a Vitamin C serum into a skincare product you know and love amplifies the age-defying results of that product. C The Light would be a great BFF to The Cocktail Age Defying Superserum, as retinol and Vitamin C when combined together provide superior anti-aging results. To cocktail C The Light with another skincare serum, simply add one pump into your hand along with a pea-sized amount of the other serum. To save time you can cocktail all of your serums at once in your daytime and nighttime routines.