Hello there, how’s 2016 treating you? We hope you haven’t broken your beauty resolutions yet! In continuation with our "simple English" series on rock-star ingredients, today we answer some FAQs on Vitamin E for you. Most of us are aware that Vitamin E is great for skin and hair, but knowing some important facts about this anti-oxidant superstar will help us incorporate Vit E in our daily routine in the best way possible. Let’s begin!
1. What actually does Vitamin E do for the skin?
No matter how we say it, we all want younger-looking, clearer, even-toned & soft skin. And guess what, Vitamin E is a useful guy to know if we want to get there! Vitamin E is an excellent antioxidant (what is an antioxidant?). Antioxidants help fight free radicals that can cause skin damage like dark spots, fine lines and dullness. Besides, Vit E has anti-inflammatory & wound-healing properties, which helps the skin bounce back from sun-induced and other forms of stress.
2. In what products should I look to include Vitamin E?
Vitamin E is a potent ingredient to have in your cleanser, moisturizer or sunblock. Additionally, due to its anti-oxidant properties, it’s a useful ingredient to have in your toner too. In higher concentrations, Vitamin E can work with other actives in your anti-ageing cream/serum, as it nourishes the skin, making it supple & keeping fine lines at bay.
3. What ingredients are rich in Vitamin E?
Vegetable, nut and seed oils are the best sources of vitamin E. In skin creams- olives, avocados, nuts, pistachio, pumpkin seeds, canola oil, hazelnut, apricot, kiwi, almond, sunflower seed, wheat germ, aloe vera, shea, cocoa, kiwi, carrot etc are added. It's quite common for Vit E (in the form of tocopheryl acetate) to be added directly as an ingredient in skin care formulas.
4. Is consuming (eating Vit E rich foods/supplements) better than topical application of Vit E skincare products?
Internally consumed Vit E has to make its way to the skin before it can work its magic. Topically applied Vit E (from a skin cream for example) has been shown to be readily absorbed in the skin layers, from where it provides excellent antioxidant defence. While it's tough to say which is better, it is conclusively established that Vit E applied on skin even in concentrations as low as 0.1% makes itself available for skin protection and nourishment almost immediately. So it IS a good idea to include Vit E in your skin care regime.
5. How do I check for Vitamin E in ingredient lists?
Vitamin E is a lipid (fat) soluble vitamin. Tocopheryl Acetate is the most common form of Vitamin E used in skin care. It is FDA approved and hence is generally very safe. In all there are 8 forms of the Vitamin E molecule. Tocotrienols is another common form, generally used in sunscreens. Check for either Tocopheryl Acetate or Tocotrienols in the ingredient list of any product you buy.
6. What is the right percentage of Vitamin E that one should look for in a cream?
For daily moisturizing and anti-oxidant needs, anything between 0.5%-1% by weight is good. For anti-ageing benefits it’s better to have it above 1%. It has been shown in studies that even a 0.1% concentration of Vit E in skin care products gets readily absorbed in the skin and is useful as an antioxidant. Overdosing of Vit E is not dangerous - but it is expensive :)
7. How does one know how much Vitamin E is present in a product?
Broadly speaking, Vit E should be in the middle of the ingredient list. Too low down the list means there probably isn't enough in the formula to do much good. Most skin creams in the market have 0.5%. Plum's Hello Aloe Caring Day Moisturizer has 1% added Vitamin E (as tocopheryl acetate). So does NaturStudio All-Day-Wear Kohl Kajal. Pure wheat germ oil, a commonly used ingredient source of Vitamin E, contains around 0.5% of Vitamin E.Vit E does have all the makings of a rock star, doesn’t it? It is one of our favorite actives, as well. But do remember: no single ingredient or nutrient is a magic wand for all-round skin care. We all wish for a magic potion, but skin care formulas have to create a fine balance among actives to create the desired effect. That's because skin care actives almost always work in conjunction with each other. Having said that, Vitamin E remains one of the safest & most beneficial ingredients to have in your skincare.
And the WINNER is..
As promised, the lucky winner of our ‘winter skincare quiz’ is going to win a full-size Hello Aloe Caring Day Moisturizer and the winner is Navneet Kaur from Delhi! Congrats! Please email us your details & we’ll ship out your gift to you :)
That’s all for today, folks! If you have anything to add or ask, you know where to reach us. Take care!
Related posts:
Get Me the Goodies - Grape Seed OilGet Me the Goodies - Sea Buckthorn
Glycolic Acid: Skincare Super-ingredient Demystified
Simply Speaking: Humectants
Antioxidants: must-have goodies
Related products:
Hello Aloe Caring Day MoisturizerGrape Seed & Sea Buckthorn Nurturance Night Cream
NaturStudio All Day Wear Kohl Kajal
