Vitamin C: Here’s Why “Orange Is the New Black”
The discovery of vitamin C dates back almost 90 years—89 to be precise. Historians of pharmacy describe two competing research teams racing to isolate the vitamin that had proven effective in preventing scurvy among sailors and soldiers.
Today, ascorbic acid is an essential dietary component and one of the most appreciated substances in nutraceuticals. It was Linus Pauling, a two-time Nobel Prize winner, who studied this vitamin extensively and convinced the scientific community of the need for its supplementation, given that humans lost the ability to produce it naturally millions of years ago.
In anti-aging medicine, vitamin C remains one of the foundational antioxidants that every nutritionist recommends incorporating through diet. A dose of 1 g of vitamin C appears to be ideal. However, its effects on the skin have been studied for the past 50 years.
The first challenge of applying vitamin C to the skin is biochemical in nature. This molecule degrades easily, and free ascorbic acid compounds lose their true antioxidant and energizing properties within minutes. As grandmothers used to say, drink your freshly squeezed juice immediately!
This challenge has driven many pharmaceutical laboratories to develop alternative, stable molecules that can be delivered in serums and creams without losing their efficacy. At what concentration does it work best? Studies have shown that a 5% concentration of ascorbyl phosphate delivers excellent brightening effects and protects cellular mitochondria.
Different products achieve these results through various formulations and applications. The outcome is visibly brighter, firmer, more even, and more vital skin, both on the face and the entire body.
When should you avoid using Vitamin C? Never! Backed by a good cosmetic formulation, creams and serums with Vitamin C are like the little black dress in every woman’s wardrobe: they should never be missing and are perfect for any occasion!
Dott. Gianni Baratto
Farmacista Cosmetologo