Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant and helps protect the body against free radical damage. It’s found in various food products and supplements and made up of eight fat-soluble compounds called tocotrienols and tocopherols that serve to provide its protection.
Studies have demonstrated that taking sufficient vitamin E can lower your risk of prostate cancer, coronary heart disease and mild cognitive impairment. Furthermore, its anti-ageing properties allow it to be applied topically on skin.
1. Antioxidant Power
Vitamin E’s powerful antioxidant properties protect skin cells against the damage done by free radicals that damage DNA and proteins, helping neutralize them before they damage DNA and proteins further. When applied topically, Vitamin E also neutralizes free radicals that threaten DNA and proteins (1)
Vitamin E can act as an anti-inflammatory, reduce platelet aggregation (preventing blood clots from forming in heart arteries) and boost immune function.(2)
Fat-soluble nutrients like Vitamin E are found throughout our bodies and used in skincare products to add their antioxidant powers and promote hydration and skin protection.
Chain-breaking antioxidants act to stop and prevent further lipid peroxidation once it starts, helping reduce redness and soothe inflammation.
As with other essential dietary vitamins, your natural levels of Vitamin E decrease as you get older; that’s why many opt to take supplements as a source of this nutrient. One International Unit (IU) of vitamin E equals 0.67 mg of all-rac-tocopheryl acetate which is the form most often seen in fortified food and supplements.
2. Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Vitamin E is known to combat free radicals that damage cells, including those in your skin. Therefore, vitamin E can be an essential nutrient for maintaining radiant complexion. Furthermore, its anti-inflammatory effects help protect you against cardiovascular disease and other chronic illnesses.
Vitamin E applied topically helps the skin retain its natural oils to stay hydrated, healing scars, and providing anti-inflammatory benefits that reduce redness and itching caused by irritation of skin.
Vitamin E is also an excellent anti-aging ingredient for your skin, helping reduce dark spots caused by pregnancy or birth control pills (known as Melasma) as well as prevent wrinkles. Studies have also demonstrated how taking oral doses of vitamin E reduces levels of inflammation biomarkers such as CRP while inhibiting Cyclooxygenase activity – the enzyme responsible for inflammation within the body.
Vitamin E can benefit all skin types, but especially oily or acne-prone complexions. Vitamin E acts to scavenge free radicals which may damage sebaceous glands and lead to excess oil production that could otherwise lead to acne breakouts.
3. Moisturizes
Vitamin E, being an oil soluble vitamin, can easily be integrated into skin care products like oils and moisturizers. Furthermore, serums and face creams often incorporate it for its ability to heal sun damage, soothe irritated skin conditions, nourish dry skin deeply and reduce dark spots.
Search for Vitamin E when looking for skin care products by looking at their ingredient lists; tocopheryl acetate or tocopherols should be listed. You can also find Vitamin E in food additives; it’s commonly present in plant-based oils (safflower, sunflower and soybean), nuts and seeds.
Vitamin E is best suited to those with normal and dry skin types, but can also soothe sun-damaged areas of skin and speed the healing of minor wounds. When combined with Vitamin C serums it can help reduce oxidative stress, lighten dark spots and brighten complexion – in fact it’s often added as an additive for optimal stability of this powerful antioxidant. Too much can comedogenicity occurs with regular use causing pores to clog; so those with oily or acne prone complexions must use with caution!
4. Prevents Sun Damage
Vitamin E is a crucial nutrient that works to neutralize free radicals and minimize oxidative stress on skin, as well as helping prevent sun damage, dark spots and provide antioxidant protection for ageing skin.
Studies have demonstrated that topical application of vitamin E reduces UV-induced lipid peroxidation in human skin (68). Furthermore, vitamin E decreases production of pro-inflammatory molecules by cultured keratinocytes while inhibiting activation of COX-2 and NADPH oxidase pathways that contribute to photodamage. Furthermore, vitamin E acts as a natural scavenger of reactive oxygen species within skin layers, helping reduce polyunsaturated fatty acid oxidation within sebum (69).
People generally get enough vitamin E from their diet, but adding extra to your skincare routine may give it that extra edge. But it’s important to keep in mind that certain forms of vitamin E could act as allergens on some people, so always perform a patch test first and check for any possible sensitivities before adding supplements or topical applications into your routine.
5. Helps to Reduce Dark Spots
Vitamin E’s antioxidant properties make it a key part of your skin care routine, as its anti-oxidant benefits help reduce dark spots and blemishes, lighten scars and pigmentation by stimulating healthy cell regeneration, and protect from sun damage by absorbing UVB rays that cause wrinkles, premature ageing and discolorations in addition to dark spots and discolorations.
Finally, this ingredient has become widely revered within the skincare industry for its moisturizing benefits. It can often be found in facial creams and serums which aid to increase hydration levels within skin by increasing water binding capacity. Studies have confirmed this potential by increasing water-binding capacity of skin.
Vitamin E is an indispensable ally for all types of skin. A fat-soluble vitamin that plays an integral part in maintaining our complexions, it should be part of everyone’s skin-care routine and ideally used alongside Vitamin C – this will increase its effectiveness!
