Deeper understanding to take its advantages.

Not “trending” like vitamin C, vitamin A but vitamin E has always been a silent hero appearing in many products, from skin care to supplements to the body. So in order not to miss out on the impressive benefits of this vitamin, let’s find more details about how Vitamin E works and apply it properly to daily skincare.

What is Vitamin E?

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant and has been used for more than 50 years in the dermatology field. Vitamin E is synthesized by plants and must be obtained from a food source.

Vitamin E is divided into 2 types: tocopherols and tocotrienols.
Each type contains 4 different types: alpha, beta, gamma and delta. The two most abundant forms in food are alpha- and gamma-tocopherol.

In skin care products, the most typical forms of vitamin E used include: d-alpha-tocopherol, d-alpha-tocopherol acetate, dl-alpha tocopherol and dl-alpha tocopherol acetate. The prefix “d” refers to a product of natural origin, for example from vegetable oil or wheat germ. The prefix “dl” means that the vitamin is synthesized. Therefore, if you see “tocopherol” on the ingredients sheet, that product contains vitamin E.

Benefits of vitamin E

For the body

The main function of vitamin E in the human body is to combat oxidative stress by blocking the activities of free radicals. Together with vitamin C, it protects fat molecules from oxidation, maintaining the structure and function of individual cells.

Vitamin E plays an important role in health and the body such as:

• Heart and brain health
• Immunity
• Skin Care
• Fertility

Therefore, a deficiency of vitamin E in the body can cause negative effects.

For the skin

Helps to moisturize the skin
Vitamin E helps to prevent dehydration of the skin and keeps skin’s natural moisture. Because vitamins form a barrier around cells, keep skin hydrated, healthy and moisturized.

Powerful anti-aging agent, prevents aging and minimizes wrinkles
Vitamin E has incredibly powerful antioxidant properties, according to the National Institutes of Health, which can reduce the harmful effects of free radicals and slow cell aging. Antioxidants fight the negative effects of free radicals.

Over time, free radical oxidation can degrade the skin’s natural barrier. There is research showing that even a small amount of UV exposure, vitamin E levels in the skin drop by up to 50%.

Even vitamin E levels in the human body decrease with age. Therefore, we need vitamin supplements to maintain skin health.

Anti-inflammatory
Vitamin E is shown to have natural anti-inflammatory activities, which can soothe irritated skin.

Treatment of scars and stretch marks
Studies show that taking vitamin E can help repair scars from burns, surgery or other injuries. It can also help prevent and treat stretch marks.

Supplement with vitamin E

Deficiency of vitamin E in the body can cause retinopathy, impaired vision, peripheral nerves, and impaired immune function. Therefore, we only need to focus on regular and daily supplements because food sources of natural vitamin E are very diverse and easy to find.

Where to find Vitamin E?

Vitamin E is found in vegetable oils, fruits, vegetables and seeds such as:

• Wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil
• Peanut
• Broccoli, spinach
• Pumpkin
• Red bell peppers
• Asparagus
• Mango, avocado…

For skin, let’s choose skin care products (serums, lotions, masks, …) that contain vitamin E ingredients to maximize the effects of vitamin E.

Vitamin E and vitamin C – a companion to bring about great effects

Although vitamin E acts as an antioxidant, it is unstable and easily lost from the skin. Therefore, it is extremely important to improve stability when taking vitamin e. One of the solutions is to combine both vitamin C and vitamin E in one product to boost the effectiveness of the product. Many studies have found a wonderful combination of vitamin C and vitamin E in protecting the skin from the harmful effects of UV rays, improving the appearance of uneven skin, brightening the skin.

Combined antioxidants often produce surprising results. Because vitamin C works optimally at the skin surface level, while vitamin E is oil-soluble, it goes deeper. Besides, Vitamin C has the ability to regenerate antioxidants alpha-tochopherol that can scan for free radicals.

Which skin type is vitamin E suitable for?

Vitamin E is a “multi-function” ingredient, suitable for most skin types, including sensitive skin, dry skin:
For dry skin, vitamin E helps to moisturize and retain water
For sensitive skin, vitamin E is soothing, providing a protective barrier to the skin
For mature skin, vitamin E can help minimize the appearance of wrinkles and prevent signs of aging.

Notes when using vitamin E

Although vitamin E has many wonderful uses for the skin, it is not advisable to apply vitamin E (in oil form, as a member) directly to the skin. Because when in this form, vitamin E oil is quite thick, with a high risk of clogging pores, especially with oily skin or skin that is having acne problems.

Most over-the-counter anti-aging creams contain about 0.05 to 1% vitamin E. So, when choosing products containing vitamin E, we should look for the name on the product ingredients table containing this vitamin are not.

Besides, not only using skin care products containing vitamin E, we should also supplement through our diet with healthy foods. In the case of oral vitamin E supplementation, it is better to follow the instructions of a doctor to ensure safety and effectiveness.

Skincare is a long journey, where we ourselves need to actively learn carefully to be able to choose the best ingredients and the most effective for the skin. At the same time, always keep a patient attitude, not hurry, combine a scientific, healthy lifestyle and be a wise consumer to own healthy and beautiful skin.