Ready For It? This Is The Most Recommended Skin Care Ingredient, Says This Beauty Editor

I spend a lot of time talking about beauty and skin care with a wide variety of people and experts in the field. Most often now it's for my podcast Clean Beauty School, but I also interview people for stories that get published here, engage with folks over social media, speak with the pros while staying up to date with the latest beauty news, and just chat with other beauty folks while discussing the industry trends. Like most beauty editors and writers, this gives me a good bird's-eye view of the space, so I'm better able to distinguish between a passing fad and something tried-and-true. 

In the topical skin care arena, along with retinol, vitamin C is one of the most studied skin care ingredients—making it a sure bet for results. "Vitamin C is the best ingredient—even when it's overrated, it's underrated," beauty expert and writer Nikita Upadhyay recently shared with me on the podcast. 

And because it's an antioxidant, it can help fight free radicals and oxidative stress in the skin.* "People often ask how many antioxidants you should be using regularly; the answer is: the more the better," says board-certified dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, M.D., of Schweiger Dermatology Group. This can lead to brightening effects, reduction in fine lines, and improved moisture retention (because the barrier strength is improved).* 

But vitamin C comes highly recommended for another reason: its variety. The ingredient can be formulated into serums, supplements, creams, washes, body care, facial oils, and so on. This is because there are many different forms or ways to leverage vitamin C (like L-ascorbic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, and ascorbyl palmitate, just to name a few), and each has unique properties that make it more suitable for different delivery methods. 

For example, L-ascorbic acid is considered to be the most potent topical form and often is used in serums—however, it's also considered to be unstable. Whereas, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate is an oil-soluble version of the antioxidant and most commonly used in facial oils, while mindbodygreen's scientifically advanced vitamin C/lipid/bioflavonoid complex (as PureWay-C™) is ideal for supplements, like in mbg vitamin C potency+.*

This means that you can fold it into your routine in whatever way (or ways!) that makes sense for you, your skin type, and your needs. We recommend using vitamin C in both topical and oral forms, as this can optimize your benefits.* As mbg vice president of scientific affairs Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, once explained to me on the podcast about the "debate" between oral and topical skin care: "It's not an either/or. The answer to which one I should use is often, 'both!'"