Can I Use Vitamin C And Tranexamic Acid Together? – Here’s What To Know

Have you been curious to know the cohabitation status of vitamin C and tranexamic acid together? You’ve hit the right post, and I must commend you for that because your taste of curiosity is about to be quenched.

Vitamin C and tranexamic acid are two great depigmenting skin care ingredients, used to tackle discoloration, thereby illuminating dull skin and improving overall skin complexion – giving your skin that youthful glow that it deserves. But the question is, are both skincare ingredients synergetic together? Well, I guess that’s what you’re here for right? Then keep reading to find out.

But before you get the answers you seek, it will be nice to briefly educate you about vitamin C and tranexamic acid, and how they can benefit your skin.

What Is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant vitamin which helps improve the appearance of the skin, potentially reducing pigmentation, dullness, neutralizing free radicals and environmental aggressors and helps stimulate collagen production.

A daily application of vitamin C will help reverse sun damage (which helps potentiates your sunscreen), boost collagen production and also address minor hyperpigmentation, which leaves the skin with a wonderful glow and with improved skin texture.

Main Skin Benefits Of Vitamin C.

• Reduces the appearance of dark spots and pigmentation.

• Reduces the looks of wrinkles by stimulating collagen production.

• Powerful antioxidants that fend-off free radicals and environmental aggressors.

• Improves the appearance of red marks left on the skin from spots and breakouts.

• Builds skin resilience to UV exposure making it able to protect itself better from the sun.

What Is Tranexamic Acid?

Tranexamic acid is synthetically derived from the amino acid lysine. Traditionally, tranexamic acid is a drug used to treat heavy bleeding during menstrual period. Tranexamic acid works by slowing the breakdown of blood clots, which helps to prevent prolonged bleeding. It belongs to a class of drugs known as antifibrinolytics.

But besides that, skincare scientists discovered its skin depigmenting potentials which helps tackle skin discoloration such as hyperpigmentation, by inhibiting melanocytes, thereby curbing excess production of melanin and simultaneously blocks the transfer of pigment from melanocytes to keratinocytes in the epidermis.

Main Skin Benefits Of Tranexamic Acid.

• Tackles hyperpigmentation by Inhibiting melanocytes, by blocking the transfer of pigment from melanocytes to keratinocytes in the epidermis. Thereby curbing excess production of melanin, thus improving overall skin complexion.

• Calms the skin and helps restore the skin barrier, all thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties.

• It’s safe and suitable for all skin types (including people with sensitive skin).

• It’s ingredient-friendly, as it’s compatible and even works better when combined with ingredients like alpha arbutin, niacinamide, kojic acid, vitamin C, retinol and AHAs.

Can Vitamin C And Tranexamic Acid Be Used Together?

The short answer is yes, vitamin C and tranexamic acid are a winning combination. This means that you’re safe to use both vitamin C and tranexamic acid together in the same product, or combined from different products that you layer one over the other.

Individually, both actives serve skin depigmenting potentials. Vitamin C inhibits melanin synthesis by decreasing the activity of an enzyme known as tyrosinase, thereby encouraging more brighter skin complexion, while tranexamic acid Inhibits melanocytes, by blocking the transfer of pigment from melanocytes to keratinocytes in the epidermis. Thereby curbing excess production of melanin, thus improving overall skin complexion.

Both skincare ingredients individually play a huge impact in decreasing melanin production in the skin, and when combined together makes them offer more powerful skin depigmentation towards eradication hyperpigmentation.

However, when it comes to vitamin C, using a high L-ascorbic acid concentration, (which is known as the purest and most potent form of vitamin C) may likely irritate the skin, especially sensitive skin. As L-ascorbic acid is acidic in nature and possesses exfoliating potentials which can traumatize sensitive skin when used in higher concentration, example 15%-20%.

It’s best advised to use L-ascorbic acid vitamin C at 10% concentration which is best suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin. Recommended – Timeless 10% vitamin C serum, (contains 10% L-ascorbic acid).

If you’re worried L-ascorbic acid may sensitize your skin, you can opt for vitamin C derivatives, such as Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ascorbyl glucoside, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate or Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, which are known to be very stable (doesn’t oxidize quickly) and non-acidic in nature, thus won’t sensitize your skin or cause inflammatory-irritation which is normally associated to L-ascorbic acid. Recommended – FaceTheory Regena C20 Serum (contains 20% ethyl ascorbic acid) or The Ordinary Ascorbyl Glucoside Vitamin C Serum 12% (contains 12% Ascorbyl Glucoside).

How To Use Vitamin C And Tranexamic Acid Together.

If you’re interested in using both vitamin C and tranexamic acid together in your skincare routine, you should really consider going for their respective serums, as serums are more concentrated, thereby making them more potent and effective. Or you can as well go for skincare products with both actives combined in their formulation. Example is The Inkey List Tranexamic Acid Night Treatment which combined both tranexamic acid at 2% and ascorbyl glucoside vitamin C at 2% together. My skin really benefited from this product when I used it. You can read my review here.

Both vitamin C and tranexamic acid can be used in the same skincare routine or used at different intervals. That’s to say, you can use vitamin C and tranexamic acid together, (vitamin C serum to be applied first, followed by tranexamic acid serum) that’s if they’re both water-based serums.

They can also be used at different skincare routine intervals, that’s to say. Vitamin C serum in the morning, while tranexamic acid serum at night.

If your vitamin C serum is thicker in consistency than your tranexamic acid serum, then start by applying tranexamic acid serum first, likewise vitamin C serum too. Because you don’t want to reduce the absorption rate of the actives into your skin, this is because when a thinner skincare product is applied over a thicker one, it’s definitely going to slow the absorption rate, thereby minimizing results.

What Are The Best Vitamin C And Tranexamic Acid Serum To Use Together?

If you don’t have sensitive skin, you can go for a 15% or 20% L-ascorbic acid-based vitamin C serum. Recommended – Geek and Gorgeous C-Glow Serum, SkinCeuticals 15% vitamin C Serum or Timeless 20% Vitamin C Serum. But if you have sensitive skin, and love to use L-ascorbic acid-based vitamin C, then you should go for a 10% L-ascorbic acid-based serum. Recommended – Timeless 10% Vitamin C Serum.

However, if you love to use vitamin C derivative serums, FaceTheory Regena C20 Serum is your best bet (contains 20% ethyl ascorbic acid) or The Ordinary Ascorbyl Glucoside Vitamin C Serum 12% (contains ascorbyl glucoside).

The best tranexamic acid serums to use In combination with vitamin C? Recommended – The Good Molecules Discoloration Correction Serum (which previously contained 2% advanced derivative of tranexamic acid – cetyl tranexamate mesylate, but later increased to 3% in their new formulation). Or you can also opt for Superdrug Me+ Tranexamic Acid Booster which contains 2.5% tranexamic acid.

If you prefer a formulation housing both vitamin C and tranexamic acid together, then you can’t be wrong with The Inkey List Tranexamic Acid Night Treatment, which pairs 2% tranexamic acid and 2% ascorbyl glucoside vitamin C together in a formulation for utmost skin brightening and hyperpigmentation-targeting result.

In Conclusion.

Respectively, vitamin C and tranexamic acid are two great skin depigmenting ingredients towards fighting hyperpigmentation, but when both actives are combined together, they offer two time (X2) more depigmentation-action towards eradicating hyperpigmentation and also improving overall skin complexion for a youthful luminosity.

Don’t forget to perform a patch test prior to commencing any product application to test for allergies and also always wear your sunscreen daily before exploring your outdoor activities to protect your skin from UV rays exposure. Remember, the sun is the devil. Read how to properly apply a sunscreen.

UP NEXT: Can You Use Niacinamide & Vitamin C Together? Here’s What To Know.