Vitamin C in Skin Care Products

I mentioned the potential benefits Vitamin C has on the skin when consumed in a previous article. Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant that fights off free radicals that damage the skin and aids the skin in producing collagen to help prevent wrinkles. In addition, Vitiamin C reduces melanin formation, which causes the formation of dark pigmentation on the skin. As a result, it helps keep own skin lighter too.

However, with skin care products that contain Vitamin C, not all of them are equally effective. The way our body absorbs Vitamin C when applied to the skin is different from when eaten from a fruit or vegetable. There a few different types of Vitamin C used in skin care products. Generally, it should be in the form of L-ascorbic acid in order to have any significant beneficial effects.

Studies have shown that L-ascorbic acid stays in the skin for up to 3 days once applied. Other types of Vitamin C used in skin care products is not absorbed as well and disappears from the skin in a shorter time frame.

It still gets a little more complicated since there are different types of L-ascorbic acid. In order for L-ascorbic acid to successfully penetrate the skin, it should be at a low ph level. Furthermore, the preparation of L-ascorbic acid has to be stable. Or else when exposed to air, it loses its effectiveness.

Of course, the actual product does need a high enough concentration of L-ascrobic acid too. If there is just a smidge of L-ascorbic acid so the company can list it under the ingredients, then there is really little benefit.

However, L-ascorbic acid and other types of Vitamin C used in skin care products might not work well for everyone. L-ascorbic acid is acidic and this might cause some burning, itching, redness, or irritation for some skin types when applied.

An alternative to Vitamin C is Ascorbyl Palmitate, an ester that is very similar to Vitaminc C. It is used in a few skin care products such as LifeCell, a highly rated all in one anti-aging solution. However, it is much less commonly used then L-ascorbic acid since it is much more expensive to produce.

Ascorbyl Palmitate is known to be better than L-ascorbic acid when used in skin care products. It is fat-soluble and is always stable. It can be absorbed into the skin much more quickly. In addition, it is not acidic and should be safe on most skin types.