How do I apply a vitamin C serum?

Dermatologists and skincare experts recommend applying vitamin C in the morning to clean, dry skin. Apply it to your face and neck using upward motions, then follow with a moisturiser and broad-spectrum SPF.

Can you use salicylic acid with vitamin C?

Yes. Salicylic acid helps exfoliate the skin and clear pores, while vitamin C helps brighten the complexion. Apply vitamin C in the morning to benefit from its antioxidant properties and salicylic acid in the evening.

The Benefits of Vitamin C for Skin

Q: Can you use glycolic acid with vitamin C?

Yes. These ingredients can work well together to brighten the complexion and promote a more even-looking skin tone. To minimise the risk of irritation, especially for sensitive skin, apply vitamin C in the morning and glycolic acid in the evening.

Q: Can you use vitamin C with retinol?

Yes. Vitamin C and retinol complement each other when used at different times of the day. Apply vitamin C in the morning to help brighten and protect the skin from environmental stressors, and use retinol at night. Always apply SPF the following morning.

Q: Can you use niacinamide with vitamin C?

Yes. Niacinamide helps support the skin barrier and improve hydration, and it can be layered with vitamin C. Apply products from the thinnest to the thickest texture, so a vitamin C serum should be applied before a niacinamide moisturiser.

August 2026

Thanks to its impressive résumé of anti-ageing benefits, Vitamin C is one of the most-searched for skincare ingredients on Google, with over 600,000 monthly searches worldwide1.

So, read on to discover the advantages of Vitamin C for skin and how to incorporate it into your skincare routine.

Why is Vitamin C Good for Skin?

Beauty experts and dermatologists alike recommend a Vitamin C skincare routine for its powerful brightening, anti-ageing, and complexion-boosting properties. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, meaning it helps protect the skin from daily environmental aggressors such as pollution or sun exposure. But the benefits of Vitamin C for skin go beyond protection.

Vitamin C also works by neutralising free radicals, stimulating the skin’s natural collagen production, which is essential for skin elasticity and firmness. By promoting cell turnover, Vitamin C skincare products help brighten and even out your complexion, for visibly healthier-looking skin.

Thanks to these potent properties, Vitamin C helps tackle some of the most common skincare concerns, from dull skin to fine lines and an uneven skin texture. Why use Vitamin C for skin? Our bodies don’t naturally produce this vitamin, so applying a Vitamin C serum or cream topically to the face and neck is an effective way to deliver its benefits directly to the skin, giving all skin types a boost of radiance and protection.

Top 5 Benefits of Vitamin C Serums for Brightening and Glow

It would be quicker to say what vitamin C can’t do. Fortunately for us, its list of skincare benefits is as long as it is impressive.

1. Vitamin C for Skin Brightening

Hyperpigmentation, sun spots or dark patches on the skin occur when melanin (the pigment that gives skin its colour) is overproduced. This can be a side effect of sun exposure, changes in your hormone levels during pregnancy or even acne.

One of the top benefits of Vitamin C serums is that they help to reduce melanin production and prevent the oxidation of existing pigmentation, stopping it from becoming darker.

Using Vitamin C for dark spots is an effective and science-backed way to help brighten your complexion, while also helping to prevent further damage from external aggressors.

2. Vitamin C for Even Skin Tone

As an antioxidant, Vitamin C helps to protect against the effects of sun damage and free radicals, which can damage cells and cause inflammation.

A great benefit of Vitamin C serums is their anti-inflammatory properties, which can also help to reduce puffiness and redness to encourage a smoother, more even complexion.

3. Vitamin C for Skin Texture

As we get older, our body produces less collagen, an important building block of the skin – it’s what keeps it plump and firm.

To slow down unwanted sagging, applying Vitamin C skincare products daily can help to stimulate and maintain your body’s natural collagen synthesis.

Lancôme’s skincare expert, Brittany Hanchard, recommends maximising the benefits of Vitamin C serums by complementing your skincare routine with a Retinol product too:

“Our collagen is responsible for our skin’s elasticity and volume. But as we age, our collagen production naturally slows down. Both Retinol and Vitamin C are considered the holy grail of anti-ageing ingredients because they help increase collagen production.”

4. Vitamin C for Glowing Skin

Skin looks at its healthiest when it’s naturally glowing. And when it comes to glow-giving ingredients, they don’t come more potent than Vitamin C for skin.

One of the main benefits of Vitamin C for skincare is its powerful antioxidant brightening effect, which helps target multiple causes of skin dullness at once. Using a Vitamin C serum regularly can help you achieve a younger, firmer-looking complexion with a natural, healthy-looking glow.

5. Vitamin C for Wrinkles and Ageing Skin

Vitamin C is highly regarded in skincare as a powerful anti-ageing ingredient. Not only does it help promote a brighter, plumper-looking complexion, but it also plays a vital role in protecting your skin from premature signs of ageing.

As a potent antioxidant, one of the benefits of Vitamin C for skin is protection from free radical damage. Without Vitamin C, environmental aggressors including the sun and pollution can cause the cells responsible for skin elasticity and collagen production to break down.

By helping to shield your skin from damage, Vitamin C supports collagen production to help maintain skin elasticity, making it an excellent ingredient for targeting fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of firmness.

Showing benefits of Vitamin C for skin using Lancome Renergie H.C.F Triple Serum

How to Use Vitamin C Serum in Your Skincare Routine

To take advantage of the benefits of Vitamin C serum, incorporate it into your morning skincare routine to prevent damage from free radicals from the get-go.

Wondering how to apply Vitamin C serum to your skin for the best results?

Wash your face and pat dry.
Apply 1-2 pumps of our Lancôme Rénergie H.C.F Triple Serum, specifically formulated with Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, and Niacinamide to your hands.
Massage into your face and neck using upward motions.
Follow using a moisturiser and SPF.
Apply daily for consistent results.

We always recommend layering your Vitamin C skincare product with a high factor, broad-spectrum SPF helps to protect your skin from UV damage that can cause sun damage and premature skin ageing, undoing all the good work your vitamin C is designed to do.

Vitamin C can also be layered with other skincare ingredients, such as Niacinamide and Hyaluronic Acid – which is why we combined these three powerful ingredients into one serum.

A product shot of Lancome Renergie H.C.F Triple potent serum

What’s better than one active ingredient? How about three? Our Lancôme Rénergie H.C.F Triple potent serum gets its name from its combination of Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C+, Niacinamide, and antioxidant Ferulic Acid. The powerful triple dose is designed to help reduce a whole host of signs of ageing, including the appearance of lines, sagging skin and dark spots. Each formula is housed in its own chamber in the bottle and freshly mixed on the hand to maintain higher levels of potency and stability than if the ingredients were formulated together.

For an enhanced anti-ageing and skin-boosting skincare routine, alternate using your Vitamin C serum with a Retinol cream or exfoliating toners such as AHAs and BHAs at night. We always recommend using Vitamin C separately from these products to avoid skin irritation and sensitivity.

Glow brighter every day with the power of Vitamin C. Discover Rénergie H.C.F. Triple Serum for visibly radiant, even-toned skin. Shop now.

FAQs

• How to apply Vitamin C serum?

Dermatologists and skin experts recommend applying Vitamin C in the morning on clean, dry skin. Apply to the face and neck and use upward motions to massage the product into your skin. Follow up with a moisturiser and an SPF.

• Can you use Glycolic Acid with Vitamin C?

These glow-giving hero ingredients work great together, brightening your skin and encouraging a more even skin tone. To avoid any irritation, especially if you have sensitive skin, split your doses out during the day, applying Vitamin C skincare products in the morning and Glycolic Acid at night.

• Can you mix Salicylic Acid and Vitamin C?

Combining Vitamin C with Salicylic Acid beauty products, which penetrate deep into the skin to exfoliate and clear pores of dead skin cells, can also help to brighten your complexion. Use topical Vitamin C products in the morning to make the most of their antioxidant protection, and Salicylic Acid at night when your skin’s natural exfoliation process is at its most productive.

• Can you use Vitamin C with Retinol?

This anti-ageing skincare power couple can also complement each other when used at the right times. As Retinol and Vitamin C operate best at different pH levels, splitting them up helps to prevent irritation and keep them at their most potent and effective. Use radiance-boosting Vitamin C in the morning to help brighten your skin and protect it from environmental stressors. As retinol boosts cell turnover, which can cause photosensitivity, it is best applied at night when the sun has gone down. It’s also essential to follow with a layer of SPF the morning after.

• Can you use Niacinamide with Vitamin C?

Another multitasking powerhouse ingredient, Niacinamide helps to hydrate your skin, encourage collagen production and improve your skin barrier function. It can also be layered with Vitamin C morning and night. Apply in the order of thinnest to thickest, so if you’re using a Vitamin C facial serum and Niacinamide-rich moisturiser, your lightweight serum goes on first.