e’clat superior Vitamin C 20% Serum for Skin Brightening & Radiance – 30 ml

WHAT IS VITAMIN C?

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant found in abundance in the human skin. It helps to protect the skin from UV damage, boost collagen production, fade scarring, brighten the complexion, while also reducing hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, redness and breakouts. It’s part of a synergistic group of chemicals that exist to protect the skin from free radical damage and premature ageing. When the skin is exposed to UV light, pollution, toxins and other stressors, Vitamin C protects the skin from oxidative stress. It does this by donating electrons to neutralise free radicals, effectively halting the cascade of damage these destructive molecules cause.

Vitamin C fights HYPERPIGMENTATION

Hyperpigmentation, melasma, or “age spots” are one of the most common skin concerns, especially south of the equator due to our thin ozone layer. Vitamin C can help with the reduction of these concerns and is one of the best depigmentation agents.

Vitamin C Promotes Collagen Production

As well as having antioxidant protective benefits to the skin, Vitamin C is essential for collagen production. Collagen is a key structural protein in the skin. It’s responsible for keeping skin firm and strong. An abundance of collagen is found in youthful skin, whereas collagen begins to deplete as skin ages, resulting in wrinkle formation.

In order for our body to synthesise collagen, the precursor “procollagen” is formed by the amino acids glycine and proline. Vitamin C has a key role in the formation of the polypeptide chains which make up procollagen.
Vitamin C has also been reported to assist with collagen stability via an interaction with enzymes prolysyl and lysyl hydroxylase, this is also referred to as the hydroxylation of collagen, and this process increases extracellular stability and support of the epidermis.

In short, Vitamin C plays several key roles in collagen production. We like collagen because it helps our skin to maintain its structure and stay looking youthful.

Vitamin C protects from PHOTOAGING?

Photoaging is damage caused to the sun by UV exposure. Vitamin C limits the damage but shouldn’t be confused with SPF in sunscreen as it doesn’t absorb or reflect UVA or UVB rays away from the skin. It protects the skin from photoageing using an antioxidant mechanism to neutralise free radicals. When the skin is exposed to UV light, pollution, toxins and other stressors which cause free radical damage, Vitamin C protects the skin from this oxidative stress. Vitamin C donates electrons to neutralise the free radicals, effectively halting the cascade of damage these destructive molecules cause.
It’s been widely documented that skin exposure to UV can lower Vitamin C levels in the skin. Meaning it’s important to apply Vitamin C topically along with eating foods rich in Vitamin C after exposure to UV light. This will help the skin replenish its Vitamin C levels.

Vitamin Creduces INFLAMMATION

Vitamin C is a NFkB inhibitor. NFkB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) is a protein responsible for the activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This protein plays a key role in causing inflammation. Vitamin C is a NFkB inhibitor, which means it plays a key role in the inhibition of inflammation in the body and skin. This is important for inflammatory skin conditions like acne vulgaris and rosacea. Vitamin C can have a positive effect to reduce the inflammation associated with these conditions.

STABILITY VS. BIOAVAILABILITY

Above we’ve highlighted some pretty incredible benefits Vitamin C can provide to the skin. However, the benefits of Vitamin C cannot be achieved if you’re using a form which is not bioavailable to the skin. Bioavailability to the skin is the ability for your skin to utilise Vitamin C to produce the desired benefits above. There appears to be a trade off between Vitamin C stability in a skincare formulation and bioavailability to the skin. It’s commonly observed that new forms of Vitamin C (vitamin c derivatives) are synthesised in the lab and created to be stable in a formulation. However when applied to the skin the Vitamin C derivative must change back to ascorbic acid before it can be bioavailable to the skin. For example the addition of a phosphate group can increase Vitamin C stability – creating a new and more stable synthetic form of Vitamin C however it’s bioavailability to the skin is often limited. That said, recent studies suggest encapsulation of ascorbic acid into a lipospheric form may be a game changer – by assisting with transport into the lower layers of the epidermis and could result in increased uptake.

So here at eclat superior C+ we took it upon ourselves to create a product which would harness the benefits of Vitamin C in the form of Ethyl Ascobyl Phosphate.

THE ROLES OF PH AND OILS

Vitamin C in dry crystal form is the first step to unlocking the bioavailability of ascorbic acid. However there are a couple of other things which need to happen along side this for your skin to benefit from this powerful antioxidant and this is because of the way your epidermis is structured. A main factor of what makes Vitamin C bioavailable is the pH level. Ascorbic acid must be formulated at a pH level of 3.5 to enter the skin. Applying pure Vitamin C is not for anyone with sensitive skin as the material can tingle upon application. In addition to this, topical delivery of Vitamin C into the skin is complicated because of the lipophilic (oil-loving) nature of the outer epidermal layers. Vitamin C is a hydrophilic material meaning it has an affinity for water.
In e’clat superior Vitamin C “being coated in a lipophilic substance will actually help with epidermal delivery.” Basically, in order to penetrate into the skin it’s important to pair Vitamin C with an oil-loving material or skincare formulation containing oils or oil-loving materials.

VITAMIN C, E, Hyaluronic Acid and Ferulic Acid SYNERGY

Why not pair it with the best possible material?

Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid have been found to work synergistically with Vitamin C to help with cell regeneration (collagen production) and photoprotection! All three antioxidants work in their respective hydrophilic and lipophilic compartments of the cell to limit UV damage and reduce cell apoptosis (cell death).
When mixed with Vitamin C and E stabilizes the formulation and acts synergistically to double the photoprotection from four fold to eightfold.

TOP TIPS For Vitamin C in Skincare:

By now you must be clear about the benefits of Vitamin C and about its unstable and high-maintenance nature.
To help you incorporate Vitamin C into your skincare routine here are our top tips:

• Apply Vitamin C to the skin after sun exposure to help replenish your skin’s Vitamin C levels.
• Apply pure Vitamin C to the skin in the form of ascorbic acid at a pH of 3.5
• Mix Vitamin C with water & oil-based cream or serum and immediately apply to the skin
• Look for water and oil-based creams and serums which contain Vitamin E to boost efficiency.
• Take an internal and external approach to your skincare routine by applying Vitamin C & E topically and adding foods rich in these vitamins to your diet.