Identity Sheet: Vitamin C and Its Stable Derivatives

Vitamin C was first discovered in the 18th century. Sailors who sailed long distances and did not eat fruit often suffered from scurvy (a serious disease that can lead to tooth loss). An English naval physician, Dr. James LIND, established a correlation between the consumption of citrus fruits and scurvy. He confirmed this hypothesis with the first clinical trial in human history. In 1928, it was isolated for the first time from lemon juice by Albert SZENT GYÖRGYI, who received a Nobel Prize for this discovery. Scurvy was therefore due to a vitamin C deficiency. It is a water-soluble organic molecule, antioxidant, which neutralizes the action of free radicals generated by exposure to the sun, pollution, smoking etc. responsible for oxidative stress and therefore skin aging. Vitamin C also helps to increase collagen production, restoring firmness and elasticity to the skin. It also inhibits the production of melanin to reduce the appearance of pigmentation spots. To note: Vitamin C is a particularly unstable molecule in aqueous solution. Indeed, in its ionized form, it oxidizes easily and is therefore difficult to formulate, which requires that certain precautions be taken such as the exclusion of oxygen during formulation, oxygen-impervious packaging, a low pH (< 4), a minimal amount of water, and the addition of electrolytes and other antioxidants. This is why in the cosmetic industry, ascorbic acid derivatives are often used (ascorbyl palmitate, ascorbyl stearate, ascorbyl phosphate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl glucoside, ascorbyl glucosamine and magnesium ascorbyl PCA...) which are more stable molecules and therefore easier to formulate.