Not All Vitamin C Serums are Created Equal

Vitamin C in Skincare

Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant that should not only be incorporated into your diet, but into your skincare as well. This vitamin is amazing for the slowing of free radicals, increasing collagen, and reducing pigmentation. There are a handful of vitamins that our body cannot synthesize, to include Vitamin C. Due to this, Vitamin C has a very short period of activity. Replace it daily, both nutritionally and topically.Now that you know this, you should also know that not all Vitamin C Serums are created equally. There are two forms of Vitamin C: THD Ascorbate and L-Ascorbic Acid. Its important it figure out which one is right for you. First, because the two forms have different levels of effectiveness and stability. And second, because if one form is unsuitable for you it could irritate your skin.

THD Ascorbate:

THD Ascorbate is a stable, oil-soluble form of Vitamin C that cosmetics, personal care products, and anti-aging skincare all use. Products utilize THD Ascorbate because of its extreme stability. It readily permeates cells and is converted to intracellular pure Ascorbic Acid. Due to this, THD Ascorbate greatly enhances collagen, reduces free radicals, prevents damage to DNA, reduces inflammation mediators and skin pigmentation. Since this form of Vitamin C is oil-soluble and stable, clients are able to use it on a daily basis without being irritated or flaky.

L-Ascorbic Acid:

L-Ascorbic Acid is 100% pure Vitamin C. It's a naturally occurring, water soluble antioxidant that is very unstable. This means L-Ascorbic Acid when used in skincare, can be very irritating to the skin. This form gradually starts to turn color over time, meaning it starts to oxidize and lose efficacy. Ascorbic Acid is the acidic form of Vitamin C, the form needed for collagen synthesis. However, this unstable form can't deliver pure Ascorbic Acid every day through the skin without redness and irritation.

Which one should you use?:

L-Ascorbic is the most irritating to the skin and least stable form of Vitamin C. It's half life is at most 6 months because of it's rapid oxidization and can even start oxidizing in the bottle. If that happens, it will actually produce free radicals instead of stop them. Even when formulated correctly, it STILL oxidizes, which can be extremely harmful to the skin. To be effective and safe, a stable form of L-Ascorbic is ideal, such as THD Ascorbate.

Looking for Skincare:

We highly recommend Revision Skincare's Vitamin C Serum, which contains THD Ascorbate acid.  Revision has tested both their Vitamin C 15% and 30% to withstand weather conditions without oxidizing. However, if you're looking for other skincare products with Vitamin C, remember that they will never list the word "vitamin". In the ingredients they will only list the formal chemical name. Look for the words “ascorbyl” or “ascorbate.” Below is a list of common names of stabilized Vitamin C that shouldn't irritate your skin.

Common Forms of Vitamin C:

• Ascorbic Acid (L-Ascorbic Acid)
• Ascorbyl Palmitate
• Sodium Ascorbate
• Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate
• Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP)
• Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THDA) (also denoted Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate)
• Glucoside
• Ascorbyl Glucosamine
• Ascorbyl Methylsilanol Pectinate

For More Information:

For more information on Vitamin C or skincare products contact us at ZONA Med Spa. Or book a complimentary consultation online by clicking here.