Vitamins are important ingredients for your skin and are used in all types of cosmetic product. Vitamins are a great addition to your natural or organic products, and this article will explore the role and benefits of the most popular vitamins for skincare.

Benefits to the skin are many including suppression of pigmentation, stimulation of collagen synthesis, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. 

Benefits of vitamins for the skin

Here is a summary of some of the main benefits of vitamins for skincare.

Please note: although some vitamins have properties that may protect against damage from the sun, we don’t advocate creating your own sunscreen and we always recommend wearing a high factor SPF.

Vitamin A

• Normalizes keratinization which helps reduce roughness and wrinkles.
• Regulates sebum production.
• Reverses and treats photo-damage.

Vitamin B3

• Improves skin texture and the appearance of hyperpigmented spots.
• Stimulates collagen synthesis and production of ceramide.
• Reduces the rate of sebum excretion.

Pro vitamin B5 (D-Panthenol)

• Stimulates epithelization.
• Mitigates itching.
• Has an anti-inflammatory effect.
• Improves the hydration of the skin, helps maintain skin softness and elasticity.

Vitamin C

• Antioxidant.
• Regulate collagen synthesis.
• Formation of stratum-corneum barrier lipids.
• Regenerates vitamin E.
• Provides photo protection (in combination with vitamin E).

Vitamin E

• Antioxidant.
• Protects against oxidative damage.
• Provides photo protection (in combination with vitamin C).

Co-Enzyme Q10

• Antioxidant.
• Regenerates vitamin E.
• Protects against photo-aging.

How to use vitamins in your skincare products

Please note: these are guidelines and suggestions only and you should always check with the manufacturer or supplier of an ingredient for any specific usage rates or directions for use.

Vitamin A

Due to benefits in the treatment of photo-aging and in normalization of keratinization, this vitamin is a good choice for your skincare products for people with mature skin. You may like to incorporate this vitamin in your night cream; it’s not usually recommended for day time use as even on dull cloudy days as it can make your skin sun sensitive. 

It comes in different forms or different derivatives, all together called retinoids. Most commonly used are retinol and retinyl palmitate. Both are fat-soluble vitamins, usually incorporated in a cool phase. Typical amounts recommended by suppliers are 0.3-1.3 %.

Vitamin B3

Vitamin B3 has multiple benefits, making it the ideal ingredient for daily skincare formulations.

You can use in products for dry skin (increases ceramide), sensitive skin (inflammatory properties beneficial in cases of acne, for example) or mature skin (to reduce the appearance of wrinkles).

Add 1-6% in the water phase or in a finished product.

Pro Vitamin B5 (D-Panthenol)

Useful for dry, damaged, chapped, broken and inflamed or irritated skin as well as mature/aging skin.

Use 1-5% in your products in cool-down phase (water soluble).

Vitamin C

You can use this vitamin in your rejuvenating creams due to its antioxidant effect and anti-inflammatory properties; hence it’s good for acneous skins.

It’s best to use the stable forms of this Vitamin as L- Ascorbic acid becomes unstable once in contact with oxygen and water. Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate are much more stable and also water soluble. For stable oil soluble derivatives you can try Ascorbyl Palmitate and Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is known for its antioxidant properties so you can add this in all your daily skincare products. In oil-based products, this vitamin helps slow down the oxidation process. Vitamin E enhances the benefits of Vitamin C, too.

Usually used at 0.05-3% in a cool phase.

Co-enzyme Q10

CO-Q10 is one of the most used cosmetic ingredients for skincare for its powerful anti-aging properties, and capacity to reduce UV damage. Increases cell energy.

Usually added at the end of the formulating process, with typical doses of 1-3%.

Now, it’s your turn to formulate amazing products with vitamins!

We teach you how to formulate with vitamins and a wide range of other high-performance active ingredients in our Advanced Certificate in High-Performance Serum Formulation.

References:

Role of Vitamins in Skin Care, Stanley S. Shapiro and Claude Saliou, Nutrition, Vol. 17, 2001.

www.makingcosmetics.com/articles/07-essential-role-vitamins-in-cosmetics.pdf

Coenzyme Q10 Ameliorates Ultraviolet B Irradiation Induced Cell Death Through Inhibition of Mitochondrial Intrinsic Cell Death Pathway, Li Jing, Santosh Kumari, Natalia Mendelev and P. Andy Li.

A light, natural and organic face lotion recipe

This is a light, easily absorbed lotion that contains ingredients to help keep the skin hydrated, toned and moisturized. It also contains some excellent high-performance anti-aging ingredients plus ingredients that protect against and repair damage from the sun.

Ingredients | properties and benefits

Raspberry seed oil

Very rich in antioxidants, with high content of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids, so very suitable for dry, mature and sensitive skin. Studies have proven that it absorbs UV rays, but it’s effect as an SPF ingredient was never proven.  

Contains very high levels of phytosterols that can help reduce trans-epidermal water loss thereby helping to keep skin moisturized and repair skin damaged by environmental factors including sun damage. Read more about raspberry seed oil here.

Jojoba oil

Balancing, softening, soothing, light and well absorbed, leaves a silky feeling on the skin.

Glycerin

Humectant: draws water into the skin from the atmosphere to increase skin hydration.

Hydrolyzed silk protein

Humectant, emollient and occlusive; draws water into the skin from the atmosphere to increase hydration and softness of skin; smoothes and softens the look of wrinkles/fine lines; provides silky-soft feel.

Neroli (orange blossom) hydrosol

Healing and regenerating; toning; provides light aromatic scent.

Panthenol (Provitamin B5)

Humectant; draws water into the skin from the atmosphere to increase hydration level of skin; maintains skin softness and elasticity.

Coenzyme Q-10

Powerful antioxidant, promotes collagen and elastin synthesis, a great anti-aging ingredient.

Grapefruit essential oil

Toning, helps to clean and cleanse the skin, unclog pores; sweet, fresh, uplifting scent that is softer than you may think. (Should be used at concentrations lower that 4% in leave-on products due to its potential to cause phototoxicity.) 

Geranium essential oil

Regulates sebum production, tones and firms; heals and encourages cell renewal; provides light floral scent. (Avoid during first trimester of pregnancy and use in low dilutions thereafter. May irritate sensitive skin.)

Recipe/formula 

Step-by-step instructions

Use only clean equipment and tools, and always follow good manufacturing practices (GMP) when making any skincare products.   

Step 1) Measure all of the oil-phase ingredients into a double-boiler or water bath (according to the recipe above), and bring the temperature to 70 C.

Step 2) Measure all of the water-phase ingredients into a double-boiler or water bath (according to the recipe above).  Bring the temperature to 70 C.  

Step 3) Pour the oil phase into the water phase.  Use an electric stick blender to blend at high shear until the cream has emulsified. 

Step 4) Allow to cool, blending periodically. As the cream cools it will thicken.

Step 5) If you are using powdered coenzyme Q10 you’ll need to dissolve this in the jojoba oil before adding it to your cream. That’s why we’ve include 3% jojoba oil in cooling phase B. Add the coenzyme Q10 powder to the jojoba oil and heat it gently (to approximately 50°C) while stirring to dissolve the coenzyme Q10. Alternatively coenzyme Q10 can also be purchased as a liquid, pre-dissolved ingredient. 

Step 6) Once the cream is cooled (below 40 C), you may add both cool phases (A and B) and mix well.

Step 7) Test and adjust the pH as required.

Step 8) Distribute into an air-tight pump or jar.

Shelf-life and storage

Store the lotion in an airless pump dispenser for easy and clean dispensing.  If preferred, you may use a jar, however, ensure users have clean, dry hands or a spatula to remove the product from the jar.

As this lotion contains a broad-spectrum preservative, the shelf-life is approximately 12 months (perhaps less if stored in a jar where exposed to more contaminates).  Label clearly and store in a cool, dry place.

Want to formulate your own products like this one?

Our Diploma in Natural Skincare Formulation teaches you all the skills needed to create your own beautiful, unique, high-performance products.

 

Here is a simple formulation for an anhydrous face serum, specifically formulated with ingredients to improve the appearance of aging skin by hydrating, enhancing elasticity, tightening and toning, boosting skin cell regeneration and providing a rich source of antioxidants.

Carrier oils: camellia oil, rosehip oil, olive squalane, meadowfoam oil.

Essential oils: frankincense, palmarosa.

Supercritical C02 extract: seabuckthorn.

Facial serum ingredients

Camellia oil offers emollient, astringent and cytophylactic qualities, while giving a light, hydrated feel to the skin. 

Rosehip oil (wild rose) contains tretinoin (vitamin A), to reduce wrinkles, boost elasticity and firm, while fading discolorations. 

Olive squalane feels very light and absorbs rapidly, yet penetrates deeply to hydrate, improve elasticity, and boost cell regeneration, while offering humectant qualities by drawing water from the surrounding environment into the skin. Read more about olive squalane here.

Meadowfoam oil is a great emollient, which reduces wrinkles and hydrates without a heavy feel on the skin. 

Frankincense essential oil is astringent and cytophylactic; it tightens and tones while stimulating cell regeneration and smoothing wrinkles and fine lines. (Best avoided during first trimester of pregnancy.)

Palmarosa essential oil hydrates and promotes healing, while softening, smoothing and encouraging cell regeneration. (No known contraindications.)

Sea buckthorn regenerates, repairs and retains moisture while reducing trans-epidermal water loss. It enhances skin elasticity and is a very rich source of a variety of antioxidants such as carotenoids, tocopherols and flavonoids.

Facial serum recipe/formula

How to make the facial serum

Use only clean equipment and tools, and always follow good manufacturing practices (GMP) when making any natural product. 

1. Measure the plant oils listed above by weight (grams), into a clean glass or stainless steel bowl, according to the following measurements provided in the chart below (for a 100g batch). 
2. Once all of the oils have been measured and added, gently mix the oils together until well blended.
3. Decant the facial serum into dropper bottles, and clearly label.

Shelf-life and storage

The facial serum will last for 6-12 months, as vitamin E has been included in the formula as an antioxidant to slow the rate of rancidity. This is an anhydrous product which does not contain a preservative, so be careful not to contaminate the product with water or microbes from hand contact. If contamination of the product is suspected, dispose of it immediately.