The Value of Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential and vital nutrient for the body and skin. It has been recognized as a cosmeceutical by many leading dermatologists because of its’ many benefits. Dr. Sheldon Pinnell led research on vitamin C while he was at Duke University in the early 1980s and taught us many key insights to why it was so important to the skin. Later, he founded SkinCeuticals.
A powerful anti-oxidant: Vitamin C quenches the superoxide free radical ion, hydrogen peroxide, hydroxy radical, and singlet oxide. This is important to have both from intrinsic (in cell itself) and extrinsic (outside cell) sources. Both protecting cellular function and pre-mature aging from solar exposure.
Collagen synthesis: Only L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) stimulates fibroblasts, the stem cell factories inside the dermis to produce collagen. Vitamin C is the ultimate cosmeceutical product because it’s known to act at the gene, cellular and macromolecular levels. Only vitamin C helps to synthesize many essential collagen fibers. Structural and support collagens are the foundation of the dermal layer of the skin. It is the degradation of these fiber proteins that cause wrinkling, sagging, and thinness of the skin. Production of these by the skin starts slowing as we age, fighting photo-aging and looking young is an essential part of all serious skin care treatment products. Vitamin C boosts collagen output, but also regulates the type and quality of new collagen formation. Where peptides are limited to stimulating only collagen 1, vitamin c is the conductor that designates the fibroblast to make all types collagen that are necessary for the skin.
Anti-Inflammatory: Vitamin C inhibits the release of inflammatory mediators like IL-6 and 8. Vitamin C also inhibits release of histamine making it an anti-allergenic material as well.
Hyperpigmentation: Vitamin C inhibits the enzyme tyrosinase that is a key factor in melanin synthesis. As a results, Vitamin C lightens dark spots and uneven pigmentation. It will not damage skin by bleaching or stripping skin.
Health Skin: Vitamin C is essential for all cell to perform optimally. In general, all cells require vitamin C in order for the mitochondria to make energy without oxidizing itself.
Vitamin C Q and A’s
What is Vitamin C?
- Vitamin C is the molecule L-Ascorbic Acid. This is pure vitamin C that the skin needs in this form to receive its maximum benefits.
- Vitamin C is not Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ascorbyl Glucoside, 3-O-Ethyl-Ascorbic Acid, Tetraethyldecyl Ascorbate or other derivative of vitamin C. All these molecules are not as potent and need to be broken down by the skin to have any vitamin C activity.
- These derivatives are used, to be more stable than Vitamin C itself. The maximum use level for these alternatives is between 3 to 5% in formulations. Making the actual use of available Vitamin C approximately 1.5 to 2.5%, if they are all converted and penetrate the skin at all. Their stability may be better than vitamin C alone, but is not perfect, many degrade over time. Additionally, these are the most effective levels but many companies use only enough to make label claim as some are very expensive.
What is the optimal level of Vitamin C for the Skin?
- 20% Pure L- Ascorbic Acid is the optimal level for a facial treatment product.
- We believe 5% is the right level for the thinner eye area. Our Eye Perfector contains 5%.
Why is BeautyStat the most stable product on the market place?
- We formulate our product with only pure L-ascorbic acid. We disperse the ascorbic acid as a very fine ultra, fine powder into propriety elastomer gels. These silicone elastomer gels coat the vitamin C making it impervious to oxidative stress. It is shielded from air, and water to prevent oxidation of any type. Our studies at room temperature and 50 Degrees, show no breakdown of vitamin C at all after a five-year period. We confirmed this via visual and analytical methods. After five years, the vitamin C was just as fresh as the day it was made. We have been awarded 4 separate patents for achieving this goal. No other product on the market has been able to achieve the stability and elegance of our Universal C Skin Refiner, because of these patents.
- Our exclusive silicone elastomer system not only stabilizes our pure L-ascorbic acid but provides an elegant texture and matte finish to the skin. Although, it is anhydrous it is never greasy or oily.
How does BeautyStat Universal Vitamin C Skin Refiner deliver vitamin C to the skin?
- For Vitamin C to penetrate the skin, it must be activated. We use a low level of tartaric acid, an alpha hydroxy acid to do this. The level is too low to cause exfoliation, but is just right to adjust the pH to allow for good skin penetration, and activity. We had Franz cell testing confirm this activity, during the development of our product. This is the gold standard to test for percutaneous absorption of molecules through the skin.
- It is the contact with the moisture in the skin that draws the vitamin C and creates the right micro environment to release the vitamin C from its protective mechanism and start to penetrate the skin. Because this is done gradually throughout the day a time release mechanism is achieved providing continual benefits as well.
Competition
- The desire for Vitamin C containing products is huge. Almost every brand has a product for brightening and evening skin tone. Many uses low level Vitamin C derivatives as described earlier. They cannot compete with the efficacy of pure 20% stable Vitamin C.
- Propanediol is used as a solvent for Vitamin C with a low water activity component. This is a popular method to try to give extended shelf life to high level Vitamin C containing products. It is much better than water, but inevitably does not provide adequate stability. Products will turn yellow/orange over time and have a rancid smell. They also have a prolonged sticky, tacky feel.
- Other Vitamin C market products include two component chemistry sets. The idea here being the consumer adds the stable vitamin C containing bottle to the other water containing component mixes it by hand. Depending on the size of the containers the product is expected to be used before it turns bad.
You can purchase the BeautyStat Universal C Refiner Vitamin C Brightening Serum on our website by clicking here.
You can purchase all products reviewed and mentioned on BeautyStat.com!
What are your favorite Vitamin C skincare products?
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– Dawn Santamarina, Managing Editor
You can follow Dawn on Instagram @missdawn1012
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