Vitamins are important micronutrients. They are also useful when used externally. Active ingredients have always been added to cosmetic products. The effect of many active ingredients is based specifically on vitamins. I wanted to bring together all the vitamins used in skin care in this article. This will give you the best overall picture of the effects of vitamins and also their sources. Let’s start studying.
Vitamins; what they really are?
Vitamins are micronutrients. The body is unable to produce vitamins itself or produces them in just very small quantities. Vitamins must therefore be obtained from food. The condition of your skin is very much affected by what you eat. Up to 80-90% of skin care depends on internal issues of human body. Eating variedly and healthy, outdoor activity and relaxing skin condition can make the most effective result. However, external skin care is also very important.
Vitamins are organic substances as opposed to minerals such as zinc or magnesium which are also essential to nutrition. Vitamins are a rather miscellaneous set of substances. Vitamins are divided into water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. This partition is very important to understand when making cosmetics. The fat-soluble vitamins are mixed with the oil phase during the manufacturing process and the water-soluble ones with the aqueous phase.
Many vitamins are very easily destroyed. Therefore, you should be careful when dealing with them.
How do vitamins work on the skin?
Vitamins have different functions. When used externally, vitamins act slightly differently than internally. External use does not treat vitamin deficiencies. If you are clearly nutrition deficiency, you may want to use vitamins as a supplement.
Vitamin A.
Vitamins A is a group of fat-soluble vitamins. Vitamin A is also commonly referred as retinol. Natural A vitamins include retinoids and carotenoids. Retinoids are found in products of animal origin and carotenoids in vegetables. There are also synthetic A vitamins. Some of the synthetic A vitamins are classified as drugs. In particular, synthetic vitamin A may irritate, dry out and make the skin sensitive to light if the product is used for long period of time.
The safest and at the same time simplest is to use herbal retinol in cosmetics. Retinol is found in many plants. Carrot carotenoids are perhaps the best-known source of retinol for skin care.
- Retinol helps the skin to tan
- Retinol stimulates collagen production and thus reduces wrinkles and fine lines
- Helps skin cells regenerate faster
- Improves skin texture and tone
- Helps treat acne skin. Some acne medications prescribed by your doctor include synthetic vitamin A.
- Smoothens skin discoloration and hyperpigmentation
The Group of Vitamin B
Group B vitamins are water-soluble vitamins and there are many of them. Internally, many use a combination of all the B vitamins. All B vitamins, when used internally, are also important for skin health. Group B vitamins are rich in both vegetarian and animal products. Only vitamin B12 can be a problem in a vegan diet. This is why many vegans regularly take vitamin B12 supplements.
Three different B vitamins are mainly used in cosmetics; niacin, panthenol, folic acid and biotin.
- Biotin is very important for hair and nails.
- Folic acid supports aging skin. Together with creatine, folic acid helps in the absorption of collagen.
- Niacinamide is added to products designed to reduce pores. Niacinamide also smoothens small lines on the skin and refreshes the skin in general.
- Panthenol is used not only in hair care products, but also to treat dry, scaly skin. Interestingly panthenol is also used to treat acne. You can find panthenol in INCI under the name pantothenic acid.
Visit my article on niacin: Niacin is very important vitamin for the skin
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is a very important vitamin in skin care. Vitamin C is always vegan.
Vitamin C is always a water-soluble vitamin. Fat-soluble vitamin C does not exist. You often see products that claim to contain fat-soluble vitamin C. This substance is actually L-ascorbyl-6-palmitate. L-ascorbyl-6-palmitate is not vitamin C. It is an ester of palmitic acid. Ascorbic acid has been used for esterification in this case. L-ascorbyl-6-palmitate is used in the food industry as an acidity regulator in high fat products. However, L-ascorbyl-6-palmitate is a fairly safe compound for the skin.
Vitamin C is used in cosmetic products as a powder. When dissolved in a liquid, vitamin C is particularly sensitive to destruction by heat, light, air and bases. It is worth preparing products containing vitamin C by yourself. This will ensure that you will get effective vitamin C.
- Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant on the skin
- Vitamin C is important in collagen synthesis
- Vitamin C brightens the skin
Make an easy and effective vitamin C serum: Cheery vitamin C serum treats tired skin
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin. There are two different types of vitamin D; Vitamins D2 and D3. Vitamin D2 is herbal. Vitamin D3, in turn, is formed on human skin. It is also obtained from products of animal origin such as fish liver.
Vitamin D3 is created on the skin by itself when we can stay under the sun long enough. Herbal vitamin D2, on the other hand, is very commonly used in skin care products. Vitamin D2 is naturally present in many vegetable oils. The vitamin D2 levels of different oils vary greatly.
Vitamin D should be used in skin care products, especially during the long and dark winter months.
- Vitamin D is an antioxidant that helps fight the signs of aging on the skin
- Vitamin D supports normal skin function and cell regeneration
Vitamin E
Vitamin E, or tocopherol, is a fat-soluble vitamin. Vitamin E is mostly found in vegetable oils, seeds and nuts. Especially untreated, unheated, cold-pressed oils are very rich in vitamins E. Refined oils also still have a lot of vitamin E left. Vitamin E is not just one compound. There are many different types of e-vitamins. In oils, vitamin E usually occurs in four different groups of vitamin E.
- Vitamin E is very well absorbed into the skin as it is a natural component of the skin
- Vitamin E is a very strong antioxidant. Therefore, it is well suited for aged skin
- Vitamin E improves the skin’s moisture balance
- Vitamin E repairs minor skin damage
- Vitamin E supplementation improves the shelf life of products
Vitamins are a safe and effective way to add active ingredients to a product
If you are wondering how to add more power to your own skincare product, choose one or some of the vitamins mentioned above. Vitamins are relatively safe to use in cosmetics. The best and safest way to add vitamins to a product is to use ingredients that contain vitamins in their natural form. For example, vitamin E can be obtained on the skin by using vegetable oils with a special vitamin E content. Carotene is easily obtained from carrot oil and sea buckthorn oil.
Do you use vitamins in skin care?