Put on your lab coat and your safety glasses because today we’re talking science! Specifically, the relationship between peptides and vitamin C products. 

The relationship between products like vitamin C and EGF has less to do with the actives themselves than with the pH of the vitamin C formulation. Our Vitamin C 15% and 20% serums use ascorbic acid to support their exfoliating properties. Due to the presence of ascorbic acid, the formulation has a low pH, which CAN interfere with peptides and reduce the effectiveness of EGF. 

Simply put: layering our Vitamin C 15% and 20% serums with EGF or KGF can, indeed, cancel out some effectiveness.

The Good News!

However, this complication does not extend to all vitamin C products. 

For instance, our Vitamin C Toner uses magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, an alternative source of vitamin C that allows the pH to remain higher. Since peptides are able to remain intact within this range of pH, layering Vitamin C Toner and EGF will NOT reduce the effectiveness of the EGF. 

Another example: our Collagen Serum contains both EGF and vitamin C. Based on our earlier email, it would make sense to assume that these ingredients are contradictory. However, Collagen Serum does not include the stronger form of vitamin C needed to promote exfoliation. In formulating our Collagen Serum, the pH remains within a standard range that protects the activity of both the EGF and vitamin C. 

Tightening Up Your Regimen

That being said, now might be the right time to revisit the benefits of vitamin C!

Neutralization of free radicals, brightening of skin tone, and enhancement of collagen production are all associated with the use of vitamin C in skin care. With these benefits, you can see why we’d be excited to include vitamin C in our products and address any concerns about mixing it with other actives. 

Let’s take a look at a few products containing vitamin C that will work wonders on your skin:

Skin Firming Serum - A veritable cocktail of all the latest firming actives, our Skin Firming Serum uses magnesium ascorbyl phosphate to promote collagen production and smooth out fine lines and wrinkles. Notice what else it contains? That’s right, EGF. Our formulators carefully balanced these two actives, achieving an ideal pH for maximum firming effect. 

Anti-Aging Cream - Look no further than our top-selling Anti-Aging Cream for another example of how vitamin C and EGF can work together brilliantly. To target all the signs of aging in a single product, we paired the antioxidant properties of vitamin C with a suite of moisturizing, nourishing, and soothing actives to combat wrinkles and reduce oxidative stress without any wasted ingredients.

Vitamin C Serum 15% + Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer - Here’s a combo that represents the proper use of vitamin C in a low pH environment. While the Vitamin C Serum 15% would cause inactivity in peptides, pairing it with Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer will deliver a powerful dose of hydrating factors to an overall restorative effect. In this layering system, there’s no need for EGF to produce a youthful glow! 

As you can see, while it can be tricky to incorporate Vitamin C effectively into your routine, it’s well worth the effort and you do have many options. We hope this discussion puts to rest any lingering concerns about the use of Vitamin C and allows you to use this amazing active to its best effect.