nouvelles-1 — vitamin c

Research Summary: The last two decades have seen an increase in active-led skin care products in over-the-counter and retail marketplaces. Consumers have become more knowledgeable about the ingredients used in topical products, resulting in formulations with vitamins and other active ingredients gaining popularity. Further, with the need for instantaneous and short-term benefits, consumers are moving towards high doses of active products. This poses a challenge for formulation scientists to stabilize high active doses and ensure potency over the shelf life. Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, is one such ubiquitous active commonly found in topical products claiming brightening, skin firming, and...

Research Summary:Background: Vitamin C is a micronutrient present in high concentrations in normal skin and is a highly prescribed cosmeceutical known for its protective effects against ultraviolet-induced pigmentation and its role in regulating collagen production. However, there is a lack of studies evaluating the efficacy of topical vitamin C in photoaging and melasma, making this systematic review the first to assess the existing evidence.Aim: This systematic review aims to evaluate whether topical vitamin C could be effective in reversing signs of photoaging and treating melasma.Methods: Prospective, randomized controlled trials that assessed protocols involving topically applied vitamin C in patients with...

Research Summary Vitamin C in humans must be ingested for survival. As an electron donor, vitamin C acts as a potent water-soluble antioxidant. This property underlies all of its known functions. The antioxidant effects of vitamin C have been demonstrated in numerous in vitro experiments. Human diseases such as atherosclerosis and cancer might partially result from oxidant damage to tissues. Oxidation of lipids, proteins, and DNA leads to specific oxidation products that can be measured in laboratory settings. While these biomarkers of oxidation have been measured in humans, the assays used are neither validated nor standardized, and the connection between...

Research Summary: Although many cosmeceutical formulations contain vitamin C and/or vitamin E, very few are actually effective in topical application. This is due to several factors. First, the concentration of these vitamins is often too low. Second, their stability is compromised once the product is opened and exposed to air and light. Third, the form of the molecule (either an ester or a mixture of isomers) may not be effectively absorbed or metabolized by the skin.However, when a stable formulation delivers a high concentration of the nonesterified, optimal isomer of the antioxidant, vitamins C and E can indeed inhibit the...