Vitamins In Skincare

​In my last post I discussed a facial oil that had several different vitamins and oils in it. I said that I would do a post about vitamins next. I am doing that but it's going to be a more short version of the more common vitamins and what they can do. The reason for it is because we are heavily saturated, especially in "green" or "clean" products, with a variety of different vitamins for this concern or that concern. It gets overwhelming and sometimes it gets confusing. 

​I wont be discussing vitamin supplements for the body, because being someone who has vitamin deficiencies I think it's best to discuss that with your doctor. I also am not going to use this post to tell which product you should buy for that specific vitamin. Simply because there are tons of products, each and every skin has a different concern and a different need. I'm someone who tends to think a skincare regime is best when it's customized to your needs and wants. It's very much a time consuming process to get it down to what you like and also the skin is constantly changing. So naturally we add to and take away as we change, as the seasons change, as our environment changes, etc.  Lastly, I'm not going to talk about what vitamins work well with others and the benefits, I think that would be too confusing. This is literally just explaining what each Vitamin is supposed to do topically for skin.

With all that being said lets get into it. 

• Vitamin A: Vitamin A is most commonly associated with "Retinol". It has two parts one of which is "retinoids" which is how we got "retinol".  Retinyl Palmitate converts to retinol once it's in the skin and then to "retinoic acid" which is the active form of the Vitamin A. It's heavily used in acne treatments. It's also used for wrinkles, cellular turnover, it's supposed to be beneficial in regards to oily skin and controlling the over production of sebum, it's also an antioxidant that fights against free radicals. 

 

• Vitamin B group: There are two that I'd like to talk about which are the most common in topical skincare and gaining popularity by the day. Those two are B3 and B5. 
  • B3: is referred to as "Niacinamide" most commonly. Niacinamide is great for shrinking pores and making fine lines less visible by helping with the skins elasticity. It helps retaining the moisture in the skin, basically making the skin softer and smoother. It's very beneficial to the skins barrier functions. 
  • B5: is becoming very popular as of late. It's referred to an "Pantothenic Acid" which hydrates, soothes, and heals skin.

 

• Vitamin C: there are many forms and esters but Vitamin C is a major antioxidant. It's vital for maintaining the skins health. It gives the skin it's glow. It neutralizes free radicals in the skin  and helps with collagen therefore very beneficial to the aging of the skin. 

 

• Vitamin D: the active form is called "Calcitriol". It is naturally absorbed through the sun but as you know too much sun exposure has a harsh effect on the skin.  It helps to balance the skin. It also fights against free radicals therefore being helpful with the aging process.  It's even said to speed up the process of healing the skin cells. It's supposed to help with dark spots and cellular regeneration.

 

• Vitamin E: Also a major antioxidant and helpful against free radicals that tend to cause premature aging. It's most known for it's healing properties for the skin and how it helps the look of scars. I notice it in a lot of lip products to help heal cracked skin. As a matter of fact I notice in a lot of products that are designed to heal skin that is scarred, cracked, etc.

 

• Vitamin F: known as "linoleic acid". It's an Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acid. It is helpful with the production of ceramides in the skin. Ceramides are vital as they are what keeps the skin moisturized naturally. It's also said to be helpful for breakouts. In some forms it's supposed to be helpful for clogged pores but bear in mind it would need to be in the correct formula for that in particular, I feel.

 

• Vitamin H: is Biotin.  I'm sure you are familiar with Biotin due to it's use for hair and nail growth etc. I prefer not to discuss it too in depth because it's typically a supplement and therefore, depending on what it is and who it is using it, it can be very helpful or maybe not.  

So some Vitamins are antioxidants. "Antioxidant" refers to "anti oxidation"  or it "inhibits oxidation". Oxidation is a "chemical reaction that can produce free radicals." Free radicals can cause a chain reaction of damage to the skin. Vitamins A, C, and E ( probably most common and effective being Vitamin C) are antioxidants but some other antioxidants are Coenzyme Q10 or (CoQ10) which is the body's natural antioxidant. In certain percentages it's been beneficial to lessening the look of wrinkles.  It helps cellular growth as well as protecting the skin. Another antioxidant is: Alpha-lipoic Acid depending again on its percentage on concentration and working your way into using it, it can be beneficial and help with sun damage. 

As with anything it all depends on formula and the concentrations of these vitamins and antioxidants for them to be helpful. Some of them, most notoriously Vitamin C, are unstable therefore not always beneficial for what you need. Or you may possibly just need a higher or lesser percentage. In order to get on the right track I would suggest you first speak to a professional in the skin industry. Meaning a facialist, dermatologist, etc. Reviews are great and I think as you get used to your skincare routine, you're more able to tell if things are helping or too harsh for your skin. However, I see a lot of people that do "too much" typically or they get discouraged because this or that product didn't work for them as it did someone else. Simply, as I said before each skin is different. Skin "types" are a very broad generalization and I find people have better outcomes when they see a "skincare professional" one on one and use products that their skin actually needs.