Top 3 Types Of Vitamin C Ranked
Not all vitamin c is the same. Learn how the different types stack up.
Carli Brockway, Founder Peak Private Label
We all know that Vitamin C is a very popular ingredient in skincare, and there’s a ton of research to back that it has incredible benefits for your skin. It is commonly used as an anti-aging, antioxidant ingredient that can help protect against environmental damage, and visibly improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and damage to the skin.
We have ranked the 3 most common types of Vitamin C! Read on to see which type is the big winner:
3. Ascorbyl Glucoside
The first derivative of Vitamin C, that we are ranking at third best, is Ascorbyl Glucoside (AG). This adds a modified sugar group to the ascorbic acid structure making it quite stable to oxidation (Al-Niaimi & Chiang, 2017). This stability makes it possible to formulate the serum at the same pH as the skin. This makes it very non-irritating, which is perhaps the biggest plus of this form of Vitamin C. However, Ascorbyl Glucoside is hydrophilic, meaning that it can't absorb through the fatty layer. This makes it less potent and effective, as it will only reach the top layer of the skin. Ultimately Ascorbyl Glucoside isn’t as effective as the next two forms that we will be looking at.
2. L-Ascorbic Acid
Next, ranked at number 2, we have L-Ascorbic Acid (AA). This is perhaps the most widely used form of Vitamin C that you will find in the majority of skincare products today. L-Ascorbic acid is frequently used because it is the most biologically active of all the derivatives, making it very strong in terms of antioxidant abilities, and anti-aging benefits. It is known as the most standard form of Vitamin C, however in recent years, better alternatives have started to be produced (keep reading for more on this). Some of the issues with this derivative are that it needs to be formulated at a pH that is 10x lower than the skin's pH to stay effective, which is increasingly irritating for the skin. It is also a hydrophilic and charged molecule, which translates into poor skin penetration (Iliopoulos et al, 2019). These two features mean that L-ascorbic acid will immediately bind to water molecules upon contact with the skin, making it difficult to pass through the deep skin’s hydrophobic layers. This means that it is not as easy for your skin to absorb, which is why you see 20% vitamin C serums; you can make the percentage high when the majority of it isn't processed by the skin! This is why it will take the number 2 spot in our rankings.
1. 3-0-Ethyl-L-Ascorbic Acid
Now ranking as the first, most effective form of Vitamin C in our rankings is 3-0-Ethyl-l-Ascorbic Acid (EA), also known as Ethyl Ascorbic Acid. It is the newest, most promising derivative of Vitamin C. It has been developed as a more stable Vitamin C derivative than AA, and has reduced susceptibility to oxidation. Due to its excellent hydrophilic and lipophilic properties, EA is swiftly and readily absorbed by the skin. The recent study by Iliopoulos et al found that because of this, this form of Vitamin C is much more easily and effectively used by the skin (2019). Another benefit of this Vitamin C type is that it is far less irritating on the skin. It is effective at a pH of 5, which is perfect for the skin. When combined with Propylene Glycol, it has the greatest skin penetration and therefore the highest effectiveness. This form of Vitamin C solves the issues found in the AA version, is non-irritating - making it the clear winner in our rankings.
For a visual, we’ve put together this chart to rank these 3 types of Vitamin C based on efficacy, and irritation.
Now that you are a little bit more familiar with the different types of Vitamin C, you can rest assured that we use the highest possible quality ingredients and derivatives in our Vitamin C formulas. We use 3-0-Ethyl-l-Ascorbic Acid (EA) to ensure that our Vitamin C formulas deliver the most bio-available, effective, and least irritating derivatives of Vitamin C so that you are offering the best quality products for your clients skincare needs.
If you have any more questions on Vitamin C, we’re happy to talk science to you! Send an email to info@peakprivatelabel.ca for more.
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Carli Brockway
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