What’s the Difference Between Natural and Synthetic Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is one of the most talked about skincare ingredients and for good reasons. This potent antioxidant is packed with many great benefits for the skin including:

• Keeping your skin firm
• Combatting pigmentation from sun damage or acne scarring
• Reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles
• Anti-aging properties and protecting the skin from environmental aggressors

We know adding Vitamin C to our skincare regimen is a must but understanding the different types of Vitamin C and how they’re sourced will determine how much your skin will see noticeable improvement. So what are the types of Vitamin C? There are two types of Vitamin C: naturally sourced and synthetically made.

Naturally Sourced

This form of Vitamin C will come from natural and living sources such as fruits and plants. Skincare ingredient lists will label it as “Derived from __” which natural Vitamin C sources can be citrus fruit, alma berry, sea buckthorn berry, etc.

Synthetically Sourced (AKA chemical Vitamin C)

This form of Vitamin C is made in a lab, normally from ingredients like acetone and corn syrup. They naturally don’t have flavonoids but are combined with other artificial ingredients to promote absorption. Skincare ingredient lists can label synthetic Vitamin Cs as: ascorbic acid, L-ascorbic acid, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl palmitate, ascorbic acid polypeptide, ascorbyl glucosamine, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl glucoside, Ester-C, sodium ascorbyl palmitate.

Skincare brands will use a synthetic Vitamin C for a couple of reasons:

• Synthetic Vitamin C is a cheaper solution to include this nutrient in a product’s formulation.
• Vitamin C is highly sensitive to temperature, and when exposed to high temperatures it loses its potency.
• A synthetic Vitamin C is able to survive the pasteurization process.
• Synthetic Vitamin Cs are more stable and have a longer shelf life compared to naturally sourced.

Now we know and understand that there are 2 different types of Vitamin C, so the real question is… Which one is better?

Infinite Beauty proudly uses natural and organic ingredients in our product formulations so we stand by naturally sourced Vitamin C being a better option. But let’s understand why that is.

Both will appear identical on a molecular level and synthetic Vitamin C is also capable of providing benefits to the skin. Synthetically sourced Vitamin C isn’t a bad skincare ingredient when used correctly in a product’s formulation. Naturally sourced Vitamin C is better because it comes from a natural and living source allowing you to get the direct benefits of the antioxidant. Let’s break this down further as to why natural Vitamin C is better than synthetic Vitamin C:

1. Bioavailability of Vitamin C

Bioavailability means the skin’s ability to absorb Vitamin C from a skincare product. Topical application of Vitamin C is complex. A study reviewing the topical application of Vitamin C shows that L-ascorbic acid has to be made at the right pH level, below 3.5, to be absorbed by the skin. Other forms of synthetic Vitamin C such as ascorbyl-6-palmitate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate didn’t penetrate the skin nor did they increase the levels of Vitamin C in the skin.

2. The Stability

Synthetically made Vitamin C’s are not significantly more stable than naturally sourced Vitamin Cs. For example this study shows L-ascorbic acid is the preferred and most effective artificial form of Vitamin C however it’s the least stable. More stable options such as ascorbate phosphate, depending on the formulation, won’t readily penetrate the skin providing limited benefits. Although Vitamin C will be listed, because it's not penetrating your skin, you in fact are likely not receiving any benefits.

3. The Potential Toxic Effects

Sometimes they can be toxic. The Journal of Investigative Dermatology has found that the synthetic form, ascorbyl palmitate, had toxic effects. When it was applied to the skin and then exposed to UVB radiation, the ingredient promoted oxidation of the fats to the skin. The generation of the oxidized lipid cells are toxic to the skin’s epidermal cells which can intensify skin damage.

You Know What’s Best for Your Skin

Synthetically sourced Vitamin C products are not bad if they're made with the right formulations. We recommend going for natural sources of Vitamin C to reduce the risk put on your skin and being able to soak in the many benefits of this powerful antioxidant.