Last time we said that the most common daily vitamin, vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid), has strong antioxidant properties and is a necessary cofactor for the maintenance of the activity of collagen proline hydroxylase and collagen lysine hydroxylase, and its effectiveness against wrinkles and fine lines, as well as photoprotective and depigmentation, has been supported by a large number of reliable scientific evidence.
Unfortunately, the practical application of vitamin C in skin care presents some difficulties due to the lack of stability. When exposed to air, the vitamin C solution undergoes an oxidative reaction that not only becomes ineffective, but also poses a potential hazard (oxidation of vitamin C may increase the formation of free radicals).
Some skincare companies offer stable vitamin C products that oxidize more slowly. However, these products are often very expensive (especially those that are effective enough) and may still be over-oxidized when using them.
Is it possible to reap the benefits of vitamin C at a lower cost without the risk of using a degrading product? One way is to maintain the activity of vitamin C, such as dry vitamin C powder, to maximize the isolation of the external environment, to maintain its high antioxidant properties, but itself has a certain irritation.
Natural Philosophy VC Powder
In addition to this, to avoid high-potency vitamin C irritation to your skin, another option is to use vitamin C derivatives.
To improve the utility of vitamin C in skin care, scientists have been looking for VC relatives with higher stability or superiority. An ideal vitamin C derivative should be able to easily penetrate skin cells and release enough amount of L-ascorbic acid to promote collagen synthesis. In addition, it should be more stable and less irritating than vitamin C.
So far, vitamin C derivatives have entered a wide range of skincare markets, with ascorbyl palmitate, ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbic acid glycosaccharides, and ascorbate ethyl ether compounds most common.
Ascorbyl PALMITATE (AA6P) is the most widely used fat-soluble derivative of vitamin C in skin care, which has the advantage of being safe, stable and non-toxic compared to vitamin C, and is easy to penetrate into the skin, exists in cell membranes, and has no irritation to the skin.
Ascorbyl palmitate is a fat-soluble antioxidant that penetrates the skin more than water-soluble VC to provide antioxidant power. And like vitamin E, it protects the skin from lipid peroxidation (a key type of free radical damage in the skin) and helps prevent cell aging, making it an ideal ingredient for middle-aged and elderly skincare products.
Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque
AnneMarie Borlind Orange Blossom Energizer
Unfortunately, the concentration of ascorbyl palmitate achievable in skin care formulations does not have the same effect as vitamin C in promoting collagen synthesis.
There are many skincare products that contain ascorbyl palmitate, and when shopping for ascorbyl palmitate (or other vitamin C-derived skincare products), it is best to choose a colorless or white formula. In this way, we can discover the advanced stages of oxidation of the active ingredient by the yellowish hue that appears. However, since the early oxidation products were colorless, hue changes do not completely guarantee that there is no oxidation.
Estin Multi-dimensional Light Protector Meltwater Sense Sunscreen
MartiDERM Balancing Rejuvenating Serum
Nursery yuzu extract moisturizing lotion
Magnesuim ascorbyl phosphate is a water-soluble derivative of vitamin C that was reported as early as 1970 as magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, and its efficacy was not reported until 1996 in the Journal of the American Society of Dermatology. And there is phosphosterase in the human body, which is easy to convert vitamin C phosphate salts into vitamin C and be used by the human body.
Vitamin C phosphate has a good whitening effect, and is chemically stable, no irritation to the skin. On top of that, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate appears to have the same potential as vitamin C to promote collagen synthesis in the skin, but is effective at significantly lower concentrations.
Kato Eiko et al. pointed out that vitamin C phosphate derivatives can promote collagen synthesis, inhibit collagen decomposition, and improve skin aging.
Klock J. found that vitamin C sodium phosphate can eliminate acne after research.
Castiel Isabelle et al. point out that vitamin C phosphate salts can promote the synthesis of ceramides on the skin, increasing skin softness and moisture.
Overall, for people with sensitive skin and those who wish to avoid any accompanying exfoliating effects, ascorbyl phosphate seems to be a better option than vitamin C. (Most vitamin C formulations are highly acidic, causing the skin to peel off.) ）
Sebegvita C powder, patented for stable vitamin C TEP, is the best way to solve the problem of ascorbic acid stability. Serum or cream products can be infused to stimulate skin whitening, protection and repair. Apply a slightly harmonizing micro-cosmetic skin mask to the face to help cure acne and acne. Available in two sizes:
Whitening Vitamin C Powder Cream (5 x 1.95g) provides superior antioxidants, activates collagen, brightens and revitalizes the skin.
Professional Size Whitening Vitamin C Powder Cream (5 x 5g) protects skin and fades spots. High-tech powder-to-cream technology, stable and non-irritating, can be combined with any skin care product to enhance the skin brightening effect.
Skin care products containing ascorbic acid phosphate are already on the market and their numbers are growing. But be careful, many products contain less than the effective concentration and do not promote collagen synthesis. In addition, even though ascorbic acid phosphate is several times more stable than vitamin C, it still degrades gradually when exposed to light and air. So freshness and proper storage are still important.
Derma And VC
Mad Hippie Vitamin C Serum
Most vitamin C derivatives on the market include ascorbyl palmitate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, which consist of fragments of ascorbic acid (ascorbic acid) and fragments of another acid (such as palmitate or phosphate). Recent studies have shown that new vitamin C derivatives, consisting of multiple chemical fragments combined into one ascorbic acid fragment, may work better and can be stable for 6 hours in experiments. These new derivatives are more stable than vitamin C and old derivatives.
Common AA2G, the crystal is a positive diamond structure, different from the VC crystal sheet layer structure, its aqueous solution has higher heat resistance and oxidation resistance than VC.
Fujinami et al. found that AA2G itself is reducible, can be hydrolyzed by glycosidase in vivo to slowly release VC, playing a role in VC reservoir and sustained release.
0.5 mmol/L AA2G can last longer than the same concentration of VC on the synthesis of collagen and fibroblast proliferation of fibroblasts.
Thus: AA2G promotes collagen production, provides antioxidant protection, and helps reduce visible signs of aging. L'Oréal, for example, uses VC-glycoside derivatives in synergy with other components, such as ascorbic acid, to prevent and treat signs of skin aging.
Lancôme small black bottle essence muscle base
Lumene's Valo Nordic C Glow Boost Essence
In the experiment of using VC as a positive control to explore the effect of AA2G on the synthesis of B16 melanoma cells, the results show that AA2G has significant inhibition of melanocyte growth, reduces cytomelanin synthesis, and is better than VC in inhibiting tyrosinase activity, and has been approved by the Japanese government as an additive for cosmetics, quasi-drugs and foods.
POLA WHITE SHOT CLEAR SERUM SX
Clinique Even Pure ZhuoYan Light Spot Double Effect Serum
Compared with AA2G, the thermal stability of the acylated VC glycosides, the solubility of neutral solutions is slightly weaker than the latter, and the free radical scavenging ability is stronger than the latter. The saturated fatty acid chain on the 6-Acyl-AA-2G pyridine ring gives it good fat solubility and skin penetration, which is the biggest advantage that AA-2G and VC do not have.
Vitamin C ethyl ether derivatives have an oleophilic and hydrophilic amphiphilic structure, making it extremely convenient for use in formulations. This amphiphilism is not only very stable in chemical properties, but also easier to penetrate the stratum corneum into the dermis layer, and it is also easier to be broken down by biological enzymes to exert the role of vitamin C.
Vitamin C ethyl ether derivatives mainly inhibit the activity of tyrosinase, block melanin formation, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory, impart skin elasticity, repair cell activity, promote collagen production and other effects. It is common in Japanese, pet-named, and neon whitening products such as Shiseido and POLA.
Shiseido Ahn Sunscreen Small Gold Bottle Sunscreen SPF50+
Shiseido White Flawless Serum
ORBIS New Skin Whitening Serum
Keyen's New Set Whitening Balance Brightening Skin Spot Serum
Garnier's Professional Full Effect Instant Whitening Serum
Pampered name ethyl vitamin C purifying white water gel cream
Silicone is widely used in cosmetics, mainly because silicone has no side effects on the human body, can form a protective film of fat layer on the surface of the skin, prevent skin drying, is an excellent skin lubricant and moisturizer, especially suitable for the configuration of facial, eye cosmetics with emulsifiers and emulsification stabilizers.
The introduction of silicone groups into ascorbic acid can improve the stability of ascorbic acid on the one hand, and integrate silicone and ascorbic acid together on the other hand, so that it has both whitening, anti-aging and moisturizing effects. Leonard et al. report on the synthesis of silane-modified ascorbic acid, a derivative with higher stability and biological activity than ascorbic acid, which can improve the skin in anhydrous formulations, with good whitening and anti-aging effects.
DERMALOGICA BIOLUMIN C SERUM
Vitamin C derivatives not only have a good whitening effect, and the chemical properties are stable, no irritation to the skin, to overcome the shortcomings of vitamin C is easy to be oxidized and unstable, and has been widely used at home and abroad.
In the whitening cosmetic formula to take its anti-free radical, reducing the role of melanin; in moisturizing, anti-aging products, it can promote the growth of collagen, improve the effect of skin aging. In addition, it can also play a good sun protection role after being absorbed by the skin, so it is also one of the raw materials that are often added to sunscreen products.
But this is not to say that with VC derivatives, everything will be fine, after all, after transdermal absorption, it must be converted into VC to become an active ingredient for antioxidants. Therefore, although VC derivatives are more stable and less irritating than the chemical properties of VC, their effects are still difficult to surpass the direct application of VC, suitable for people who are more sensitive to VC; and when using such products, we must also pay attention to the problem of preventing oxidation. above.