Hello, my beautiful beings!
The word for today: VITAMIN C!
Levo or Dextro ascorbic acid? Which form of vitamin C is best? It seems as twisted as the vitamin C itself 🙂 Luckily you have me! Today, I’ll explain all about why vitamin C is so priceless, how to use it and which one is best to apply to the face. Let’s go!
Vitamin C properties
Obviously, all of you know it, but we usually associate it with a common cold, inflammation, immunity boost when the autumn aura takes over. However, it’s only a small percentage of what vitamin C can do. As it turns out there’s no cosmetic more perfect than vitamin C… the only thing that can be equal to it is natural oil. Why? How does vitamin C work as a cosmetic?
Vitamin C in cosmetology – the action
- flattens wrinkles
- improves skin condition
- makes skin radiant
- makes skin appear rested
- rejuvenates
- eliminates acne
- brightens skin
- eliminates dark circles under eyes
- makes skin supple
Vitamin C forms in cosmetics
There’s plenty! Each form works differently. Various forms come to life because of ‘traditional’ L-ascorbic acid is nondurable and oxidizes easily, even before it reaches the skin. Vitamin C derivative is an attempt to ‘tame’ this precious vitamin. Which form of vitamin C is the best in cosmetology?
L-ascorbic acid is the main ’cause of all the fuss’ as it holds the best properties but is reluctant to show it to the fullest because it oxidizes super fast before it even reaches the skin! Even a small amount of it locked in special carriers, also known as nanodiscs can contribute to skin condition improvement, brighten it and improve the general appearance.
- Ascorbyl Glucoside – obtained from vitamin C and starch. It reaches deeper levels of the epidermis, suppresses melanin production, has anti-hyperpigmentation action and promotes collagen synthesis in the skin.
- Ascorbyl Palmitate – one of stable vitamin C derivatives, sadly with weak biological activity. Ascorbyl palmitate works only on the surface of the skin and does not stimulate collagen production.
- Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate is yet another vitamin C derivative, SAP in short. It sounds like a short for some commandos army, but SAP is not trained this well 🙂 It does not impact the skin the way we would expect. It is not stable. However, as the only one out of all is able to eliminate acne this well, so it is best for young people.
- 3-O-Ethyl-L-Ascorbic Acid – the newest, perfect derivative of pure L-ascorbic acid. The 3-O version is the perfect update for the vitamin C 😉 It is stable and resistant to light as well as temperature, in other words: the cosmetic hero! This vitamin C perfectly penetrates deep into the skin and inhibits bacteria proliferation, takes care of any inflammation, pimples, imperfections or hyperpigmentations. It is definitely the special task force 🙂 As the only one out of vitamin C forms, it is soluble in both fat and water. It means that the best form for it is in fact SERUM – and it can be oil-based and that makes it the double boost for the skin! What is more, it is a vitamin for all skin types, including sensitive. Badass!
Levo or Dextro vitamin C?
To be or not to be – it’s NOTHING when it comes to the existential question as to which vitamin C to choose. It’s all due to fact someday in the past, someone decided to say that vitamin C needs to be in the form of L-ascorbic acid. Hmm? Utter nonsense. The name of L-ascorbic acid does not mean that the vitamin is Levo. It tells you about how the particles are built and these are referred to as L and D. Herefore, there is L-ascorbic acid and D-ascorbic acid. Both particles appear in nature and are themselves mirror images, while humans absorb the L form and that is the form you should choose. Paradoxically the L form is also divided into Levo and Dextro. BOTH OF THEM ARE GOOD! Therefore it doesn’t matter if you choose one or the other. The ‘L’ in the name is the most important information. Crazy twisted! 🙂
Important information!
Do you take vitamin C supplements? Pro tip: synthetic vitamin should be dissolved in fresh orange juice, green tea (not hot, room temperature or cold) or other juice that contains vitamin C enzymes. This way you’ll absorb more of vitamin C than with just clear water.
I hope that I helped you at least a little bit 🙂 Kisses!
