The Best Skincare Combo for Improved Skin – Vitamin C and Centella Asiatica

New research has shown that this skincare combination has the power to improve skin health and appearance exponentially. What exactly can vitamin C and Centella asiatica do for our skin though? How do they work and how do we get those benefits?

Here is your complete guide to using vitamin C and Centella asiatica together. Learn everything you need to know, like which types you need to use, how to layer, benefits, and much more today!

Why Have a Skincare Routine in the First Place

No matter who you are, you probably have some skin on you. It is our largest organ and our first line of defense against the outside world. The skin is responsible for protecting our insides, preventing pathogens like bacteria and viruses from getting in, and many more functions. It is involved in temperature regulation, touch feedback, and immune response, and even contains a biome of microbiota that is meant to help it thrive. 

When the skin is healthy, so are we. This is why it is important to support skin health through basic skincare that is proven by science, with ingredients that actually have years of research behind them. Vitamin C and Centella asiatica are both highly studied, highly effective skincare ingredients that work magic together.

What is Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a vitamin and antioxidant found in fruits like oranges, grapefruits, strawberries, and kiwis, but it is also a skincare ingredient that can be refined and used topically. 

Benefits

Vitamin C works by reducing free radical damage and healing the skin. It can increase collagen production, reduce the signs of aging, decrease hyperpigmentation, even skin tone, reduce wrinkles, and protect the skin from damage from the sun.

How to Use

Vitamin C serums come in many forms, though the most effective are ascorbic acid and L-ascorbic acid. This form is also highly unstable, which is why more serums need to be kept in the fridge and used within a couple of months. Other forms of vitamin C are magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palmitate, and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, which do not perform as well as ascorbic acid, but are much more stable.

Vitamin C works at a certain pH and should not be mixed with Ingredients like salicylic acid, glycolic acid, and lactic acid. Other exfoliating ingredients, like retinoids, should also not be mixed with vitamin C. Vitamin C works well with hyaluronic acid, other vitamins, moisturizers, and of course Centella asiatica.

What is Centella Asiatica 

Centella asiatica, also known as gotu kola, is a medicinal plant native to regions of Africa, Asia, Australia, and Oceania. In recent times, it has gained popularity in skincare and is incorporated into a variety of skincare products from toners, serums, and moisturizers, to sunblocks and night creams.

Benefits

Studies have found that Centella asiatica helps to increase collagen production and boost elasticity in the skin. Certain components of Centella asiatica, such as saponins and triterpenic acids, fight off oxidative stress, reduce DNA damage, decrease redness, improve healing, and improve overall even skin tone. It slo helps increase moisture content in the skin, boosting hydration and strengthening the skin barrier.

How to Use it

Centella asiatica works due to its anti-inflammatory and wound-healing compounds. In skincare, these compounds are sometimes isolated and used individually. Look for ingredients such as asiaticoside, centelloside, madecassoside, moside, thankuniside, sceffoleoside, and centellose for saponins. Other ingredients are the triterpenic acid components, which include asiatic acid, centellic acid, madecassic acid, and terminolic acid. 

Centella asiatica can be found in toners, serums, moisturizers, and even SPF products. Look for serums with these ingredients for a boost in effectiveness. Serums are formulated in a way that helps them penetrate deep into the skin for maximum benefit. Centella asiatica can be used with other skincare ingredients like niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, and especially vitamin C.

So What Does this Skincare Combination Do?

Preliminary studies show that this skincare combination has an additive effect, meaning when used together, the benefits of both ingredients multiply. You can combine Centella asiatica with vitamin C to boost the effect of both products.

Vitamin C and Centella asiatica both have collagen-boosting, wound-healing properties. In fact, collagen is the best science-based skincare ingredient that stimulates collagen, besides retinol. In this study, Centella Asiatica and vitamin C boosted skin strength, increased firmness, improved hydration, and reduced wrinkles after only 6 weeks of use.

How to Use Centella Asiatica and Vitamin C Together

Since there is an additive effect, these two ingredients are the perfect skincare combination to use in the same routine. Vitamin C is usually part of a morning routine, as it can protect the skin from damage and reduce oxidative stress. Therefore, both of these ingredients should be used in the morning. 

Layering of these products depends on the formulation. Vitamin C is usually found in a serum and should be applied first. Centella asiatica can be found in serum, toner, moisturizer, or sunblock, so use it in the order that makes sense. After cleansing the face, the order of products would be: use a toner, serums, moisturizer, and SPF. 

Remember though, simplicity is often key. So if you find a vitamin C serum and Centella asiatica moisturizer, you are good to go. Don’t forget to use SPF as the last step though!

Another good way to layer these products is to find them in serums, using them within minutes of each other (letting one dry before applying the other), and then topping it off with a hydrating sunscreen. What products you choose and how you use them depend on your skin type and needs, so be sure to check out all the resources on skincare here.

The Takeaway

Take care of the skin to allow the skin barrier to be strong and supported. Vitamin C and Centella asiatica are an amazing skin combination. When used together, they enhance each other, doubling the effectiveness and benefits. Use them in serums to get a more concentrated, effective formulation. 

Remember that health comes from within, so eat healthy, exercise when you can, and care for your mental health. Good habits form building blocks for emotional, mental, and physical health. Take care of your gut health too! Learn everything you need to know about gut microbiota today for free here.