Vitamins C and E both have their own impressive bottom lines: Both are favorites for evening out skin tone, supporting skin repair, and supporting collagen production.* And when you combine them together, the benefits are many.

“Certain antioxidants are synergistic,” board-certified dermatologist Julia T. Hunter, MD, founder of Wholistic Dermatology in Beverly Hills, says of this ingredient. “They strengthen each other, regenerate each other and last longer in the body, so they are more available in the skin.”

And vitamins C and E are known for their synergism. One study even found that vitamin E (and ferulic acid) increase the effectiveness of vitamin C1 eightfold; on the other hand, vitamin C regenerates vitamin E after the latter absorbs free radicals reduction of oxidative stress2 to cell membranes.* All this is a very scientific way of saying: vitamins C and E stand for each other.

You’ll often find that many topical vitamin C serums include vitamin E in the formula, given how well they work together. “Combined, vitamins C and E make a powerful antioxidant combination,” says board-certified dermatologist Brendan Kemp, MD, MD, in our vitamin E explanation. Plus, “Vitamin E helps stabilize vitamin C and prevents it from breaking down too quickly.” . Vitamin C, as you probably know, is a very picky and unstable drug, so anything that helps extend its shelf life is worth considering.