Not All Vitamin C Serums Penetrate the Same

Skin penetration data reveals a wide gap between popular formulations

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Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate penetrated a synthetic skin membrane 38 times more than L-ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate in a lab study.
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The study measured absorption of three vitamin C formulations over 72 hours, finding THD ascorbate had superior absorption compared to AA and SA.
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L-ascorbic acid showed higher initial penetration but declined over time, suggesting instability rather than limited initial entry.
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The study indicates that lipophilic vitamin C derivatives like THD ascorbate may more effectively cross the skin barrier than hydrophilic forms.
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Limitations include the study's sponsorship by Revision Skincare and the use of a synthetic membrane, which may not fully replicate human skin.

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