Are All Vitamin-C Products The Same?

Studies show that an effective topical vitamin-C product must meet the following criteria:

Does the product contain pure L-ascorbic acid?
Vitamin-C is L-ascorbic acid. Even though they can claim to be vitamin-C, other ingredients like magnesium ascorbyl phosphate or ascorbyl palmitate are not vitamin-C and aren't recognized at vitamin-C by the body. Studies show that these other ingredients don't significantly increase levels of vitamin-C in skin.

Is there enough vitamin-C for the product to work?
Studies show a topical vitamin-C product must have a substantial amount of vitamin-C to have an effect, and that 20% is optimal for absorption.

Is the pH low enough to allow absorption?
To be absorbed by the skin, the pH of topical vitamin-C must be very low. As the pH is increased, less vitamin-C is absorbed.

Absorption: the key to truly effective vitamin-C.
All of the above factors can affect the performance of a vitamin-C product. But, most importantly, a vitamin-C product must be absorbed by the skin to be truly effective.

Only SkinCeuticals has proven that its formulas are absorbed by the skin and significantly increase levels of vitamin-C in skin using accurate and acceptable methods.

Vitamin-C Proven Stability
Using a vitamin-C formulation can be one of the most effective ways to prevent premature aging and environmental damage to your skin. SkinCeuticals has pioneered stable vitamin-C products.

In an effort to compete, some companies have clouded the facts about effective vitamin-C - claiming that a vitamin-C formulation loses its potency if it changes color.

As it turns out, color stability is not the best indicator of vitamin-C stability. Furthermore, color stability is not a good indicator of potency.

A potent and effective vitamin-C formulation must not only be stable - it must contain high concentrations of pure L-ascorbic acid, and it must also be absorbed by the skin.

Low concentrations of vitamin-C or vitamin-C that sits on top of the skin is probably not as effective.

SkinCeuticals formulates products with concentrations of vitamin-C up to 20% that incorporate state-of-the-art stabilization technology. Studies show that SkinCeuticals products are absorbed by the skin and increase skin levels of vitamin-C. Only SkinCeuticals has proven that its formulas are absorbed by the skin and significantly increase levels of vitamin-C in skin using accurate and acceptable methods.

SkinCeuticals uses natural and proprietary methods to stabilize its products. Other methods utilize high concentrations of organic solvents such as propylene glycol - increasing the chances for irritation and sensitivity.

SkinCeuticals stabilization technology is so superior, it has allowed us to combine high concentrations of L-ascorbic acid with other effective antioxidants such as pure vitamin-E (alpha-tocopherol) and zinc sulfate, as well as alpha hydroxy acids.

These combination antioxidant formulations are the future of skin care: they yield benefits above and beyond any low concentration vitamin-C formulation, no matter how stable.

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