Tiny Bumps After Applying Vitamin C with SPF? The Reason Might Surprise You
Main image – Audshule/Stocksy
Dr Sonia Khorana is a GP with a special interest in dermatology and Live That Glow’s own skincare agony aunt. She is passionate about helping people feel confident in their own skin. In this month’s column, she advises on how to layer vitamin C serums. Got a question for Dr Sonia? Send it to columnists@livethatglow.com for a chance to have it featured.
I’ve been using a vitamin c serum with the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid SPF50+ and sometimes I get tiny bumps around my chin by midday.
Do you wait a full 10–15 minutes before sunscreen, or do you go in while it’s still slightly tacky? I’m trying to figure out if it’s a pH thing, a layering issue, or if I’m just using too much product.
Dr Sonia says:
This is such a good question because those tiny midday bumps can be so frustrating (especially when you feel like you’re doing everything right)
First, it’s unlikely to be a pH issue. Vitamin C works at a low pH, but once it’s applied to the skin it doesn’t really “conflict” with sunscreen layered on top. In most routines, the bigger culprit tends to be texture, timing, or how much product is being applied.
Personally, I don’t wait 10-15 minutes before applying sunscreen but what I look for instead is absorption. Once the vitamin C serum has absorbed into the skin nicely (usually around a minute or so), I’ll go in with sunscreen. If the skin is still very wet or slippery, that’s when pilling can start to happen.
The other thing to consider is how much vitamin C you’re applying, particularly around the chin area. If you’re using a generous amount and then layering a fluid sunscreen over the top, you can sometimes end up with pilling.
A couple of small tweaks that can help:
- Use slightly less serum – most people only need 2–3 drops for the whole face
- Let it settle briefly, but you don’t need a long wait time
- Check how much sunscreen is collecting around the chin – sometimes product naturally gathers there without us noticing
If the bumps are very consistent, it may simply be that the textures of the two formulas don’t layer perfectly on your skin. In that case, you could try switching to a lighter vit c serum in the morning.
But overall, this is usually due to product and layering technique.
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