Stabilizing Vitamin C in Water to Extend Shelf Life and Create More Luxurious Esthetics

Vitamin C is another anti-aging powerhouse that has been shown to stimulate collagen repair and fight free radicals. It is, however, also extremely unstable. While it is possible to create an oil or silicone-based vitamin C product that doesn’t oxidize easily, water-based vitamin C products¬–even with concentrations as low as four-five percent–can oxidize and turn coffee brown in as little as one month. Many consumers, however, favor water-based products because of the way they feel on the skin.

To address this issue, Sangha and his team examined vitamin C as it occurs in nature and discovered that citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits, have naturally occurring anti-oxidants that prevent vitamin C from oxidizing and turning brown. To create a stable, water-based product with a 10 percent concentration of vitamin C, the GSC team added pure grapefruit juice with additional antioxidants to the formula, taking advantage of Mother Nature’s built-in defense mechanisms. The end result was a product that maintained its color and potency (9.3 percent) for several years.