The idea of a “bright” skin tone is popular among skincare brands and beauty experts, but what exactly does that mean?
Glowing, dewy, and fresh-faced? Sure, but there’s more to it than just subjective descriptors.
More specifically, skin brightening alleviates hyperpigmentation, which includes visible dark spots and discoloration from melasma, sun spots, acne scarring, and more. Brighter skin equates to a beautifully even complexion, which vitamin C can achieve and maintain.
The Science: How Vitamin C Counteracts Hyperpigmentation
Hyperpigmentation simply means excess (hyper) skin coloration (pigmentation).
Our bodies produce a certain amount of melanin, the natural pigment responsible for hair, skin, and eye color. Some people produce more than others, accounting for darker skin and hair than their peers. When our bodies produce uneven amounts of melanin, we see skin discoloration and dark patches.
The entire process of melanin production is called melanogenesis, which vitamin C can interrupt.
Vitamin C (often referred to as its active ingredient, ascorbic acid, or AA) is known as a depigmenting agent because it can reverse the effects of hyperpigmentation. There are two types of depigmenting agents; vitamin C is considered the “good one,” as it inhibits the melanin-producing process rather than introducing substances that are toxic to the melanin-forming cell.
- Vitamin C interacts with copper ions, which are involved in the cellular process of melanin production, located at tyrosinase-active sites. This enzyme, tyrosinase, sets the process in motion and controls the rate of melanin production.
- The interaction between vitamin C and the copper ions inhibits action in the tyrosinase enzyme.
- Ultimately, this decreases melanin formation and accounts for vitamin C’s title as a depigmenting agent.
L-Ascorbic acid (another name for vitamin C, the “L” referring to its shape and therefore indicating a natural form of the vitamin) has been studied to treat melasma, one of the main contributors to hyperpigmentation. Clinical trials have shown significant improvement according to the Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI), among other metrics.
All in all, vitamin C can be an excellent source of skin brightening and spot clearing, leaving you with a stunningly smooth complexion.
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