Vitamin C: The versatile skincare ingredient that still has the power to surprise

Published: 21-Nov-2019

Vitamin C the multi-faceted beauty ingredient that keeps on giving

Three out of every five women know that their skincare and beauty products contain vitamins. Long associated with good health and trustworthiness, no other group of ingredients enjoys such high awareness.

Of these beauty boosting actives, Vitamin C, also known as Ascorbic acid, is especially popular. One in twenty products worldwide includes Vitamin C and an average of 71% of consumers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain are aware of its favourable effect on the appearance of skin, hair and nails.

Vitamin C is the most abundant anti-oxidant in the skin but ageing and exposure to UV irradiation and pollutants leads to a depletion in the epidermis.

What’s more, human skin is unable to synthesize Vitamin C and so relies on external supplementation in the form of topical applications. Because L-Ascorbic acid, the only active form of Vitamin C, is highly susceptible to oxidation, the beauty industry has developed different forms and stable derivatives of this wonder ingredient.

As a world leading supplier of vitamins for cosmetics and personal care, DSM offers Ascorbic acid in various forms, including an ultra-fine powder and the technical oil-soluble compound Ascorbyl palmitate.

To ensure better stability, it also developed a specialist active, STAY-C50 which is proven to penetrate the skin barrier and achieve close to 100% bioconversion to Ascorbic acid in all skin layers.

DSM’s Ascorbic acid is part of its Quali-C range of vitamins. It is produced in Scotland and emits 59% less greenhouse gas than leading alternative sources, meaning it has the lowest carbon footprint for Ascorbic acid production.

DSM remains as committed to investing in vitamins and exploring their beauty potential as it was when the company begin this pioneering journey 80 years ago. Its STAY-C50 active is already proven to deliver an impressive range of skin benefits, such as anti-oxidant, anti-ageing, improved firmness, skin radiance and reduced age spots.

Now, brand new studies point to how much more this versatile beauty ingredient can offer.

Vitamin C’s powerful antioxidant action is well known, but DSM’s latest in vitro studies show that STAY-C50 reduces melanin synthesis by 21% in vitro. This makes it the vitamin C derivative with the most effective properties for skin lightening and combating protein oxidation.

Moreover, a separate DSM study has found that STAY-C50 reduces the bacterial count of Cutibacterium acnes, the key bacteria for acne, in vitro, and improves the appearance of acne and inflammation by 77% in vivo within 12 weeks.

To complement its new studies, and continue to bring customers the best of Vitamin C, DSM has also developed three new formulations: an energizing mist that refreshes and hydrates, a glow-boosting serum that brightens and evens, and a renewing powder cleanser that purifies and refines.

All these vitamin-powered formulations are ready-to use and available for download now.

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