Vitamins For Beauty

Q. What’s the difference between Vitamin C ester and vitamin C and why is the former more valuable? — Gigi Garcia, San Lorenzo Village, Makati

A. Vitamin C Ester, is the fat-soluble, non-irritating form of Vitamin C, which is a well-known and highly regarded antioxidant with superior anti-inflammatory properties. Ascorbic acid is the water-soluble form of Vitamin C and while valuable as a supplement is irritating to the skin as a topical. When increased levels of this fat-soluble form of vitamin C are in the dermis, levels of both collagen and elastin increase.This facilitates a more youthful appearance by helping to reverse the thinning of skin seen in both the natural aging process and as a result of sun damage.

Vitamin C ester is highly stable (unlike ascorbic acid, the unstable, irritating and water soluble form of vitamin C) and will maintain its efficacy over long periods of time. Its fat-solubility allow it to rapidly and easily penetrate the skin to deliver the therapeutic levels of vitamin C needed to enable the fibroblasts, which are the cells that make connective tissue, to produce collagen and elastin. These collagen and elastin-stimulating effects are even more magnified when vitamin C ester is added to formulations containing DMAE. 

Q. Why would vitamin E be considered a “next generation” ingredient? I feel like it has been touted forever as a good-for-you skincare ingredient. — Donna Guillermo, Quezon City.

A. Tocotrienols are Super Vitamin E.

I am not referring to the vitamin E that is ubiquitous in over-the-counter mass-market skin care products. Tocotrienols are the fat-soluble nutrient form of vitamin E that is revered for its ability to reduce risks of coronary heart diseases, breast cancer and reverse signs of aging. 

Vitamin E is made up of eight different compounds that are divided into two separate categories: tocopherols, the form traditionally used in beauty care products; and tocotrienols, the new “super” form, which is proving significantly stronger as an antioxidant. When scientists first studied vitamin E, they concluded that the alpha tocopherol was the most effective form of vitamin E for protecting lipid damage from free radicals. This form of vitamin E quickly found its way into literally hundreds of beauty care products. Derivatives of alpha tocopherol, including tocopherol acetate and tocopherol succinate, were equally popular.

Then, in the late 1980s, researchers began to look at other vitamin E compounds to see what effects they might have on health. They discovered that the tocotrienols reduced the risk of heart disease by slowing the body’s ability to make cholesterol.

When I read about these discoveries, I wondered if tocotrienols had greater antioxidant potential than tocopherols when used on the skin. I devised a test to measure the effect tocotrienols would have on the cell plasma membrane. I found that under laboratory conditions tocotrienols are forty to sixty times more effective in preventing free radical damage than the traditional tocopherols. These super E components are able to disperse rapidly though the cell plasma membrane and disarm the free radicals far more quickly than the tocopherols.  In addition, I have found that tocotrienol-enriched preparations make hair shinier, reduce redness and flaking in severely dry skin, and prevent nails from cracking.

Tocotrienols have powerful antioxidant and emollient properties, are fast acting, and are 40 to 60 times more effective in preventing free radical damage to the skin than traditional vitamin E (alpha tocopherols).

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Send your questions to N.V. Perricone, M.D c/o lifestyle@philstar.net.ph. In the Philippines, The N.V. Perricone skincare line is exclusively availble at Rustan’s Essenses.