Ascorbyl palmitate is a fat-soluble form of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C. Unlike ascorbic acid, which is water-soluble, ascorbyl palmitate is not water-soluable. Consequently ascorbyl palminate can be stored in cell membranes until it is required by the body. Many people think vitamin C (ascorbyl palminate) is only used for immune support, but it has many other important functions. A major role of vitamin C is in manufacturing collagen, a protein that forms the basis of connective tissue - the most abundant tissue in the body. Ascorbyl palmitate is an effective free radical-scavenging antioxidant which promotes skin health and vitality.
Ascorbic Acid vs. Ascorbyl Palmitate
Ascorbic acid is the simplest most readily available form of Vitamin C. However, since ascorbic acid is water soluble, the body will always have problems absorbing it. While the absorption of water soluble vitamin C is quite quick, its penetration in cells is limited. Unlike Vitamin E, a fat soluble vitamin, vitamin C is not stored in the body. This makes ascorbyl palmitate a very attractive form of Vitamin C supplementation.
Additional Benefits of Ascorbyl Palmitate
Ascorbyl palmitate, working at the cell membrane, has been shown to provide antioxidant action potential comparable or even greater than that of vitamin E. It also acts synergistically with vitamin E, helping to regenerate the vitamin E radical on a constant basis.
Ascorbyl Palmitate (C-Ester) is a dangerous form of Vitamin C for your skin
Although more stable than Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), it is not as stable long-term as the safe and effective form of Vitamin C: Magnesium Ascorbyl-Phosphate.
In November 2002 Doctors in the Department of Dermatology of the prestigious Mayo Clinic, published the results of their studies of topical Ascorbyl Palmitate (also known as C-Ester, and Ascorbic Acid-6-Palmitate). They noted that Ascorbic Acid-6-Palmitate degenerates when exposed to sunlight (UVB) on skin and is "toxic to epidermal (skin) cells. Our data suggest that, despite its antioxidant properties, Ascorbic Acid-6-Palmitate may intensify skin damage following physiologic doses of ultraviolet radiation" (what most people are normally exposed to). The reason for this double-edged sword is that the fatty acid component (Palmitate) reacts with the sunlight to become oxidized. This results in lipid peroxides. "End products of lipid peroxidation, such as 4-hydroxy-2-noneal, have been reported to mediate (cause) stress-activated protein kinase activation and cell toxicity (poisoning) in epithelial cells" (upper skin layer cells).
In referring to the use of Ascorbyl Palmitate in cosmetic products, these prominent Mayo Clinic doctors and scientists noted "its widespread use in numerous over-the-counter topical skin care products and sunscreens. These products contain concentrations of Ascorbic Acid-6-Palmitate as high as 15% (360 mM), thus "exceeding the dose range used in our experiments by a factor of 1000."
If the Ascorbyl Palmitate concentration in a topical lotion, serum or cream was 1.5%, for example, then that product would exceed the Mayo Clinic's study cyto-toxic epidermal (poisonous to skin cells) level BY A FACTOR OF 100. That is 10,000% more than the concentration of Ascorbyl Palmitate these Mayo Clinic doctors documented killed skin cells.
When used at night it is safe, but never in the daytime since ultraviolet light also continually penetrates glass windows.
These Mayo Clinic doctors noted the reason for this research study: "Even though the antioxidant effect of Ascorbyl Palmitate (Ascorbic Acid-6-Palmitate) has been recognized, its interaction with cellular lipids (fatty components, including the cell membrane) and its effect on intra-cellular signaling and cell viability (survival) following UV (ultraviolet: sunlight) irradiation have not been studied."
Now this synthetic antioxidant has been properly studied and found to kill skin cells when topically applied and exposed to sunlight. Not what you were led to believe. Do you put this cell toxic compound on your skin? Read all your labels.
What we find very disturbing is that 5 years after the 2002 published study, Dermatologists, skin care chemists and companies still use and promote the "safe and effective" use of Ascorbyl Palmitate without any WARNING about its skin cell dangers in sunlight, and even include it in some sunscreen products.
Unlike Ascorbyl Palmitate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate does not contain any lipid (fatty acid) component to react negatively with ultraviolet light (sunlight). Both Magnesium and Phosphate components are not organic. It does not have the biochemical characteristics to become a cell poisoning and cell destroying oxidized lipid.
Phosphate is not organic. It does not contain any carbon atoms. It cannot be oxidized or degenerate into lipid peroxide. Phosphate is a Phosphorus atom bound to four Oxygen atoms. It is connected to the Ascorbyl (Vitamin C) molecule, and Magnesium is ionically bound by its positive charge to the negatively charged Ascorbyl-Phosphate.
Although Ascorbyl Palmitate is more stable than Ascorbic Acid which is very unstable unless dry in a capsule or tablet; studies have shown that long-term stability of Ascorbyl Palmitate "was not adequate". This was in contrast to "Ascorbyl-Phosphate, which was stable".
In contrast to the stable Ascorbyl-Phosphate: "Esterification (molecular attachment) with Palmitic Acid in 6 position (on the Ascorbic Acid molecule) did not prevent hydrolysis (decomposition when wet) of the molecule (Ascorbyl Palmitate)". Magnesium Ascorbyl-Phosphate is very stable: "the introduction of the Phosphoric group in 2 position (on the Ascorbic Acid molecule) protected the molecule (Magnesium Ascorbyl-Phosphate) from break-up". This "confirms Magnesium Ascorbyl-Phosphate as a very stable derivative of Vitamin C that may be easily used in various types of cosmetic products."
Ascorbyl-Phosphate is a hydrophilic derivative of Ascorbic Acid, which has improved stability arising from its chemical structure. It is used in cosmetic and pharmaceutical preparations because it has many favorable effects in the skin, the most important being antioxidant action. Unlike Ascorbyl Palmitate, Ascorbyl-Phosphate protects skin cells in sunlight.
Studies from the prestigious Department of Carcinogenesis of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center proves that when Ascorbyl Palmitate is applied to the skin before a known carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) and without sunlight, it will inhibit its cancer-causing effect (decreased the cancer inducing enzyme Epidermal Ornithine Decarboxylase activity) to 59%. But they demonstrated that topical Alpha Tocopherol (Vitamin E) also inhibits that cancer-causing enzyme, and does so to 70% inhibition. Plus, Alpha-Tocopherol in its topical therapeutic concentration does not cause skin cells to become injured. Furthermore, Alpha-Tocopherol was more effective than Ascorbyl Palmitate in preventing the growth and number of skin tumors (papillomas).
Therefore, based on all the credible and reliable science, there is no reason to use Ascorbyl Palmitate in any topical preparation. Unfortunately, many cosmetic products still use the outmoded "technology", some of which cost up to $570.00 for a 2-ounce bottle and also includes Neuropeptides, Tocopherol Acetate, (form of Vitamin E), Propyl-Paraben, Isopropyl-Paraben, and Methyl-Paraben, of which we do not recommend for all the specific reasons.
In oral therapy, Ascorbyl Palmitate is a safe and effective (but unnecessarily expensive) source of Vitamin C because sunlight cannot reach your internal organs, and it is hydrolyzed (split apart in water) into Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) and Palmitic Acid, a fatty acid that your body can "burn" for energy. Plus, in a dry capsule or tablet, it has a long shelf life. Just do not use it in a topical lotion or cosmetic product unless you limit its use only after sundown.
