What Happens When You Team Up Vitamin C With Resveratrol In Your Skincare Routine

Is vitamin C and resveratrol the new Brad and Angelina of skincare? Peanut butter and jelly? Centella asiatica and aloe vera? We definitely think so. As these two powerful antioxidants meet in your beauty routine, they create an unbreakable defense against free radicals while working to promote collagen production for a plump and glowing appearance. You can ask any skincare expert, and they’ll rave about this duo’s anti-aging and brightening powers. After all, it’s no secret that using antioxidant-rich ingredients in your skincare routine will have you glowing to the gods. So, are you feeling intrigued already? Keep reading to learn what happens when you use vitamin c and resveratrol together. 

What is vitamin C?

Vitamin C’s claim to fame is mainly due to its ability to brighten the skin and induce collagen. This means vitamin C helps your complexion stay firm, radiant and prevents dullness. As an antioxidant, it works to shield the skin against UV-induced damage by keeping free radicals from damaging healthy cells. Besides, vitamin C inhibits melanin, the pigment that causes discoloration and dark spots, promoting an even-looking complexion.^[1]

What is resveratrol?

Resveratrol is a naturally occurring antioxidant found in berries, dark chocolate, and red wine. It has anti-inflammatory benefits and can stimulate the proliferation of fibroblasts — cells that synthesize collagen proteins.^[2] So just like vitamin C, resveratrol neutralizes free radicals, protects skin against photoaging, boosts collagen, soothes redness, and reduces the look of dark spots by inhibiting melanin.^[3][4] It is also a great ingredient to promote wound healing and preserve skin firmness.

Interestingly, a study published by the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found resveratrol to be a better radical scavenger than vitamin C.^[3][5] It turns out resveratrol is 95% effective at preventing the degradation of epidermal lipids, while vitamin C is only 35%. Still, researchers concluded that the best photoprotection is achieved by combining resveratrol with vitamin C, as they have a synergistic effect when applied to the skin.^[3]

Can you use vitamin C and resveratrol together?

Given all the above, vitamin C and resveratrol are two ingredients that can be used together and provide better antioxidant protection than when used alone, along with other boosted benefits. When these two antioxidant powerhouses meet in your skincare routine, they work in tandem to scavenge free radicals, firm the skin and brighten dark patches. 

Since both reduce melanin content in cells, vitamin C and resveratrol make a great team at fighting discoloration and blemishes. When used together, they can give your skin a radiant and youthful look that never goes out of style. Besides, the two have the ability to encourage collagen production, so mixing them gets you a more powerful solution for aging signs and loss of firmness. Another reason to team up vitamin C and resveratrol is that both have anti-inflammatory effects that help soothe redness.^[6] In other words, this duo is ready to make your complexion clearer and smoother than ever.

Furthermore, vitamin C and resveratrol are two ingredients fairly tolerated by most skin types.^[2][6] This means anyone can reap their benefits. Though, if ascorbic acid — the active and most potent form of vitamin C — bothers your skin, it’s best to switch to gentler derivatives of vitamin C and pair them with resveratrol for a killer antioxidant-rich duo.

How to use resveratrol and vitamin C together

Getting the right recipe for mixing two ingredients can be tricky at times. This is because using two different products formulated at a different pH can render each one ineffective and also alter your skin’s natural pH, which increases sensitivities. Fortunately, that’s not the case with vitamin C and resveratrol, as both need to be formulated at a similar acidic pH to be stable and penetrate the skin effectively. 

Now, the easiest way to use vitamin C and resveratrol together is to have them in the same product. Most products have a pH-balanced formula, so these two antioxidants can work at their maximum potency while not altering your skin’s natural pH. PCA Skin C-Quench Antioxidant Serum, PureCeuticals Ferulic C Antioxidant Serum, and Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Vitamin B3 + Vitamin C are great products containing vitamin C and resveratrol.

If you want to use them individually, it’s best to use your resveratrol serum in your nighttime routine since it’s light-sensitive and vitamin C serum in the morning. During the night, resveratrol can repair and boost antioxidant defense while triggering fibroblasts to make more collagen. As the product gets fully absorbed into the skin, you’ll wake up to a nice glow. In your AM routine, apply vitamin C right after cleansing and follow up with a moisturizer to lock benefits in. By using vitamin C in the AM and resveratrol in the PM, you’ll be giving yourself round-the-clock protection from everything from sun damage to blemishes. 

Final words

Added in the cart vitamin C and resveratrol yet? Introduce them to your next skincare haul and witness the glow for yourself. No matter your skin concern, it’s always worth using products that help mitigate the environmental damage, especially since your skin comes in contact with it pretty much every day. Just remember, how you store your products is just as important as how you use them. To keep your vitamin C and resveratrol from degrading, store your products in a cool dark place.

Ultimately, the secret to great results is knowing how to pair ingredients to get the most out of the efforts you put in. Our skincare dictionary is a great place to keep an eye on all skincare ingredients and learn how you can mix them for dramatic results.

Sources

Women’s Concepts uses reliable sources, including dermatologists’ insights, clinical trials, and scientific journals, to find accurate information and support all the facts shared in our articles. All statements and claims have clear and legit references. Read our editorial policy to learn more about our sources of information, our process of researching and fact-checking the content, and how our team strives to keep all articles updated, completed, and trustworthy.