Drinking alcohol and using vitamin C serums are two things that many people do regularly, but not everyone realizes how they might interact with each other, especially when it comes to skin health. Vitamin C serums are popular because they help brighten the skin, reduce dark spots, and protect against damage from things like pollution and sunlight. But if you drink alcohol, you might be wondering if your vitamin C serum is still working as well as it should. The answer is not a simple yes or no, but there are some important things to understand about how alcohol affects your body and how that could change the way vitamin C works.
First, let’s talk about what vitamin C does for your skin. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which means it helps fight something called free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage your skin cells, making your skin look older and more tired. When you use a vitamin C serum, you are giving your skin extra protection against these free radicals, which can help keep your skin looking healthy and glowing [1]. Vitamin C also helps your skin make more collagen, which is a protein that keeps your skin firm and smooth. Without enough collagen, your skin can start to sag and develop wrinkles.
Now, let’s look at what happens when you drink alcohol. Alcohol does more than just make you feel relaxed or sleepy. It actually changes the way your body works, especially when it comes to your skin. When you drink alcohol, it can make your skin lose water, which makes it look dry and dull. Alcohol also causes your blood vessels to widen, which can make your skin look red or flushed. Over time, drinking a lot of alcohol can make your skin look older because it speeds up the breakdown of collagen and elastin, the proteins that keep your skin firm and bouncy [1].
But the real problem for vitamin C serums comes from what alcohol does inside your body. Alcohol interferes with the way your body absorbs and uses certain nutrients, including vitamin C. When you drink alcohol, your liver has to work harder to break it down, and this can use up some of the antioxidants your body needs, including vitamin C. This means that even if you are using a vitamin C serum, your body might not have enough vitamin C to do its job properly. Alcohol also increases the number of free radicals in your body, which means your skin has to deal with more damage than usual. If your body is already low on vitamin C because of alcohol, it will be harder for your skin to fight off this extra damage [1].
There is also some evidence that alcohol can affect the way your skin responds to topical treatments like vitamin C serums. When your skin is dehydrated or inflamed from alcohol, it might not absorb the serum as well, which means less vitamin C actually gets into your skin where it is needed. This could make the serum less effective, even if you are using it every day. Some studies have shown that people who drink a lot of alcohol tend to have lower levels of vitamin C in their blood, which suggests that their bodies are not getting enough of this important nutrient, no matter how much they use on their skin [1].
Another thing to consider is that alcohol can change the balance of bacteria in your gut. Your gut is home to trillions of tiny organisms that help your body digest food and absorb nutrients. When you drink alcohol, it can upset this balance, which might make it harder for your body to absorb vitamin C from your diet. If your body is not absorbing enough vitamin C from food, then even the best serum might not be able to make up for the difference. Some research has shown that vitamin C supplementation can help improve the balance of gut bacteria, but if you are drinking alcohol regularly, this benefit might be reduced [3].
There is also a connection between alcohol and something called oxidative stress. Oxidative stress happens when there are too many free radicals in your body and not enough antioxidants to neutralize them. Alcohol increases oxidative stress, which can damage your skin cells and make them age faster. Vitamin C is supposed to help reduce oxidative stress, but if you are drinking alcohol, you might be creating more oxidative stress than your vitamin C can handle. This means that your serum might not be able to keep up with the damage, and your skin could still look tired and dull [1].
Some studies have looked at how vitamins C and E work together to protect the body from damage. These two vitamins are both antioxidants, and they seem to work better when they are used together. Vitamin C helps protect the watery parts of your cells, while vitamin E protects the fatty parts. When you use both, they can help each other stay active and do their jobs better. But if you are drinking alcohol, this teamwork might not work as well because alcohol can interfere with the way these vitamins are absorbed and used by your body. Most of the research on this topic has been done in animals or in test tubes, so we don’t know for sure how it works in people, but the evidence suggests that alcohol could make it harder for vitamins C and E to protect your skin [2].
It is also important to remember that everyone’s body is different. Some people might be able to drink alcohol and still get the full benefits of their vitamin C serum, while others might notice that their skin looks worse when they drink. Factors like how much alcohol you drink, how often you drink, and your overall health can all affect how alcohol impacts your skin and your vitamin C serum. If you have a condition that affects your liver or your gut, like celiac disease or inflammatory bowel disease, alcohol might have an even bigger effect on your skin and your ability to absorb vitamin C [4].
In short, drinking alcohol can make vitamin C serums less effective because it interferes with the way your body absorbs and uses vitamin C, increases oxidative stress, and can change the balance of bacteria in your gut. If you want to get the most out of your vitamin C serum, it is a good idea to limit your alcohol intake and make sure you are getting enough vitamin C from your diet as well. This way, your skin will have the best chance to stay healthy and protected, no matter what else you are doing.
[1] https://glovista.in/blogs/news/ever-wonder-what-smoking-and-alcohol-really-do-to-your-skin
[2] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1660240/full
[3] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12568435/
[4] https://www.acsh.org/news/2025/11/07/histamine-intolerance-when-wine-cheese-and-chocolate-can-cause-misery-49820
