Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can help boost collagen production and fight skin aging by reducing oxidative stress, but the research also found that combining it with specific amino acids—particularly glycine—works better than using vitamin C alone. Since collagen is made up of about one-third glycine, pairing these ingredients could maximize anti-aging benefits.

This was a literature review that examined existing research on how ascorbic acid affects collagen in skin cells and explored emerging combination strategies to make vitamin C more effective as an anti-aging ingredient.

Funding not disclosed in abstract