Vitamin E vs Vitamin C - We have the results!

Did you know, that morning glass of orange juice sitting on your table contains potent, skin-loving antioxidants that you would want to incorporate into your skincare routine?

Vitamin C and Vitamin E are long-loved favourites in the health and skincare arena. We see them frequently on various product ingredient lists and more often than not, we find ourselves reaching out for products that contain these ingredients because we know that 'it is good for us'. Well, you're not wrong to assume that both Vitamin C Skincare and Vitamin E Skincare contain a multitude of benefits for our overall health and skin when used correctly. But how so? Let's go into a deeper dive in finding out the differences between the two and the wonders of these antioxidants when applied to your skin.

 

What is Vitamin E?

Check your skincare product labels (go on, have a look), do you see ingredients like Niacinamide, Tocopherol or Tocopheryl Acetate popping up? These are the most commonly found forms of Vitamin E in skincare products. What does Vitamin E do? Vitamin E is a family of fat-soluble antioxidant which helps with the repair and maintenance of healthy skin. It is a naturally occurring substance in our skin that protects is from oxidative stress. But as the skin gets exposed to external environmental stressors and experience changes as a result of aging, the Vitamin E concentrations in our skin eventually decrease which is why it is important to incorporate this antioxidant to maintain moist, supple skin. Apart from that, Vitamin E has anti-inflammatory properties that strengthens the skin barrier, soothe the skin and reduce the effects of skin damage.

Vitamin E is commonly derived in the form of oils from plants, seeds or nuts such as jojoba, rosehip, sunflower, palm tree and shea. 

 

Who Should Use Vitamin E?

Vitamin E can be used by everyone regardless of age and skin type. It is particularly beneficial for those with dry skin or have eczema as it creates a moisture barrier to keep the skin moisturised. Since it is a naturally occurring substance in our skin, sensitivity and allergies towards Vitamin E are extremely rare. However, because of its moisturising and skin softening properties, those with very oily or acne-prone skin should be more cautious when using Vitamin E.

So, is Vitamin E good for skin? The answer is absolutely yes and we would encourage you to incorporate it into your daily skincare regimen!

 

A Daily Dose of Vitamin E Keeps Dryness At Bay 💧

Due to its smaller molecular size, Vitamin E absorbs into the skin quickly and easily. It has a bouncy, firmer texture that adheres and wraps around the skin to retain moisture. Typically, Vitamin E can be found in makeup products and 'richer' products such as ampoules and moisturisers. We have rounded up some of our favourite Vitamin E products that you  will absolutely fall in love with!

Start with THE FACE SHOP White Seed Exfoliating Foam Cleanser, a face wash that removes impurities and dead skin cells while moisturising and brightening the skin at the same time. It contains niacinamide to brighten the skin, and Vitamin E benefits to keep the skin moisturised even after cleansing.

 

Amplify the effects of the rest of your skincare routine with SU:M37 Water-Full Skin Refreshing Toner, a premium anti-aging toner enriched with Vitamin E that is derived from fermented fruits which helps improve skin texture, elasticity and firmness. This toner restores hydration to plump, firm and improve skin texture while locking in moisture in the skin! Being gentle, plant-based and natural, it is an excellent option for daily use that can be applied all skin types including sensitive skin. 

Have you ever wondered why essences, serums and ampoules are considered the most essential step in a Korean beauty skincare routine? It is because they are more lightweight in texture than moisturisers such that they penetrate faster and deeper into the layers of our skin, making them more potent in terms of targeting skin concerns.

 

For deeper moisture and anti aging effects, try THE FACE SHOP Yehwadam Jeju Magnolia Pure Brightening Serum. This premium brightening and anti-aging line is infused with Korean ginseng and herbs that contain niacinamide to brighten and intensively moisturise the skin to visibly reduce the appearance of aging signs and dark spots.

 

Layering all the goodness of Vitamin E shouldn't go to waste! Seal it all in your skin with SULWHASOO Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream Classic. This new and upgraded version of the OG Concentrated Ginseng Cream contains patented Ginsenomics and a blend of the finest herbal ingredients, which will provide your skin with powerful firming, lifting effects while boosting cell regeneration. The Vitamin E content of this cream gives it a luxurious, silky smooth texture that leaves a dewy, illuminated finish for visibly smoother and radiant complexion!

 

Meet our all-time-favourite Vitamin E product, also a best friend of Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop - KLAIRS Freshly Juiced Vitamin E Mask, a pudding-like mask that melts and adheres to your skin. While it is called a 'mask', it can also be used as your daily vitamin e cream or sleeping mask.

 

 

What is Vitamin C?

What does Vitamin C do for the skin? This legendary antioxidant is a highly sought-after skincare ingredient because it really works! Not only does it help even out skin tone, eliminate fine lines and scars, it also helps brighten your complexion for radiant-looking skin. Vitamin C neutralizes free radicals (those nasty culprits of skin damage and premature aging), stimulating the skin's regeneration process and repair. This ability to neutralize free radicals is not just about preventing wrinkles and age spots, but it also induces collagen and elastin production to keep the skin looking plump and firm for youthful-looking complexion.

What's fascinating about Vitamin C is its ability to target and diminish dark spots, hyperpigmentation, skin discolouration and scars. What does Vitamin C do? It is a great whitening agent that suppresses the production of melanin, a pigment that gives our skin its colour. See you later dark spots!

 

Who Should Use Vitamin C Products?

Anyone! Yes, you heard us correctly! Anyone can incorporate Vitamin C into their skincare routines because who doesn't want clear, bright, luminous complexion? While there are concerns around Vitamin C oxidating and darkening when exposed to sunlight, there are several ways to prevent this such as by applying adequate sun protection or adding Vitamin C to your nighttime skincare routine instead. Despite its highly raved skin brightening benefits, it is important not to go overboard with Vitamin C on your skin because it may cause redness, blisters or reactions in some cases. We do recommend incorporating some into your routine, starting with a lower concentration and then slowly increasing it as your skin becomes more accustomed to your new routine.

When To Use Vitamin C Serum?

If your skin tends to be on the sensitive side, there is a possibility of developing allergies or redness from Vitamin C. So, we recommend starting with a lower concentration and testing it on a small area on your skin first to ensure that there are no reactions. Once your skin gets accustomed to Vitamin C, you can slowly increase the concentration over time.

Bring on the Brightness🌞!

When applied on the skin, Vitamin C products often leave a shiny finish due to its larger molecular size. They can come in the form of essences, serums, ampoules, moisturisers and even masks! Incorporating them into your skincare routine is not going to be a problem!

Vitamin C enriched products generally contain fruit acids from citrus, berries and others to effectively target areas of skin discolouration and slough off dull, dead skin cells to bring out radiant, glowing and smooth complexion. Here are some praise-worthy Vitamin C enriched products for you to try!

Give your skin a dose of Vitamin C even at the cleansing stage with NEOGEN Dermalogy Bio-Peel Gauze Peeling Lemon, an exfoliating pad that sloughs away dull, dead skin cells and leaves your skin bright and clear thanks to its lemon extract which is rich in Vitamin C! This product is good for starters because it can be rinsed away later on.

New to Vitamin C? Don't worry, we've got the ONE THING you need to help you get started. ONE THING Citrus Unshiu Fruit Extract is a gentle, yet effective essence toner made with 95% green tangerine water to improve the appearance of dark spots while reducing inflammation. Its vegan-friendly, clean beauty formulation works well on all skin types, and does not contain any harmful additives!

 

The heart of Korean skincare routines - essences and serums! These lightweight products penetrate deeper into your skin layers for effective treatment of dark spots. We recommend trying KLAIRS Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop which contains 5% Vitamin C if you are looking for a product with lower concentrations of Vitamin C.

Read our BONIIK team's KLAIRS Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop Review here!

 

 

What if I want something more potent for my skin?  BY WISHTREND Pure Vitamin C 21.5 Advanced Serum provides a higher concentration of Vitamin C to diminish scars, pigmentation, age spots and help improve the appearance of dull skin. Vitamin C serums should be kept away from direct sunlight and other sources of light to prevent oxidation, and it is normal to hear slight hissing sounds or bubbles from the product because of the natural state of the vitamin.

If sensitive, easily irritated skin sounds familiar to you, you're not alone! Introducing a new, gentle Vitamin C ampoule - FEAT BY YOU ViTassie Forest Energy Vitamin Ampoule Blemish Solution! This lightweight, gentle and skin-friendly ampoule is packed with antioxidants and Vitamin C from Kakadu Plum, that will help brighten dull skin, fight blemishes and breakouts. In addition, this ampoule is enriched with Tasmanian Mountain Water which has essential minerals needed to rebuild and enhance your skin barrier for boosted resilience against external environmental stress.

 

When your skin needs that extra pampering after a long, stressful day (or week), apply a brightening overnight sleeping mask like SOME BY MI Yuja Niacin Brightening Sleeping Mask or to transform your skin the moment you rise and shine! This sleeping mask is packed with different multivitamins including Vitamin C and tropical fruit extracts to improve your complexion overnight and leave your skin radiant and glowing the next morning. The texture of the mask pack is soft and airy, allowing it to penetrate and adhere on the skin without stickiness. Talk about a great way to end your busy day!

With all the hype around Vitamin C you may now wonder, is vitamin C good for skin? It definitely is! In fact it is one of the most popular Korean beauty ingredient and among the best ones that you can apply to your skin, especially when paired with the right products.

Another common question that we get is can you use vitamin C and retinol together? As both these vitamins are quite strong in nature, we would not recommend using vitamin c and retinol together. Instead, you can alternate their usage on different days of the week and pair them with gentle, moisturising ingredients like vitamin E, hyaluronic acid, ceramides or peptides!

  

 

It Takes Two to Tango 💃🕺

Remember how we said KLAIRS Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop and Vitamin E mask are best friends? When Vitamin C and E are used together, their effects are boosted and gives your skin a hefty amount of antioxidants to protect your skin from free radical damage and promote healthy skin cell growth (think of it like a double sot of espresso for your skin). What does vitamin C do when paired wit vitamin E? The way it works is that Vitamin E helps the skin absorb Vitamin C better, boosting its brightening effects. Ideally, after cleansing toning, apply Vitamin C first, and then Vitamin E. You can add an adequate layer of sun protection to fend off sun damage before continuing with your usual makeup routine.

If you are looking for a product that contains both Vitamin C and E in one bottle, try AROMATICA Organic Rose Hip Oil that will give your skin a boost of vitality and moisture! It combines the best of both Vitamin C and E to enhance your complexion.

 

Skincare addicts, are you sold yet? Who's side are you on, Vitamin C or Vitamin E? If you ask us, we are on both sides because these powerful antioxidants benefit us in so many ways when used together. Let us know which Vitamin C and E products you have, or are going to start incorporating into your skincare routine!