Vitamin C

We all know that Vitamin C is great for your skin but  how effective has it really been in your skin care ritual?

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has a long history of use and is one of the most researched key ingredients used in skin care. Vitamin C is the major water-soluble antioxidant found in the body and a cofactor in at least eight important enzymatic reactions. As an antioxidant it destroys free radicals which contribute towards the aging process. It also supports and maintains the skin matrix and thus prevents the appearance of wrinkles. Vitamin C is normally found at high levels in the dermis and epidermis however levels decline with age and sun damage.

Ongoing use has been shown to support collagen production, which smooths the appearance of wrinkles, it also reduces the appearance of skin discolorations and it aids the skins barrier and repair response.

Yet despite all these benefits there is a major draw back with Vitamin C. It rapidly oxidizes in the presence of water making it ineffective. The majority of it oxidizes within a couple days in the presence of water. Some companies overcome this by formulating Vitamin C in an oil to avoid water and thus prevent oxidation, however we feel these products tend to be too greasy and the Vitamin C is suspended in the oil as it cannot dissolve which makes it feel grainy and limits its absorption capabilities and it usually sits on the skin surface. Others formulate Vitamin C suspended in a silicon base which is not greasy like the oil base but the vitamin C is not dissolved and thus sits on the skin surface leaving white residue and little benefit for the skin.

In order to overcome these short comings of Vitamin C, yet still obtain many of its benefits we have used two different approaches.

(1) Water Free Non Greasy Carrier. For our high potency Ascorbic Acid (15%) Serum we have dissolved the Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) in a water free no greasy carrier to avoid oxidation. Our carrier is free of propylene glycol, silicon and oil so it is not greasy, non irritating and does not leave a film over your skin.

(2) Use New Stabilized Forms of Vitamin C. Many new stabilized forms of Vitamin C have been developed. We have studied all of them and decided on using two of them in our products as we feel the research supports these being the best and most effective of all the stabilized forms we have available at this time.

These include 3-O–Ethyl Ascorbate and Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate.

3-O-Ethyl Ascorbate is both water and lipid soluble (soluble in fats and oils) and thus its potent antioxidant effects can protect the water and lipid components of the cell. It is as effective as Vitamin C at improving the appearance of skin discoloration due to its lightening and brightening effects on the skin. It is as effective as Vitamin C at supporting collagen production but its real advantage is its ability to absorb much more effectively than Vitamin C and it even reaches into the deeper dermis layer unlike Vitamin C. It is non-acidic so therefore non-irritating to the skin and do not forget it is stable long term unlike Vitamin C!

Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate is a lipid soluble stabilized form of Vitamin C. Being lipid soluble it absorbs more effectively than Vitamin C with over 10% being absorbed into the epidermis compared to only 1% of Vitamin C and like ethyl ascorbate it also reaches the deeper dermis layer. It is more effective than Vitamin C in supporting collagen production. It also helps brighten the skin like Vitamin C and has potent antioxidant activity.