ASCORBIC ACID

Name / description

Ascorbic Acid; Vitamin C

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Function(s) of this ingredient in cosmetic products

ANTIOXIDANT

Inhibits reactions promoted by oxygen, thus avoiding oxidation and deterioration of ingredients

BUFFERING

Controls the pH of cosmetic products

FRAGRANCE

Enhances the smell of a product and / or perfumes the skin

SKIN CONDITIONING

Maintains the skin in good condition

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Origin

plant/biotechnology

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Occurrence in cosmetics

Skin and body creams, sun care, after sun care, shower gels, masks, cures and other cosmetics

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Occurrence in other products

In medicinal products, as food supplement etc

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Background information on use in cosmetics

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) participates in different enzymatic reactions; it promotes, amongst others, the collagen synthesis and acts as a radical scavenger. In cosmetics it is mainly added because of its antioxidative effect to prevent on the one hand the oxidative spoilage of the product and on the other hand, to protect the skin from oxidative stress. The cosmetic active ingredients used include both ascorbic acid and the more stable ascorbic acid esters (eg ascorbyl palmitate or ascorbyl phosphate). The combination of Vitamin C and Vitamin E is recommended since the substances regenerate each other. Vitamin C as an active ingredient acts against skin ageing by protecting the upper skin layer against the formation of free radicals. Fragrances or mixtures of fragrances are often referred to in the cosmetics area as "perfuming agents" or "perfume oils" or "parfum oils". On the cosmetic products they are declared with the INCI name "PARFUM". These are undiluted individual substances or their mixtures which originate from natural raw materials or can be produced (semi-) synthetically. They are starting materials for the production of perfume, eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne and other perfumed cosmetic products. The average content of fragrances amounts in perfume to 15-30 %, in eau de parfum to 10-14 %, in eau de toilette to 6-9 %, in eau de cologne to 3-5 % as well as in skin creams, shampoos, hair and deodorant sprays to approximately 0.2-1 % and approximately 1-3 in deodorant sticks. The perfume oils include essential oils, resinoids and absolutes. The sources are, amongst others, flowers, leaves and stems, fruits and fruit peels or roots of plants; woods, grasses or herbs, needles, resins and balsams. Moreover, only compounds isolated from natural products such as aldehydes, ketones, esters, alcohols etc. are used (geraniol, citronellal, citral, eugenol, menthol) as well as semi-synthetic (citronellol, geranyl acetate, jonone) and synthetic scents (eg phenylethyl alcohol and linalool) are used. Scents of animal origin such as musk and ambra are only rarely used.

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Belongs to the following substance groups

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Regulating cosmetics

Cosmetics Ingredients are subject to regulation. Please note, different regulations may apply to cosmetic ingredients outside the EU.