- Quan Anh Thu
THE SKINS DICTIONARY: VITAMIN
Vitamins are one of the familiar nutrients, indispensable for human life, and many students are interested in them while learning about skincare. This article will provide knowledge to help you understand the effects of vitamins so that you can choose the right skincare products/procedures as well as know how vitamins affect skin problems.
What are Vitamins?
Vitamins are necessary and indispensable nutrients to your daily biological functions. Until the 1900s, people were not aware of the existence of vitamins. With the root “vita”, meaning “vitality”, vitamins have become a common component in skincare products that are known to be in fruits and veggies.
Vitamins in food
Vitamins often appear in fruits and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, oranges, etc. When you eat foods that contain a lot of vitamins, they will be distributed to all parts of the body. So, these foods are not only beneficial for your skin but are also very good for your health. However, to specifically solve skin problems, skincare products have added Vitamins so that your facial skin can directly absorb them instead of having to "share" those substances with other parts.
4 types of common vitamins in skincare products and their uses
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is written on skincare packages as alpha-tocopherol, which serves as antioxidants as well as moisturizer. Vitamin E, when combined with Vitamin C, can be highly effective against UV rays. Besides, Vitamin E can treat surgery scars, burns and skin injuries. However, you should consult your doctor for any purpose of treatment.
Vitamin C
L-ascorbic acid often appears on the packaging of skincare products to fight oxidation and boost collagen production. This ingredient also has the ability to protect against environmental aggressors and treat hyperpigmentation conditions such as melasma. But in addition to the good capabilities of Vitamin C, this is also a substance that easily decomposes and loses its effectiveness when exposed to oxygen or sunlight. So when buying products that contain Vitamin C, you should not buy in stock and use this substance according to the expiration date on the manufacturer's packaging.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a vitamin that is produced from sunlight. So many people wonder if the sun is good? The answer is that between 8 am and 10 am is the best time to be exposed to the sun. However, this does not mean that we will go out in the sun without sunscreen! Usually Vitamin D is the least common ingredient in skincare, but it helps to deal with psoriasis on the skin.
Vitamin B
Unlike other vitamins, B vitamins do not stand alone, but as a group. There are eight different types: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), B6, biotin (B7), folate (B9) and B12. A form of vitamin B3 called niacinamide is one of the B vitamins commonly found in skin care. Niacinamide is best known to help the skin maintain normal barrier function, relieve dryness, and soothe related conditions like eczema. In addition, Vitamin B5 - also known as pantothenic acid - is another important B vitamin commonly used in skin care, which is highly effective in soothing the skin and keeping it soft. Vitamin B5 also improves skin moisture, reduces moisture loss and has anti-inflammatory effects, which is very beneficial for people with easily irritated skin.
Vitamin C and its “friends” and “foes”
When applying skincare we often have the habit of applying many products at the same time (layering), so understanding the ingredients of skincare products is extremely necessary! In particular, when using products containing Vitamin C, you should know which substances can react and combine safely.
Friends of Vitamin C: Vitamin E and ferulic acid. As mentioned above Vitamin C is the most unstable ingredient, so when ferulic acid acts as a stabilizer. Vitamin E does not often work independently but combines with vitamin C to eliminate the effects of UV rays. So what if the 3 components mentioned above are combined together? Are you thinking of combining to get a skin protection cycle with 3 levels of protection?
On the contrary, Vitamin C and Retinoids / Benzoyl peroxide is a combination that needs attention because of its high potential for irritation even though they have certain functions that have a beneficial effect on the skin. Combining retinoids and vitamin C makes skin more sensitive to the sun and over-exfoliated dead skin. When vitamin C is used with benzoyl peroxide, both will not work because benzoyl peroxide oxidizes vitamin C.
There are many ways to supplement yourself with vitamins, and there are also many ways to use different vitamins. Let's understand the ingredients of skincare products so that we can find the "true love" of life!
References:
https://www.allure.com/story/best-vitamins-for-skin
https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/ingredients-that-work-well-together