Vitamin C and retinol
Keep them apart
Use them at different times of day with Vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night, because combining them causes skin irritation. Layering these two potent ingredients together can dry out and irritate the skin. You can avoid this by using a gentler strength or waiting longer between applications.
Retinoids: a journey from the molecular structures and mechanisms of action to clinical uses in dermatology and adverse effectsWhy Topical Retinoids Are Mainstay of Therapy for Acne
Vitamin C products
-
Olay
Super Serum
AED 109.00
-
Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte's Magic Cream
AED 399.00
-
Summer Fridays
Jet Lag Mask
AED 140.15
-
Mad Hippie
Vitamin C Serum
AED 139.99
- Eve Lom Renewal Treatment Oil
-
ZO Skin Health
Exfoliating Polish
AED 260.04
- CeraVe Skin Renewing Vitamin C Serum
-
Eucerin
Anti-Pigment Dual Serum
AED 122.50
-
iS Clinical
Cleansing Complex
AED 138.20
-
NATURIUM
Azelaic Topical Acid 10%
AED 104.00
-
NATURIUM
Multi-Peptide Moisturizer
AED 87.37
-
NATURIUM
Vitamin C Complex Serum
AED 100.14
Retinol products
-
CeraVe
Resurfacing Retinol Serum
AED 60.50
-
RoC
Retinol Correxion Line Smoothing Eye Cream
AED 90.00
-
Good Molecules
Gentle Retinol Cream
AED 40.82
-
La Roche-Posay
Retinol B3 Serum
AED 142.25
- DRMTLGY Retinol Body Lotion
-
CeraVe
Skin Renewing Retinol Serum
AED 60.50
-
Olay
Regenerist Retinol 24 Night Moisturizer
AED 84.00
- cocokind Retinol Body Cream
- The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion
-
Murad
Retinol Youth Renewal Serum
AED 428.00
-
Dr. Dennis Gross
Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel
AED 397.98
-
COSRX
The Retinol 0.1 Cream
AED 44.90
Questions and answers
Can you use vitamin C and retinol together?
Which goes first, vitamin C or retinol?
Keep vitamin C and retinol apart by using vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night, because combining them in the same routine increases irritation and instability.
Are vitamin C and retinol good for sensitive skin?
Combining vitamin C and retinol is not recommended for sensitive skin because using them together may increase irritation and instability. Instead, alternate your routine by using vitamin C in the morning and retinol at night.
Research on vitamin C and retinol
Molecular basis of retinol anti-ageing properties in naturally aged human skin in vivo
Stability, transdermal penetration, and cutaneous effects of ascorbic acid and its derivatives
Effects of ascorbic acid on gingival melanin pigmentation in vitro and in vivo
Encapsulation and controlled release of retinol from silicone particles for topical delivery
Ascorbic Acid Treatments as Effective and Safe Anti-Aging Therapies for Sensitive Skin
Efficacy of ethyl ascorbyl ether-containing cosmetic cream on blue light-induced skin changes
Moisturizing potentials of ascorbyl palmitate and calcium ascorbate in various topical formulations
Liposomal formulation of a vitamin C derivative: a promising strategy to increase skin permeability
Treatment with Ascorbyl Glucoside-Arginine Complex Ameliorates Solar Lentigos
Behind this pairing advice
Lovi checks every pairing with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
-

Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
-

Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
-

Dr. Sof铆a Perea P茅rez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
-

Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
-

Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
-

Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
-

Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
-

Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
Scan your face, then any product: Lovi shows how well it fits you and what fits even better.























