Working With Vitamin E
Juliette van der MeerWhat is Vitamin E?
Vitamin E is one of the most famous and well used vitamins in cosmetics. Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin, and will often be listed on ingredients lists as tocopherol which is the most biologically available form of Vitamin E.
Vitamin E is a great antioxidant and free radical scavenger, and can help protect the skin from environmental damage and stress. It improves the skin's moisture barrier, helping keep it moisturised and healthy.
Vitamin E Benefits
Vitamin E is excellent for scar and stretch marks; you'll find it as a prominent ingredient in products like Bio Oil.
It is also used as an antioxidant to protect products from oxidation (note, not as a preservative). So while Vitamin E is naturally found in many carrier oils, if you want to extend the shelf life and prevent oxidation, you can actually add a small amount of Vitamin E to the bottle!
How to use Vitamin E
Vitamin E oil is typically used at 0.5% as an antioxidant in formulations but can be used at higher amounts for its skincare benefits. But don't go too high or it will make your product sticky. I recommend not going above 2%.
Solubility of Vitamin E
Vitamin E is oil soluble, and is easily incorporated into oil based products, as well as emulsions.
It can be solubilised into water based products with Olivem 300.
The pH of Vitamin E
As Vitamin E is an oil, it doesn't have specific pH considerations. Simply adjust the pH to skin levels of around 5, or to the specifications of other actives, if using.
2 comments
Hi there Michelle,
Thanks so much for reaching out – and how exciting that you’re developing your own body line!
You’re absolutely right that Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and Vitamin E can be added to cream bases, but there are some important points to keep in mind with regards to Vitamin C:
- Ascorbic acid is unstable: In water-based creams, it oxidises very quickly (which is why Vitamin C products often turn brown over time). This reduces its effectiveness and can sometimes cause skin sensitivity.
- Solubility: Ascorbic acid is water-soluble, so it won’t blend evenly if added directly to the cream base. If you do want to use it, it should first be dissolved in deionised/distilled water, then added carefully into your cream base.
- Low percentages: Keep the percentage low (typically 1–5% in body care). Higher concentrations are more unstable and may irritate skin.
- Stabilisation: To help slow down oxidation, formulators often add stabilisers like vitamin E, sodium phytate and /or sodium gluconate, and sometimes use airless pump packaging.
Even then, shelf life is limited.
Because of these challenges, many makers choose to use a stabilised Vitamin C derivative instead of pure ascorbic acid (for example: Ascorbyl Palmitate). These are much easier to work with and give your product a longer shelf life.
https://essentiallynatural.co.za/products/essentially-natural-ascorbyl-palmitate
Wishing you all the best with your new creation – it’s a wonderful project! <3
Warm regards,
Essentially Natural Support
Hi, I would like to make a VitC Cream as part of my body line. How do I go about to make it. Ive got a 5kg cream base can I just add the ascorbic with Vit E oil. Please help with this.
Regards
Michelle