Can You Use Vitamin C Serum Under Your Eyes?

Can You Use Vitamin C Serum Under Your Eyes?

Yes, yes, yes! As long as you have picked up a formulation suitable for use on your face, Vitamin C serums rank among the best ingredients to use around the sensitive eye area. As Vitamin C is a naturally sourced antioxidant, it has been shown to improve pigmentation, boost collagen production and increase hydration (all which help to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles)! 

Vitamin C Serum Under the Eyes - How Does it Work?

Vitamin C can often be referred to on INCI lists as Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid or Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate. Vitamin C in its purest form tends to be very unstable as it loses efficiency when exposed to light and air; have you ever used a Vitamin C which has discoloured your hands or changed colour in the bottle? Well the reason was that the potency level was too high! Using products containing Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate for the under eye area doesn’t oxidise or irritate the skin and you can get all the benefits of Vitamin C without irritating the delicate area around the eyes.

The skin around your eyes is very thin and delicate and you should handle it with care. The first signs of ageing such as fine lines and puffiness start appearing around your eye which tends to make your face look dull and lifeless. The skin around your eyes is thin and delicate with no underlying fat, no sebaceous glands and make it more susceptible to dryness and sagging. Hence your under eyes tend to become puffy, dark and fine lines start appearing.

Firstly, you need to figure out what your main concern is with your eye area? If it’s fine lines, wrinkles, hyperpigmentation or dark spots, Vitamin C is definitely going to help the under eye area. But if it’s dark circles caused by shallow tear troughs or veins, unfortunately Vitamin C won’t help and you should speak to a dermatologist for further options to help.

Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants which fight free radicals responsible for causing wrinkles, fine lines and also protects your skin against sun damage which is also responsible for causing dark circles. Vitamin C is known to boost collagen production which increases the elasticity of your skin, helps to strengthen blood vessels and increase blood circulation which can also help to get rid of dark circles to a large extent. Your blood will only absorb a maximum level of Vitamin C, so when this is maxed out, a great way is to apply Vitamin C topically through a serum or cream.

For topical application, you have an array of Vitamin C serums and masks available on the market to uplift your under-eye area. Vitamin C is a storehouse of antioxidants which very efficiently brightens, hydrates and pumps life into your under-eye area. Vitamin C serum enriched with hyaluronic acid is available on the market which can be the perfect remedy for all your under-eye problems, check out our product recommendations below.

Reasons to Use Vitamin C Under Your Eyes

Vitamin C helps brighten dark circles

Vitamin C decreases the production of melanin by inhibiting tyrosinase, which is an enzyme that results in the production of melanin and pigment in the skin. With continued topical use, Vitamin C can help to prevent dark spots from forming and brighten skin without altering its normal pigmentation.  

Vitamin C helps fine lines and wrinkles

Vitamin C is a powerhouse ingredient for collagen production as it helps to speed up the skin’s cell renewal which in turn accelerates the production of collagen and elastin (two proteins that are responsible for the plumpness and elasticity of skin), helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. 

Vitamin C for Puffy Eyes

Massaging the under eye area with a Vitamin C serum and a rose quartz roller is the perfect combination to target under eye puffiness. The rose quartz roller helps to gently massage the product into the eye area whilst gently massaging the lymphatic drainage system to reduce under eye puffiness, leaving the under eye area looking brighter and tighter.

How to Apply Vitamin C Serum Under Your Eyes

It is very important that you combine under-eye creams or serums with gentle circular massage for quick absorption of the formula on to your skin so you get the desired result quickly. A rice grain sized amount will suffice the whole area, just use tapping or pressing movement to apply the formula under your eyes. Avoid the upper lid while applying, instead cover the brow bone and under eye area to harness the benefits of your under-eye cream. This should be the first step in your skincare regime after cleansing and toning so the product can fully absorb into the area before applying the rest of your products.

Two products we recommend using for a brighter, younger looking eye area are:

Vitamin C Elixir

Delivered via a non-greasy oil that immediately sinks into the skin, this serum stars brightening Vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that speeds up cell turnover to diminish pigmentation and age spots, while boosting collagen production to leave under eye skin plumper with the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles reduced. It can also ‘supercharge’ any SPF product you layer on top of it, helping to repair and protect skin from free radical damage caused by UV rays.


Peptide Eye Complex

If you’re looking for a peptide eye cream, supercharged with skin-plumping ingredients, our Peptide Eye Complex is one of our most advanced skincare solutions yet. Working to firm and brighten the eye area it’s an ideal eye cream to reduce dark circles, crow’s feet and fine lines. And no eye cream for dark circles is complete without encapsulated Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that works to brighten and renew the skin. Lastly, broad spectrum UV filters shield the skin from damaging sunlight and pollution, to help prevent future fine lines and pigmentation.


Tips on Looking After Skin Under Your Eyes

Most of us are under the impression that the only reason for dark circles under our eyes is lack of sleep. That is one of the major reasons for the darkness under your eyes but you may be amazed to know that there are other factors which contribute to dark and puffy under eyes such as genetics, lack of moisture, allergies, bone structure and thin skin.

Eating food rich in Vitamin C such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits and green veggies are a good way to start. Including food rich in Vitamin C in your daily diet helps to improve the immune system and helps the body function optimally thus, reducing dark circles under your eyes. Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants which fight free radicals responsible for causing wrinkles, fines lines and also protects your skin against sun damage which is also responsible for causing dark circles. 

Getting the recommended amount of sleep a night is also crucial to fighting those dark circles under the eyes and that's because lack of sleep tends to increase the retention of blood and fluid around the eyes.

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