Best Vitamin-C Skincare Products for Your Face

Few skincare ingredients have been as scientifically studied as vitamin C. After decades of clinical testing, it’s been proven that vitamin C does a lot for your skin. It can improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, positively impact the texture and tone of skin, and even increase skin’s collagen production. The antioxidant is also known for its ability to reduce the appearance of dark spots, notes one clinical trial, as well as minimize the look of acne marks, also known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation. Not only that, but vitamin C has shown promising results in reducing acne, thanks to the antioxidant’s natural anti-inflammatory properties.

But not all vitamin C products are created equal. The ingredient degrades quickly, making it incredibly challenging to stabilize. It also easily oxidizes in sunlight or when exposed to air, which is why it’s difficult to formulate and package. Plus, other ingredients can destabilize it when used in the same formula if they’re not carefully paired. This is why it can take a tremendous amount of time and care to perfect a vitamin C formula.

Best Vitamin C Products

After understanding how vital, yet unstable, vitamin C is, it’s easy to see why purchasing an effective and carefully formulated product is important. At Tatcha, we craft and perfect our formulas at The Tatcha Institute in Tokyo, utilizing a mix of modern wisdom and timeless ingredients. They’re designed to work with the skin, not against it, which is particularly important with vitamin C. We believe we have engineered the best vitamin C skincare products: the bestselling Violet-C Brightening Serum and the innovative Violet-C Radiance Mask.

Violet-C Brightening Serum

The Violet-C Brightening Serum is designed for effectiveness, yet sensitivity—intended to be used daily to reveal a brighter and more translucent, healthy-looking glow. The game-changing formula contains not just one, but two forms of vitamin C for radiant, more even-toned skin. With consistent usage, the kind-to-skin formula can help shield the skin from further damage from free radicals and improve the appearance of discoloration and fine lines.

And if that wasn’t helpful enough, the serum is boosted with the addition of mild fruit alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) to resurface dullness and uneven skin, plus Japanese beautyberry, rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, to stabilize the vitamin C. The formula also includes Japanese angelica root, prized in herbal medicine for centuries, to help reduce the appearance of dark spots, uneven skin tone, discoloration, and post-acne scars.

Another fantastic reason to invest in the Violet-C Brightening Serum is the thoughtful air-tight and protective packaging, which helps to maintain the formula’s potency until the last drop. Use this serum, one of the best vitamin C products for the face, in your nighttime ritual (before your moisturizer) to help when the skin is naturally in repair mode to reap the most benefits while you sleep. (Talk about beauty sleep!)

Violet-C Radiance Mask

Working hand-in-hand with the Violet-C Brightening Serum, the Violet-C Radiance Mask gives skin an extra boost of brightness. The creamy, hydrating treatment targets signs of premature aging and helps to improve skin texture, brighten skin tone, and unveil a soft, dewy glow. In addition to the same brightening and resurfacing benefits as our Violet-C Brightening Serum, the mask contains Hadasei-3, our proprietary complex of double-fermented Akita rice, Uji green tea, and Okinawa algae to help leave skin feeling plump and supple.

Apply two to three times a week, leaving the mask on for 15 to 20 minutes, then wash off to reveal remarkably softer, smoother, and brighter skin. 

While some vitamin C products aim to brighten with harsh ingredients, Tatcha’s offerings work effectively and nourish the skin. We believe in caring for your skin first and foremost, as well as helping you to reveal brighter and more radiant-looking skin. Deciding to introduce a new treatment into your skincare ritual is a major step, so dive into the most interesting facts about vitamin C here and how to successfully adopt the product into your ritual.