Ingredient Spotlight: Vitamin E

Ingredient Spotlight · Cosmetic Active

The Vitamin E

The bodyguard of lipids. Antioxidant and protective, vitamin E shields cell membranes and the oils in our formulas from oxidation.

The portrait of a discreet vitamin found in nearly all of our treatments.

AntioxidantProtectiveRegeneratingAnti-AgingSoothing
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Common name
Vitamin E, tocopherol, alpha-tocopherol.
INCI name
Tocopherol (free form); Tocopheryl Acetate (stabilized ester).
Family, type
Fat-soluble vitamin; the benchmark antioxidant of the oil phase.
Found in nature
Plant oils (wheat germ, sunflower, olive, shea, sacha inchi), almonds, hazelnuts, avocado, leafy greens.
How it's obtained
Extracted and concentrated from plant oils (natural tocopherol) or synthesized; the acetate is obtained by esterification for greater stability.
Typical concentration
0.1% to 1%; a few tenths of a percent are enough to protect a formula.
Organoleptic properties
Appearance: viscous yellow to amber oil; Scent: neutral to slightly oily.
Physical characteristics
Fat-soluble; free tocopherol is active but oxidizes quickly; the acetate is stable and converted back into tocopherol by skin enzymes1,2.
Benefits
Antioxidant, protective, regenerating, soothing, anti-dehydration.
Cosmetic indications
All skin types, especially skin exposed to sun, pollution or early signs of aging; dry skin.

Did you know?A little history

Vitamin E was discovered in 1922 by Herbert Evans and Katharine Bishop, who were trying to understand why rats fed only on milk couldn't reproduce.

Its chemical name, tocopherol, comes from the Greek tokos, birth, and pherein, to carry. It took until the 1960s to understand its antioxidant role, and the 1990s to demonstrate its value when applied to the skin against UV damage1.

At Yon-Ka, it's found in nearly every formula, often alongside vitamin C, with which it forms a complementary antioxidant duo.

General useVitamin E in everyday life

In the body, vitamin E protects lipid-rich cell membranes from oxidation. It's stored in fatty tissue and in the skin, where it's delivered to the surface through sebum2.

Needs are modest, about 15 mg a day for adults4, easily covered by a spoonful of plant oil and a handful of almonds. But sun exposure quickly depletes skin's reserves, which is why topical application is worthwhile.

Vitamins C and E regenerate each other: once vitamin E has neutralized a free radical, vitamin C reactivates it. Together, they're more effective than apart1.

Cosmetic useIts properties on skin

  • AntioxidantIt neutralizes free radicals generated by UV and pollution and protects the lipids of the skin barrier1,2.
  • Sun-stress defenseApplied before sun exposure, it helps limit UV-induced oxidative stress, as a complement to sunscreen2.
  • Anti-dehydrationBeing fat-soluble, it strengthens the hydrolipidic film and limits water loss.
  • SoothingIt helps calm redness and inflammation after sun or shaving1.
  • RegeneratingIt supports skin renewal and the repair of damaged skin.
  • Guardian of the formulaIt protects the plant oils in our treatments from going rancid.

FormulationThe forms of vitamin E used at Yon-Ka

Two forms coexist in our formulas, often together: free tocopherol, immediately active, and tocopheryl acetate, stable, which releases its vitamin E gradually in the skin2.

Tocopheryl Acetate

Stabilized ester · Skin active

The benchmark active form: stable in light and air, it's converted back into vitamin E by skin esterases. It carries the antioxidant, protective action of our defense and sun care treatments.

Key active (vitamins A, C, E): Vital Defense · Creme 93 · Men's Nutri-Creme · Hydra N°1 Serum · Prolongateur de Bronzage

Tocopherol

Free form · Formula and skin antioxidant

Natural tocopherol, sourced from plant oils, is present at low levels in most of our treatments: it protects the formula's oils from oxidation and provides extra antioxidant support to the skin.

Found notably in: Elastine Jour · Elastine Nuit · Nutri Defense Creme · Booster Defense + · Time Resist Jour · Serum Omega · Beard Oil · Le Sérum – Excellence Code

In cosmeticsUses

  • Antioxidant, anti-pollution day creams;
  • Sun and after-sun care;
  • Nourishing serums and oils;
  • Energizing men's care;
  • Any formula containing plant oils, as an antioxidant.

The Yon-Ka approach

We never think of vitamin E on its own: in Vital Defense, Creme 93 and Men's Nutri-Creme, it forms a trio with vitamins A and C, each covering one aspect of skin protection. In our oils and serums, it watches over the precious fatty acids of sacha inchi, hemp or shea.

The science of the active, the sensoriality of the plant.

How to useAdding it to your ritual

  1. In the morning, in the city
    Vital Defense after Lotion Yon-Ka: its vitamin trio protects skin from pollution all day long.
  2. In the sun
    SPF 50+ Mineral Fluid before exposure, Prolongateur de Bronzage after: vitamin E supports your sun routine, then helps skin recover.
  3. Paired with vitamin C
    Combine the Vitamin C Serum with a vitamin E cream: the two antioxidants reinforce each other.

Good to knowStorage and precautions

Tocopheryl acetate is stable; free tocopherol oxidizes in light and air, which is precisely its job. Store your products away from heat and close them tightly.

Vitamin E is very well tolerated when applied topically, including during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Rare cases of contact sensitivity have been reported with high-dose tocopherol1: our formulas stay within standard concentrations. On very reactive skin, patch test behind the ear first.

Go furtherSources

  1. Keen M.A., Hassan I. Vitamin E in dermatology. Indian Dermatology Online Journal, 2016; 7(4): 311-315. PubMed
  2. Thiele J.J., Ekanayake-Mudiyanselage S. Vitamin E in human skin: organ-specific physiology and considerations for its use in dermatology. Molecular Aspects of Medicine, 2007; 28(5-6): 646-667. PubMed
  3. COSMILE Europe (Cosmetics Europe), cosmetic ingredient database, Tocopherol and Tocopheryl Acetate. cosmileeurope.eu
  4. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin E – Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
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Our vitamin E treatments

The Yon-Ka formulas where vitamin E is a key ingredient.

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