🍋 Vitamin C as a Cosmetic Ingredient - a Silver Bullet or Pain in the Neck Part II

Last week I posted a short note about Vitamin C/Ascorbic Acid explaining how beneficial it is for skin health. Now it's time to talk about its flaws when it comes to cosmetic formulation. 

I worked with Ascorbic Acid on a daily basis for many years and I can tell that it is one of the most difficult and annoying compounds to work with.

And here`s why…

❌ Ascorbic Acid is highly unstable when dissolved in water

Ascorbic Acid oxidizes incredibly quickly, so its solutions must be protected from exposure to air oxygen. You can notice its oxidation when the solution changes colour from pale yale to orange or even brown. 

By the way, Ascorbic Acid oxidize yielding Dehydroacetic Acid, which is one of the most common ingredients of self-tanning products.

❌  Ascorbic Acid reacts with certain transition metal ions such as copper or iron

Ascorbic Acid cannot be combined with ingredients containing metal ions, such as "copper peptides". Before you add Ascorbic Acid to your formulation, be sure to check that the remaining ingredients do not contain any metal impurities.

❌  Ascorbic Acid decomposes when exposed to light

If you're thinking about creating an Ascorbic Acid serum, think twice. 

In particular, think about whether you have the right packaging on hand to protect the product from exposure to light.

❌  Ascorbic Acid solution requires pH that is ranging from 2,6 to 3,5

This pH range is required to keep Ascorbic Acid stable. It has to be maintained during production, storage and later when the consumer opens the product a million times. At higher pH, Ascorbic Acid decomposes.

#cosmeticingredient #skincareingredient #cosmeticchemistry

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