Beauty bible

Lisa Armstrong on the virtues of vitamin C

VITAMIN C IS HAVING a moment. Personally, I’d have thought it would have merited one continuous moment – ever since 1747, when James Lind spotted that sailors given access to lemons and limes not only stopped dropping down dead, but developed prettier skin.

Perhaps because vitamin C is easily available – in just about every fruit and vegetable – it has often been eclipsed by showier, more exotic nutrients. Omegas, magnesium, those diva vitamin Bs… But the beauty industry is rediscovering C’s sexiness with a volley of serums, masks and hair products all vaunting it as an ingredient. Cue eye-rolling from more cynical types who can’t understand why anyone would spend actual money on this stuff when you can get five oranges for £1 in Tesco.

I was inclined this way. Then I spoke to three trusted skin and health gurus: Margo Marrone, founder of The Organic Pharmacy; Shabir Daya, the pharmacist at victoriahealth.com; and Lisa Franklin, a skincare specialist with 18 years’ experience. Suffice to say, I will be keeping an eye on my intake – and stocking up on Boots’ effervescent vitamin C tablets (£2.59 for 20, boots.com) or Altrient C by Livon (£35.99 for 30 sachets, evolution organics.co.uk). I don’t want to overdo it, because topically vitamin C works like a fruit acid and can irritate, but when my skin needs brightening or I feel run down, I shall be assiduously applying C-rich potions including Garden of Wisdom’s well-priced Vitamin C Serum 23% & Ferulic Acid (£10, victoriahealth.com), Ren’s V-cense Revitalising Night Cream (£36, renskincare.com) and The Organic Pharmacy’s zingy Enzyme Peel Mask with Vitamin C and Papaya, (£49.95, the organicpharmacy.com).

Why? I’m coming to that. Or rather the aforementioned experts are.

Vitamin C is one of the most important nutrients found in the skin, and levels decline as we age. According to Marrone, ‘It’s vital for protecting the skin from sun exposure [although please note it doesn’t provide any SPF]. It reduces puffiness, while boosting elastin, fibroblasts and collagen, which add up to fewer wrinkles. It lessens pigmentation, and helps treat melasma and sun damage.’

Vitamin C also has anti-inflammatory properties, says Daya. And as we know, inflammation accelerates ageing. ‘It calms down all kinds of inflammation, including that associated with acne,’ Daya adds. ‘It can also firm and hydrate the skin and increase the body’s uptake of iron. And as well as helping to repair sun damage, to a degree it guards against all kinds of radiation.’

And to top it all? ‘Vitamin C is one of the most powerful antioxidants,’ says Franklin. ‘This means it helps to protect skin against the ageing free-radical damage caused by pollution.’

OK, it’s a wonder vitamin. We get it. But the problem is, the body doesn’t store vitamin C. It doesn’t make it either – which is sloppy, you’ll agree. It’s also highly soluble: it gets quickly flushed out of the body. So how best to top up, topically or orally?

Both. Vitamin C-enriched creams and serums can also degrade rapidly in light, heat and with air exposure. On the other hand, there’s not enough evidence that oral supplements always reach the skin. I recommend a two-pronged approach.