Since the 15th century, the benefits of Vitamin C have been known. Sailors exploring new worlds ate oranges to help prevent scurvy.  It wasn’t until the 1920s, however, that Nobel Prize winning scientist Albert Szent-Gyorgi used Vitamin C to fight diseases such as cancer.  And now, some 70 years later, Vitamin C has become the ingredient of choice in skin care products.
 
Studies have proven a variety of benefits from Vitamin C, such as:

• Smoothing away wrinkles by acting as an antioxidant and neutralizing
   oxygen free radicals that occur naturally;
• Reducing fine lines; 
• Boosting the skin’s collagen level by stimulating fibroblasts for a more
   youthful appearance;
• Improving skin clarity by balancing and minimizing the darkening of skin pigment;    and
• Protecting against the signs of aging by shielding the skin from UV light.

Collagen is responsible for providing suppleness and elasticity in the skin.  As we age, the level of collagen is reduced, resulting in the formation of wrinkles.  For years, cosmetic companies hoped to replenish collagen levels and reduce wrinkles by incorporating collagen in moisturizing creams.  Fact is, collagen can not be applied topically, it must be produced as part of the living cell. Targeted delivery of Vitamin C to where new live cells are produced can greatly improve the level of collagen.
 

WHY DID IT TAKE SO LONG?
With all of these benefits, why did it take so long for cosmetic companies to employ Vitamin C into moisturizing creams?  Vitamin C topical skin care faced three major hurdles:
1.   How to eliminate irritation ?
2.   How to stabilize the Vitamin C ?
3.   How to deliver it at an effective level ?
The key to topically applied Vitamin C is the availability of L-ascorbic acid.  Cellex-C™, the original serum to trigger the recent Vitamin C trend, utilizes pure L-ascorbic acid, which can be very irritating.  The Cellex-C™ technology is based upon Dr. Sheldon Pinnell’s studies claiming that with a low pH of 2.5 – 3.5, the L-ascorbic acid can be absorbed into the skin.  However, this low pH causes skin irritation and should be used only under the supervision of a dermatologist or esthetician.  It is not appropriate in products marketed directly to the consumer.  So, consumer-direct formulations must deliver effective levels of Vitamin C without skin irritation.
It is normal for skin care products containing an effective level of Vitamin C to have a light, natural tan color. But, when exposed to light and oxygen, Vitamin C naturally oxidizes.  As the Vitamin C oxidizes, it deteriorates. . .it continues to darken and becomes less effective or even ineffective.  Stabilizing the Vitamin C is imperative to provide any type of shelf life to the product.
In response, some companies have elected to incorporate only trace amounts of Vitamin C, allowing for ingredient and claims.  Some have turned to other forms or derivatives, such as magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palmitate, ascorbyl stearate, ascorbosilane, etc.  But with any Vitamin C product, the active ingredient must be converted to L-ascorbic acid in high enough concentrations to derive all the benefits of a truly active, therapeutic skin care treatment. 
Products of choice encapsulate the L-ascorbic acid to overcome these obstacles.  Ascorbi-Cell, Stableact C and Ascorbyl Glucoseamine are three new technologies which encapsulate the L-ascorbic acid and effectively deliver the Vitamin C.  Ascorbyl Glucoseamine utilizes 19 percent ascorbic acid with a polyglucoseamine complex to protect the ascorbic acid and retard the oxidation process.  Ascorbyl Glucoseamine goes even further by working to minimize any irritation.
Vitamin C has been proven to be a mainstay in the cosmetic industry. Retailers evaluating Vitamin C skin care should consider:
1.   Is the product non-irritating?
2.   Is the pH of the product above 4.5?
3.   How stable is the Vitamin C?
4.   How long will the product maintain the light, tan color?
5.   What is the shelf life for each of the products?
6.   And most importantly, what is the percentage of L-ascorbic acid (not to be confused with the percent-age of Vitamin C. . .but rather the percentage converted to the L-ascorbic acid)?
Providing consumers with truly therapeutic skin care treatments will only help to build the Vitamin C category.