Can I Use Retinol and Vitamin C Together?

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If you’re looking for major improvements in skin tone and texture, retinol and vitamin C are two skincare ingredients that are likely calling out to you.

It seems like every beauty magazine and dermatologist recommends that you use both these active ingredients to achieve better, brighter skin. But it’s not exactly clear just how you should do it.

Can you layer retinol and vitamin C together in the same routine? Can you use them on the same day? If you apply one, should you wait a certain amount of time before applying the other?

I’m here to answer these questions and help you use retinol and vitamin C together in the right way. So, without further ado, let’s jump in!

What is retinol? And what does it do for your skin?

Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A. It’s one of the least potent forms of retinoid, as it requires two conversions to become bioavailable retinoic acid i.e. the stuff that your skin can actually use.

Retinol has a number of science-backed benefits like:

• Exfoliating the skin and unclogging pores
• Stimulating collagen production, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Increasing skin cell turnover, which helps fade hyperpigmentation, acne marks and age spots

N.B. If you’re looking to use higher-strength retinoids, like tretinoin, in conjunction with vitamin C, you should be even more careful about introducing them into your routine.

What is vitamin C? And what are the benefits for your skin?

You’ve probably come across vitamin C in your food. But did you know it’s just as beneficial for your skin as it is your immune system?

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant which:

• helps fight off free radicals and protect from UV damage
• lightens dark spots and prevents new ones from forming
• improves signs of ageing and smooths the skin
• evens out skin tone and brightens the skin

How to safely use vitamin C and retinol together

For skin that’s unaccustomed to vitamin C or retinol use, both of these ingredients can be irritating in their own right. That’s why it’s important to introduce these ingredients into your skincare regimen slowly. This might mean:

1. You apply them on alternate evenings
   Apply retinol one night and then vitamin C the next. Leaving a bit of space between them means you’re not overwhelming your skin.
2. You apply vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night
   The general consensus is that retinoids should be only be applied at night (as they can make your skin more sensitive to the sun). Apply your vitamin C treatment in the AM, and save the retinol for your PM routine, just before you go to bed.

The risks of layering retinol and vitamin C

What happens if you use vitamin C and retinol together at the same time? Realistically not a whole lot.

You might experience some dryness and mild irritation (depending on the strength of each formula) but these ingredients aren’t going to fizz up and burn your skin!

Contrary to popular belief, vitamin C and retinol also don’t cancel each other out. So you don’t need to worry about wasting your skincare products (or money) either.

Does the format matter?

You can pretty much find vitamin C and retinol in most skincare products these days. Carbon Theory, for example, has a whole line of Vitamin C products, from a cleanser right down to spot patches.

Usually serums contain higher concentrations of the active ingredient, So, if you’re looking for quicker, more visible results, I’d go for this format. Just bear in mind that serums (if they’re in a high concentration) present a greater risk of irritation too!

For sensitive skin types, a wash-off cleanser might be more tolerable than a serum. In this case, you may want to start off with this type of product, until you can get your skin used to it.

A moisturiser with vitamin C or retinol may also be a good option, as the active ingredient is released more slowly.

Choosing the right retinol 💤

When it comes to retinols, the higher the strength, the quicker the results (but also the more likely you are to experience some irritation).

If you’re a complete beginner, go for something low strength (around 0.1% – 0.3%). If you’re more accustomed to using retinol or chemical exfoliants, try something a bit higher (0.6% – 1%).

Watch out for products that are labelled as retinol but are actually retinyl esters (like Retinyl Acetate or Retinyl Palmitate) – these are an even weaker form of retinoid. I’d recommend scanning the full ingredients list just in case.

Obviously there’s no harm in using a weaker form, but you want to get what you’re paying for!

A few retinol products I’d recommend are:

• Paula’s Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment £63 – A high-strength retinol serum which actually already contains a stable low-strength form of vitamin C: Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate. This cuts out some of the guesswork when it comes to layering vitamin C and retinol, and means you don’t have to do any product mixing yourself.
• CeraVe Resurfacing Retinol Serum with Ceramides & Niacinamide £23 – A lightweight retinol serum which is suitable for sensitive skin. It contains niacinamide and a trio of ceramides which reduce inflammation and strengthen the skin barrier.

Choosing the right vitamin C product 🍊

Ok, so you’re looking at a serum that says it contains vitamin C – but in what form? This also contributes to the efficiency of the product!

The most tested form of vitamin C is ascorbic acid (aka L-Ascorbic Acid). You’re ideally looking for a concentration of 10 – 20%, as this provides results with minimal irritation.

Some affordable vitamin C products you might want to try are:

• Vitamin C 15% Fresh Batch Ascorbic Acid £15.50 – Created in small batches to ensure freshness (vitamin C is known to degrade quickly), this cream is also packed with other antioxidants, like vitamin E and Ferulic Acid.
• Carbon Theory Pow Serum 15% Vitamin C Serum £9.95 – This is vitamin C serum is not only super affordable, it’s also vegan and cruelty-free.

Final thoughts: Can retinol and vitamin C be used together?

The short answer is yes – you can use retinol and vitamin C in the same regimen, but preferably not in the same routine.

Here’s the distinction. Your skincare regimen is the bigger picture. It’s basically your entire skincare plan, which may span days, weeks or months. Your regimen, for example, might include using a chemical exfoliant twice a week or an LED mask once a week. It’s a longer-term plan that goes beyond your daily AM and PM skincare routine.

Your skincare routine, on the other hand, relates solely to those daily steps. It’s what you do in one application e.g. cleanser → toner → serum → moisturiser → sunscreen.

If you’re already using a vitamin C product in your PM routine, there’s no need to include retinol in that same routine.

You can layer both ingredients, but I honestly don’t think it’s necessary to overwhelm your skin with actives. And, since vitamin C protects against free radicals and environmental aggressors, it makes a lot more sense to use it in the morning, rather than at night. You’re then free to use a retinol in the PM.

I hope this post has helped clear up whether you can use retinol and vitamin C together? Do you use both of these ingredients in your skincare regimen? Let me know in the comments!