Vitamin C is one of the skin's most powerful antioxidants and does several things well: it protects against sun damage and UV-induced skin changes, boosts collagen production, stabilizes existing collagen, and reduces dark spots by decreasing melanin formation. It also works better when paired with vitamin E. The catch: most vitamin C formulations on the market aren't stable or penetrating enough to actually deliver these benefits consistently.

This was a literature review, meaning the authors searched PubMed for existing studies on vitamin C and skin using specific keywords like 'ascorbic acid' and 'magnesium ascorbyl phosphate,' then summarized what they found.

Funding not disclosed in abstract