Last month, we talked about the pros and cons of using products containing Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant, in your skincare regimen. However there are different forms of Vitamin C and they don’t all work the same. Here are the most common types found in skincare products:
L-Ascorbic Acid
L-Ascorbic Acid, one of the most common forms of Vitamin C used in skincare products, is water-soluble and easily absorbed by the skin. It is a potent antioxidant that stimulates collagen production but there is no research showing that it can eliminate wrinkles when applied topically. In addition, L-Ascorbic Acid is highly unstable and oxidizes rapidly when exposed to air, light or heat. It can also cause irritations.
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) is a water-soluble derivative of Vitamin C. Like L-Ascorbic Acid, it is an antioxidant that increases collagen production, but it is effective in lower concentrations, is non-irritating and more stable. However, it should be stored properly, as it degrades over time when exposed to light and air.
Ascorbyl Palmitate
Ascorbyl Palmitate is a non-acidic form of Vitamin C (L-ascorbic Acid combined with palmitic acid, a fatty acid). It is an effective antioxidant. However, it seems that most of the time the concentrations used in skincare products are too low to boost collagen production. It is more stable than L-ascorbic acid, but still degrades over time.
Ascorbic Acid
Ascorbic acid is another form of Vitamin C that has antioxidant properties but is difficult to stabilize in formulations. In addition, it can cause irritations too.
Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide
Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide is water-soluble form of Vitamin C. It is very stable and readily available to convert to Vitamin C, when applied to the skin.
Ascorbyl Methyl Silanol
Ascorbyl Methyl Silanol is a derivative of Vitamin C. It is more stable than L-Ascorbic Acid, but it isn’t absorbed by the skin and it won’t convert into L-Abscorbic Acid.
Ascorbyl Glucosamine
Ascorbyl Glucosamine is a form of Vitamin C combined with glucosamine (an amino sugar). It is used as an antioxidant, but there is only little research supporting its effectiveness.
Ascorbyl Glucoside
Ascorbyl Glucoside is a form of Vitamin C composed with glucose, a monosaccharide sugar. It is used as an antioxidant, but there are only few studies that support this claim.
Sodium Ascorbyl Palmitate
Sodium Ascorbyl Palmitate is a water-soluble form of Vitamin C combined with palmitic acid (a fatty acid) and sodium. It is an antioxidant and is more stable than Ascorbyl Palmitate.
Ester-C
Ester-C is a trademarked name for a form of Vitamin C that contains mainly Calcium Ascorbate and small amounts of Vitamin C metabolites. It is non acidic. The manufacturer claims the metabolites increase the bioavailability of Vitamin C in the product, but there aren’t many studies supporting the benefits of their product.
Tips on Vitamin C Products
Now that you’re familiar with the most common types of Vitamin C used in skincare products, there are a few more things to take into consideration before making a purchase.
How well a product containing a form of Vitamin C works also depends on the formula. In fact, some products contain concentrations of the ingredients that are too low to have any significant benefits for the skin.
Antioxidants can deteriorate when exposed to light and air. Once they are oxidized they don’t provide any benefits at all for the skin. So, it is best to avoid products that come in jars or any other type of container that exposes the product to light and air.
In addition, Vitamin C can increase sun sensitivity, so it is very important to use products containing this ingredient in conjunction with a sunscreen.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you so much for this article! I’m an avid user of whitening and brightening skincare, because I get really freckled and patchy in the sun. I’ve always wondered if all forms of Vitamin C are made equal, but never got the drive to look it all up. This post is awesome because it really points me to better ingredients and to look closer if I’m paying value for money. I’m so glad for the reminder at the end about sunscreen — I’ve always suspected this; on certain days with a Vitamin C cream I would develop spots from the sun, so you’ve hit the nail about sun sensitivity! LOL. I’m going to slap on higher protection from now on!
I’ve been using Clinique antioxidant moisturizer, and I think another reason is that being in a tube is more hygenic than to open the jar everytime. Your reason that Antioxidants can deteriorate when exposed to light and air is also true:). Thanks for the Vitamin C info, I try to consume as much vitamin C as I can especially at season chance so I don’t get the flu and it’s also good because my skin becomes healthier and brighter.
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This is such a helpful article! I’ve always wondered how effective vitamin C anti-agers can be, since they are just applied topically. I will definitely be keeping this article in mind next time I shop for anti-aging creams.
.-= Rebecca´s last blog ..September Lust List =-.
Ciao Gio! I’d done a search on Vitamin C before but this is great, I have everything in one place!! I had been wondering about this product, MD Skincare Hydra-Pure Vitamin C Serum (link: http://www.mdskincare.com/productdetails.cfm?SKU=MD041613). These are the key-ingredients: Hydra-Pure Chelating Complex®, Vitamin C, water-soluble SAP (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate), Vitamin C Ester (Ascorbyl Palmitate), Linoleic Acid.
Mmm…what do you think?
I have post-pregnancy brown spots on my forehead (cloasma) and I heard vitamin C could be effective. Of course, I wear SPF50+ religiously!
Thanks!
Baci, Anna x
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Wow, this is great! I didn’t know there are so many different types of vitamin C.
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i always seem to have a problem with vit c, whenever i use a prod containing vit c, it breaks me out..
Jasmine: I’m really glad you find this post useful. There is lot of information around about Vitamin C, but not much about the different types and how they work, so I thought it would be nice to sum it all up in one place. I hope it will help people to find products that contain effective forms of Vitamin C in sufficient amounts for them to be effective and that come in packagings (like tubes) that won’t degrade the formula. And I’m glad you’re using higher sun protection now. Most antioxidants can increase sun sensitive and using a sunscreen in conjunction with them (and on its own too!) is essential
Tavia: you’re welcome hun and I think getting Vitamin C through your diet is better than getting it through a cream. Although that can be beneficial for the skin too if there is enough Vitamin C in the product. And I agree about tube packagings: they’re more sanitary and prevent bacteria contamination as well as preserving the antixidants benefits of the product.
Rebecca: you’re welcome. Vitamin C can be very effective as long as it is present in sufficient amounts in the product and it is in an acidic enviroment. Under these circumstances it can penetrate the skin, instead of just lying on the surface, and provide anti-aging benefits. Of course it also depends on the type of Vitamin C present in the products as some are more beneficial than others.
Anna: ciao, and I’m glad you find this post helpful. I’ve had a look at the full ingredient list of that product and it contains several forms of Vitamin C high on the list, so it provides some antioxidant activity. I also like that it comes in a tube which will help prevent Vitamin C from deteriorating. However, some of the forms of Vitamin C used here (like Ascorbic Acid) can be irritating. But if you’ve already used this ingredient and didn’t give you any problems there is no reason not to use it.
In addition, the product also contains a lot of silicones that create a barrier on the skin, give it a very silky feeling and fill in fine lines and wrinkles temporarily reducing their appearance. But it is awfully expensive! I personally prefer getting Vitamin C through my diet or using products with Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, but if you can afford it, why not? It will provide some benefits, but it’s not a miracle product.
As for cloasma, I think it’s better to use skin-lightening ingredients like hydroquinone or azelaic acid and always wear sunscreen. You should also consult a dermatologist as he/she will be able to prescribe the best treatment for the condition. Hope this helped
Dao: thanks, I’m glad you find it helpful. I knew there were quite a few forms of Vitamin C but I didn’t realise how many until I started writing the article! And I didn’t even list all of them! Some aren’t very used and I couldn’t find any scientific study or information on them.
prettybeautiful: that’s a shame, I’m sorry. I’m not sure why that happens since most forms of Vitamin C aren’t usually comedogenic. But at least you can always get Vitamin C through your diet and use other antioxidants on you skin. That would be beneficial for the skin too.
Ciao Gio! Thanks for the in-depth reply! I have in fact been to see a derm about the cloasma and she did prescribe a cream which I haven’t bought yet because I still have the lierac serum+cream thingy for brown spots. Unfortunately I can’t use it every day, because wearing SPF50+ on my forehead every single day means the mineral filters clog my pores a little so I’m also fighting some bumps (not real spots or acne, but bothersome and unattractive all the same!!) and I tend to prefer using the spot treatment gel she gave instead of the “whitening” cream! I don’t want them to interact and cause irritation or not work altogether! As for the MD vitamin C cream, yes it’s TOO expensive for what the results would be, I totally agree with you, I’m just glad you confirmed my opinions
By the way, what Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate product do you use?? Just to know!
Thanks again! x
PS: I was just wondering…are you 100% Italian or are you bilingual?
.-= Anna´s last blog ..Deep purple NOTD =-.
Ciao Anna, I’m sorry it took me a while to answer to your comment, I was away during the weekend and I’m still catching up on things! You’re welcome and I agree, you should use the gel your derm prescribed instead of the whitening cream. That is just one of the things you could do but derms always know best and since she prescribed the gel, that’s the best treatment for you.
That’s a shame about the sunscreen. Are you using a physical one? Cos physical sunscrens may cause breakouts for some people, so maybe one that uses a combination of mineral and chemical ingredients would work best.
And you’re welcome. It’s not a bad products but there cheaper alternatives in the market that do the same thing. At the moment I’m not using any products with Magnesium Ascorbyl Phospahte. I just get Vitamin C through my diet and use moisturizers with other antioxidants but I know Oil Of Olaz makes a night cream that contains high concentrations of Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate. It’s called Total Effects Crema da notte rassodante. It also contains Niacinamide, which is a very promising ingredient as it hydrates skin, increases collagen production and also reduces skin discolorations among other things. I’ve wrote a post about it if you’re interested: http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2009/02/28/know-your-ingredients-niacinamide/
And I’m 100% Italian. I’d love to have been bilingual though but my parents are both Italian and can’t speak a word of English. lol But I’m an anglophile and just really love this language.