The Vitamin C Collagen Connection

Collagen continues to trend in the skin care world, often in relation to a close friend: vitamin C. This popular duo is rumored to wind back the clock and boost youthful density in the dermis – sounds good to us!

Chances are you’re vaguely aware of what collagen is, but probably only have a ballpark sense of how it works or what it can do for your skin. We’ll clear that up, and also dive into an important link in your skin care routine: the vitamin C collagen connection.

Collagen is a protein that’s present in your skin, and in the skin of all mammals. On a biological level, it provides structural support to your skin tissue, and it’s also responsible for skin elasticity. In other words, it gives mass and texture to your skin.

We all produce collagen naturally, but as our bodies age, we begin to produce less and less of it. As a result, our skin begins to stop “bouncing back” from external stress, and wrinkles become deeper and more pronounced.

Combined with this natural reduction in collagen production, you’re also likely dealing with the effects of cumulative exposure. Sun damage is one of the most common factors behind deteriorated collagen, and the older we get, the more cumulative sun damage our skin experiences.

Smoking also produces collagen-destroying enzymes in your skin, and slows down the production of collagen in existing skin cells (this is why smoking ages your face so quickly). All this said: there are a variety of factors that play into the depletion of collagen over time.

The main takeaway? If we want to maintain smooth and elastic skin as we get older, our collagen levels need some outside support.

Loss of collagen will typically manifest as a gradual change in your skin’s texture. Think sagging, drooping, and more visible effects of gravity on the skin around your jawline, eyelids, and cheeks.

Deeper wrinkles also indicate that you’re lacking collagen. When healthy levels of collagen are present, wrinkles on your face will appear shallower and smoother. When you don’t have enough collagen, they will appear to be deeper and more pronounced.

Vitamin C isn’t an ingredient that will directly deliver more collagen to your skin. However, it will promote and support collagen production so that your body can produce as much collagen as it possibly can, based on your unique skin chemistry.

Vitamin C has powerful antioxidant properties, meaning that it can counter the effects of oxidative skin damage. Remember, oxidative skin damage equals reduced and damaged stores of collagen at the cellular level, usually as a product of sun exposure. Vitamin C can protect your dermis against this oxidative damage, which translates into reduced collagen degradation. See the connection?

So while collagen and vitamin C aren’t directly linked, they share a powerful indirect link. The presence of vitamin C can actually be the defining factor in whether or not your skin exhibits signs of collagen depletion.

We’ve developed some targeted vitamin C products with this powerful link in mind, along with the intention of supporting skin’s collagen production. They can also help with fortifying skin’s naturally present stores of collagen – because with the right protection, your skin will actually continue to make enough collagen, even as you age.

Our Vitamin C Mask is a powerful, super concentrated collagen promoter with a science-backed formula that our team has worked hard to develop. The vitamin C present in this product works at the cellular level, to address skin healing and collagen depletion.

Vitamin C in your skin is crucial for the synthesis of collagen, and this product delivers an active dose designed to be absorbed at your deepest epidermal layers. The formula also contains camu camu extract; camu camu is a shrub that grows in the Amazon rainforest. It comes packed with a high level of Vitamin C, which enhances antioxidant benefits in this powder formula.

The bright orange color comes from turmeric extract, which fights inflammation while brightening the skin. This is an amazing product for supporting collagen synthesis; one to opt for if you’re dealing with post-summer sun damage or early signs of aging.

Our original Vitamin C Serum uses a lightweight and stable version of the vitamin, and combines it with soothing aloe gel to deliver a drink of hydration to skin cells. Our Multi-Vitamin Serum and Collagen Boost masks also come packed with vitamin C, and are ideal additions to a nighttime routine.

Vitamin C works the hardest when it’s combined with other vitamins and nutritious botanicals, so we’ve put together synergistic formulas that let each individual ingredient shine. Next time someone tells you that you’ve gotta try collagen, make sure to give them a mini lesson. You don’t necessarily need collagen — maybe you just need a lil’ bit more vitamin C!