VITAMIN C AND THE SUN: A DANGEROUS CONNECTION?

🕑 6 minutes

THE ARTICLE IN BRIEF FOR READERS IN A HURRY:

✔️ Vitamin C is THE skin vitamin: it defies all competition due to its very high concentration in the epidermis and dermis

✔️ SOS! Today, man is no longer able to make it and it is not so easy to find in our environment.

✔️ Vitamin C is NOT sensitive to the sun. However, conventional products containing it can be, due to their acidic pH...!

✔️ Novexpert to the rescue! We have developed a vitamin C complex to formulate a Booster Serum with a less acidic pH that can be used in all seasons, and on all skin types!

ASCORBIC ACID, BETTER KNOWN BY ITS STAGE NAME: VITAMIN C!

Everyone talks about vitamin C, but do you know why it is so important? First of all, because it is THE essential vitamin for your skin, and to convince you, here is a figure: 2000. Your epidermis contains 2000 times more vitamin C than vitamin A for example (1)!

This champion is on all fronts to protect us, but it is particularly known for its antioxidant power (2). It will defend our cells against unstable molecules called free radicals that want to attack our cells and make them age prematurely. We can be grateful for this!

EVERYTHING PRECIOUS IS RARE!

We also talk a lot about vitamin C because we are constantly looking for it so that we don't fall into a state of deficiency... Yes, humans are one of the only mammals that cannot make their own vitamin C ! We were able to do so millions of years ago but evolution has not been kind to us (3). So today we have to find it through food (especially fruit and vegetables) or cosmetics.

By the way, do you know the fruit that is richest in vitamin C? No, it's not an orange or acerola, but the kakadu plum, an exotic Australian fruit. Just 3g of this tangy delicacy and you're covered for the day in vitamin C!   In second place on the podium are the well-known Goji berries (4), which are also a great source of vitamin C.

In terms of cosmetics, vitamin C is not so easily locked up in a bottle. It is a fragile vitamin that is destroyed by light, water or heat (4 )! It is not easy to preserve it in skin care products that are often composed of nearly 70% water and stored in the hot and humid environment of our bathroom.

SUN & VITAMIN: GUARANTEED IRRITATION?

Now that you know all about vitamin C, let's get back to the issue at hand and a phrase I often hear from people around me: "I can't use vitamin C products in the summer because my skin will be irritated! »

Let's break the myth right away... vitamin C is not sensitive to the sun!

But if many of you think otherwise, it's not just a coincidence, because products containing vitamin C are often incompatible with sun exposure. This is due to their pH, a physical parameter that quantifies the acidity of a solution or product.

Let's get into the bottle to understand it all... In order for classic vitamin C to penetrate the skin effectively, it must be incorporated into a product with a very acidic pH, close to 3. To visualise how acidic this is, you should know that the pH of a lemon is about 2.5! The application of such products is not recommended when you are exposed to the sun, as it will cause irritation and damage the most superficial layers of your skin.

And this is really a problem because the more your skin is exposed to the sun, the more vitamin C it needs, because the sun's rays break it down.  

Let's summarise: our skin needs vitamin C when exposed to the sun, but conventional cosmetics are incompatible with sun exposure... It sounds like a mission impossible!

A SHOT OF VITAMIN C THANKS TO NOVEXPERT!

At Novexpert, challenges stimulate us. So we made it a priority to formulate a vitamin C product for everyone that could be used in all seasons, even when exposed to the sun.

Our scientific team, together with our doctors, has embarked on this quest and developed a new generation vitamin C complex! A sort of super vitamin C, with an unequalled track record.

In order to be preserved in the bottle, this vitamin C complex has been formulated to be light, heat and water resistant. But the innovation lies above all in the fact that the vitamin C formulated in this way is capable of penetrating the various skin layers at a less acidic pH, close to that of the skin, i.e. around 4.5 (the pH of the skin of the face (5) is not 5.5 but 4.7). This allows us to offer you products, such as the Vitamin C Booster Serum, whose pH is similar to that of the skin. It can therefore be used all day long, even in summer. Banco, the Novexpert scientists have achieved their goal!

Our Booster Serum is unique in more ways than one, as it contains 25% of this stabilised Vitamin C complex. This is one of the highest concentrations in the world for a cosmetic product. Yes, in the world, I didn't make a typo. With it, you can provide your skin with the vitamin C it deserves, no questions asked. It is certified non-photosensitising, non-photo-allergic and non-phototoxic. It can therefore be used daily on all skin types, even the most sensitive, and all day long. Enough to create a good stock of vitamin C!

However, I would like to remind you here that in case of long-term exposure to the sun (more than 20 minutes) it is recommended to apply a cream with a sun protection factor.

Now you know everything, so this summer you can safely slip our Vitamin C Booster Serum in your nice canvas bag. It's a great ally in helping your skin maintain its vitamin C levels.

📑 REFERENCES

(1) Pullar, J. M., Carr, A. C., & Vissers, M. (2017). The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health. Nutrients, 9(8),

(2) Pehlivan, F.E. (2017) Vitamin C: An Antioxidant Agent. In Vitamin C; InTech: London, UK.

(3) Dr. Corson P. (2014) La vitamine C. Ed Médicis

(4) Machlin L. (1984) Handbook of vitamins. Nutritional Biochemical and clinical aspects. New York & Basel. Marcel Dekker Inc.

(5) Lambers H, Piessens S, Bloem A, Pronk H, Finkel P. (2006) Natural skin surface pH is on average below 5, which is beneficial for its resident flora. Int J Cosmet Sci. 28(5):359-70.