Your skin shields the body from germs and environmental hazards, but it naturally weakens over time. That shift changes how skin looks, leading to visible signs of ageing like fine lines and wrinkles. While skin will keep ageing, new research suggests vitamin C may help skin look fresher.
A study used lab-grown models designed to mimic human skin. In these models, the cells were exposed to air while being nourished underneath with a nutrient solution that imitates the way skin receives nutrients from blood vessels.
Researchers applied vitamin C at concentrations comparable to what would move from the bloodstream to the epidermis, the outermost living layer of skin. After seven days, vitamin C–treated skin showed a thicker epidermal cell layer without altering the stratum corneum, the outer layer of dead cells. After two weeks, the epidermis was thicker while the dead-cell layer was thinner.
The findings suggest vitamin C boosts the formation and division of keratinocytes, the skin cells that travel from deeper layers to the surface. Treated samples also showed increased cell proliferation, which supports a healthy barrier and a fresher appearance.
As the authors concluded, “Vitamin C is a promising molecule that can be used as a developing treatment for epidermal thinning, including in ageing.”
The results raise an obvious question: should vitamin C feature more prominently in everyday routines to support a healthy, younger-looking complexion? Dermatologists share what to keep in mind next.
What is vitamin C and what does it do?
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble vitamin that must be obtained from food or supplements. It supports collagen formation and protein metabolism, helps wound healing and acts as an antioxidant that supports immune function.
Most adult women need 65–75 mg of vitamin C a day, while most adult men need 75–90 mg a day. Many adults meet these needs through food and drinks, but some groups are at higher risk of not getting enough:
- People who smoke or are exposed to second-hand smoke
- People following very limited diets
- People with conditions that affect absorption or increase needs, such as severe malabsorption, certain cancers or some kidney diseases
Why does vitamin C help with skin health?
When vitamin C is eaten or drunk, it is absorbed into the bloodstream and delivered to the skin, explains dermatologist Dr Gary Goldenberg. There, it concentrates in the basal layer of the epidermis, the deepest part of the skin’s outer layer.
Vitamin C acts as a cofactor in gene-activation processes involved in cell proliferation, Dr Goldenberg says. “This can lead to epidermal thickening and improved skin health and appearance,” he says.
Vitamin C is also crucial for collagen production, the protein that supports the skin barrier and maintains elasticity, says dermatologist and dermatopathologist Dr Ife J. Rodney. “Collagen is the building block of the skin,” she says. “It’s the supporting matrix that gives the skin its tightness and firmness but over the years it starts to break down. That’s why skin gets saggy and thin.”
While more vitamin C will not magically transform skin, it can help, Dr Rodney says.
Foods that contain vitamin C
Eating plenty of vitamin C–rich foods usually covers what skin needs, says Dr Goldenberg. If intake could be higher, add more of these options:
- Red capsicum, ½ cup: 95 mg
- Orange juice, ¾ cup: 93 mg
- Orange, 1 medium: 70 mg
- Grapefruit juice, ¾ cup: 70 mg
- Kiwifruit, 1 medium: 64 mg
- Green capsicum, ½ cup: 60 mg
- Broccoli, ½ cup: 51 mg
Unsure how you’re tracking or worried about absorption? A blood test can check levels. “If levels are low or not optimal, supplementation can help,” says Dr Goldenberg. Dr Rodney adds a caveat: “They really don’t help unless you’re deficient.”
How topical vitamin C impacts skin
The study focused on dietary intake, but dermatologists say topical vitamin C has a place in skincare as well.
“I like topical vitamin C on the skin—serums, specifically,” says Dr Rodney. Thanks to its antioxidant action, a well-formulated serum can help defend skin against environmental stressors that contribute to signs of ageing. Dr Rodney suggests choosing a serum that pairs vitamin C with ferulic acid, which helps stabilise the vitamin C molecule in the formula.
Overall, the findings reinforce the value of a nutrient-rich diet for skin. “Nutrition has a direct impact on skin health,” says Dr Goldenberg. “Nutrients like vitamin C can promote skin regeneration, delay ageing effects and maintain barrier function.”
Dietary supplements are intended to supplement the diet. They are not medicines and are not intended to treat, diagnose, mitigate, prevent or cure disease. Use caution with supplements during pregnancy or nursing and only give supplements to a child on a healthcare provider’s advice.
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