What do the different vitamins actually do for the skin?
Vitamins have a significant impact on us, not only for our body and health but also as ingredients in your skincare routine! The different vitamins possess many powerful properties that can relieve, counteract, and prevent various skin issues such as pigmentation spots, dry and sensitive skin, acne, and more. Vitamins also strengthen the skin barrier and help your skin take care of itself in the best possible way. Below, we list and discuss the most common vitamins in skincare!
Vitamin A/Retinol
- Suitable for: Mature skin, pigmentation, acne, and adding radiance.
Vitamin A acts both preventively and as a treatment for acne-related issues and inhibits the formation of bacteria that cause acne. It also helps regulate oil production in the skin, resulting in less excess oil and contributing to a less oily complexion. Vitamin A can help lighten acne scars and reduce pigmentation spots.
Among the A vitamins, we find the ingredient Retinol, which, due to its small molecules, penetrates the deeper layers of the skin more easily, helping to improve and accelerate cell renewal to slow down lines and wrinkles.
Retinol repairs and stimulates skin cells in the deeper skin layers, allowing your skin to strengthen and repair its collagen and elastin more quickly, making it more supple and soft. Vitamin A also accelerates cell renewal, giving you new skin cells faster and a magical GLOW!
Vitamin B3
- Suitable for: Sensitive and dry skin, rosacea, redness, combating lines, and adding radiance.
Also known as niacinamide, this ingredient has become extremely trendy in recent years. It is a moisturizing vitamin that increases the lipid molecule ceramide in your skin, thereby strengthening the skin's natural barrier and maintaining its moisture content. It plays a role in breaking down enzymes needed to build the skin's barrier function and retain moisture. The barrier function is essential for the skin to withstand irritating and harmful stressors. It also has antioxidant protection against pollutants. This vitamin is suitable for sensitive skin that reacts easily to external stressors. It treats pigmentation, reduces oil production, is soothing, moisture-retaining, and strengthens the skin barrier.
Vitamin C
- Suitable for: All skin types, mature skin, teenage skin, pigmentation, and those looking to add radiance.
A true superhero and also the most popular vitamin, it works across all layers of the skin, primarily in the uppermost layer. There, it combats free radicals that can cause wrinkles and accelerate aging. Vitamin C supports collagen production and the ability of collagen to contract, preserving skin elasticity. It is one of the most potent antioxidants available and protects the skin from free radicals and sun damage.
If you have issues with pigmentation changes, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is what you should ensure to include in your skincare. This strong antioxidant lightens dark spots and effectively protects against free radicals, which cause wrinkles, sagging, and pigmentation changes. When your skin is exposed to too much sun, the vitamin C present naturally on the skin's surface breaks down. Therefore, using vitamin C in your skincare can improve sun damage.
Vitamin D
- Suitable for: Everyone, especially those looking to reduce redness and repair their skin barrier.
Vitamin D is essential for the body to absorb important substances like phosphorus and calcium. In skincare, vitamin D acts as an antioxidant that protects against free radicals and is good for soothing inflammation in the skin. Its anti-inflammatory properties help the skin recover, calming conditions such as acne, psoriasis, eczema, and rosacea. Vitamin D reduces redness and is beneficial for sensitive skin as it strengthens the skin barrier.
Vitamin E
- Suitable for: All skin types, especially sensitive and dry skin.
When your skin feels stressed, out of balance, and dry, vitamin E is what you need. Vitamin E strengthens and restores the skin's moisture barrier and neutralizes free radicals that accelerate skin aging. It is anti-inflammatory and inhibits the formation of free radicals in the skin.
It is a powerful antioxidant that comes in oil form. It supports collagen production, helping the skin stay soft and elastic while also speeding up healing. Thus, it is particularly suitable for dry or damaged skin with stretch marks or scars. By adding vitamin E to your skincare, you can reduce redness after sun damage and build up the skin's resilience. Together with vitamin C, vitamin E is a powerful and unbeatable duo.
Vitamin K
- Suitable for: Those with dark circles, inflammation, and small wounds.
Vitamin K in skincare helps strengthen the skin barrier and reduces moisture loss in the skin. It is effective in eye creams by increasing blood circulation, helping maintain the skin's elasticity and minimizing dark circles over time, as the antioxidant vitamin strengthens weakened capillaries. Vitamin K benefits both the inside and outside by reducing inflammation and speeding up the skin's healing process.
