Here's What You Need to Know About Vitamin C-Rich Skincare

Even though quarantine is in your rearview mirror in 2023 (and we hope it stays that way), it’s okay to admit that the past few years have been really stressful on not only your life but your skin. With the pressure of getting back into the workflow and taking accountability for your gains again, you might have assigned skincare to the backseat of your hectic schedule. But much like sweating during an intense workout, vitamin C-rich skincare can have powerful, robust effects on your skin and overall health.

But, before you let vitamin C ride shotgun, let’s discuss what exactly vitamin C is, the skincare and health benefits of vitamin C, and why vitamin C-rich skincare deserves a place in your day-to-day routine. Here’s a look at the interior and exterior of vitamin C.

What Is Vitamin C and What’s So Great About Vitamin C-Rich Skincare?

Vitamin C is a nutrient that your body needs to be able to form blood vessels, muscles, collagen, and more. Plus, vitamin C is necessary for healing from things like burns or post-surgery wounds (vitamin C can even help you heal faster!). As an antioxidant, vitamin C helps protect your cells against the damaging effects of free radicals.

Free radicals appear naturally in your body or from outside sources like exposure to cigarette smoke, air pollutants, and industrial chemicals. They can play a role in aging skin, heart disease, and more. Vitamin C has also been proven to support the function of your blood cells, while helping your body to absorb iron (which is needed to make red blood cells).

Vitamin C Benefits and Deficiency Symptoms

Pictured: Vitamin C Cheat Sheet With Benefits and Symptoms of a Deficiency | Source: Homeage

The Benefits of Vitamin C-Rich Skincare: the Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate Form of Vitamin C

Vitamin C-rich skincare is a really good step to adopt into your facecare routine. And by really good, we mean that it can tackle all of your skin concerns head-on. But before you can fully come to terms with the horsepower of vitamin C’s skincare benefits, it’s important to know the difference between ascorbic acid and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (THD) (two different forms of vitamin C).

Ascorbic acid is the commonly used form of vitamin C-rich skincare, mostly because it’s cheap. But, since ascorbic acid oxidizes in sunlight, it becomes pro-aging instead of anti-aging. Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate is more stable, can penetrate your skin with ease, and is all-around better. Unlike ascorbic acid, this form of vitamin C will not exfoliate or irritate your skin, nor will it oxidize (and become pro-aging) as easily as ascorbic acid does.

Here’s a more in-depth look at the strong skincare benefits of the THD-ascorbate form of Vitamin C:

THD-Ascorbate Vitamin C Can Penetrate Deeper Into the Skin

Image a leaf after it rains; you’ve probably conjured up a picture in your head of raindrops sitting atop the waxy coating of a leaf. Much like leaves, our skin has a protective coating that helps it keep in and keep out water. It also stops us from turning into a puddle while it’s raining. Considering that the THD-ascorbate form of vitamin C is lipid (fat) soluble, it can penetrate through this protective layer, further into the skin.

Since normal ascorbic acid is unstable, the number of fatty acids in the outer layer of your skin can prevent it from working as deeply as the THD-ascorbate form of vitamin C. Once THD-ascorbate has made its way into your skin, it delivers the benefits of vitamin C where they’re needed the most; and, the THD-ascorbate form of vitamin C can maintain its stability at a higher pH, meaning that it’s less likely to cause irritation.

THD-Ascorbate Vitamin C Can Promote Collagen Production

Collagen, a protein that’s important for your skin’s appearance, makes up 75% of the structure of your skin. Your body needs vitamin C to stimulate fibroblasts, which are cells in your connective tissue that produce collagen and other fibers. Changes in your connective tissue can reduce your skin’s bounce and plumpness, leading to aging and/or sagging skin.

A child’s skin, for example, is youthful with a lot of bounce. Just think about how many times you had to dodge your aunt while she was trying to squeeze your cheeks when you were young. Because of THD-ascorbate’s ability to penetrate deeper into your skin, it’s able to stimulate the production of collagen, resulting in strong, young-looking skin (with plenty of bounce!).

THD-Ascorbate Vitamin C Can Brighten Your Skin

The THD-ascorbate form of vitamin C has been shown to reduce hyperpigmentation and/or dark spots. There’s an enzyme called Tyrosinase (the TYR gene) that push-starts the process of melanin production, causing dark spots to form. Interestingly enough, THD-ascorbate acts as a tyrosinase inhibitor, reducing the appearance and formation of hyperpigmentation.

About Scurvy: A Severe Vitamin-C Deficiency

Unfortunately, your body doesn’t produce vitamin C, meaning that you need to get it from your diet or through supplements. A severe vitamin C deficiency, known as scurvy, is most common in people who smoke (or are exposed to secondhand smoking) and have a limited diet that doesn't consist of fruits and veg.

In the United States, around 8% of people develop a severe vitamin C deficiency, which means that getting scurvy is actually pretty rare. Scurvy symptoms tend to make their appearance after a few months of not getting enough vitamin C. The first symptoms often include weakness, fatigue, irritability, and joint pain.

A visit with your local healthcare provider can help diagnose and manage scurvy. The condition is usually treatable with vitamin C supplements and the addition of more nutritious fruits and veg to your diet. Doctors and scientists believe that those with scurvy can consume between 500 mg to 1000 mg of vitamin C daily.

Symptoms of Scurvy: A Vitamin C Deficiency

Pictured: Symptoms of the Vitamin C Deficiency Known as Scurvy | Source: Chegg

A Brief Guide To Vitamin C-Rich Foods

If you’re one to watch your diet and make sure to squeeze in tons of fruits and veg, then you’re probably A-OK when it comes to vitamin C. For adults, the daily value (DV) of vitamin C is 90mg, but to make life a little easier on you, here’s a list of some vitamin C-rich foods to grab the next time you run errands:

Pictured: Food High in Vitamin C | Source: Souper Sage

While vitamin C supplements are available, foods that are high in vitamin C tend to also be jam-packed with other important nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. This means that adding a few vitamin C-rich foods to your next meal prep plan is a great way to meet your health needs.

Vitamin C-Rich Skincare and Foods Are Good for You!

According to experts, vitamin C is one of the safest, most effective nutrients out there. In fact, a study, administered by Mark Moyad, MD, looked at more than 100 clinical studies over the past 10 years and revealed some interesting benefits of vitamin C:

"Higher levels of vitamin C may be the ideal nutrition marker for overall health," says Moyad. "The more we study vitamin C, the better our understanding of how diverse it is in protecting our health, from cardiovascular, cancer, stroke, eye health, and skin.”

It’s important to remember that no one vitamin can cancel out a serious disease. Often, the vitamins in your body (along with healthy lifestyle habits) work together to maintain your health. But, research shows that vitamin C can offer some benefits in these areas of your life:

Stress: In a controlled study, participants with anxiety that used vitamin C-rich skincare showed a steady decrease in stress levels. Vitamin C, along with its antioxidant properties, can help your body control its cortisol levels, which are known to trigger stress.
Colds: While vitamin C is not a cure-all for the common cold, studies have shown that it may prevent cold symptoms from worsening. "There is good evidence taking vitamin C for colds and flu can reduce the risk of developing further complications, such as pneumonia and lung infections," Moyad explains.
Stroke: A study found that those with high amounts of vitamin C in their blood were associated with a 42% lower stroke risk than those with a smaller amount. While the reasons weren’t clear in the study, they did conclude that if you eat plenty of fruits and veg, your blood will contain a healthy amount of vitamin C.

The Bottom Line: MOX's Vitamin C-Rich Skincare Utilizes the THD-Ascorbate Form Of Vitamin C To Keep Your Skin Strong And Healthy

Vitamin C is vital to young, healthy-looking skin, and at MOX, we know that you don’t have time for subpar ingredients or products. That’s why our vitamin C-rich skincare is formulated with high-quality, fat-soluble vitamins (like THD-ascorbate) that penetrate your skin’s barrier to provide nutrition. We always choose cell-friendly ingredients that occur naturally in the skin and are functional and non-toxic.

MOX products are clean, highly-concentrated vitamin C-rich skincare formulas that are never diluted with preservatives, wax, oil, emulsifiers, fillers, or water. They’re created to feed and exercise your skin because we know that strong skin comes from within. So, grab your MOX, hit the outdoors, and enjoy the power of skincare that’s as natural and fruitful as the world around you.

The MOX Multi-Nutrient Serum Is Formulated With the THD-Ascorbate Form of Vitamin C

Mox Skincare Is Formulated With Vitamin C

The pharmacist-designed MOX Multi-Nutrient Serum is loaded with five essential skin health vitamins (C, E, A, D, and K) that are proven to build collagen, boost moisture, and improve the strength of your skin. The vitamin C used in the MOX Multi-Nutirent Serum is the all-powerful THD-ascorbate to help fight the look of aging and restore elasticity to your skin. It’s basically the top-of-the-line, most beneficial serum on the market.

You can snag the Multi-Nutrient Serum here (AKA the best vitamin C-rich skincare serum on the market); it’ll add a little MOX into your life.

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Here’s What You Need to Know About Vitamin C and Vitamin C-Rich Skincare