The life of Vitamin C
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skin Care and Makeup Forum

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 7:12 am Quote

How long do you think an open bottle of Vitamin C can last without oxidizing (is that the correct term?)

I have been using my Viver C for about 4.5 months now and I don't think I have even used half the bottle! It's going to take at least another 6 months to finish!

I have kept it in the box and in a dark place. The colour does NOT seem to have changed...but there is some crystallizing forming in the grooves of the lid.

Will it still be OK for another half a year?

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 7:50 am Quote

Decleor do an item that you add Vitamin C too, it's a 10 day treatment because they say any longer than that and the Vit C starts to deteriote.

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 9:09 am Quote

well i sure hope it isn't only 10 days, because nobody could possibly use an entire body of Vivier C in 10 days, unless you used it on your entire body!!

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 9:24 am Quote

Just did a search for the shelf life of Vit C, as there's been some debate about products containing Vit C. I talked to a dermatolagist about this and she said that as soon as you open the container and the Vit C is exposed to air it disappears.

I have just done a search and found this...

By now everyone's heard that cosmetics containing vitamin C reduce sun damage and erase wrinkles. But what most people don't know is that ordinary vitamin C disappears upon contact with air, water, heat and light. Since cosmetics inevitably encounter all of these elements, any vitamin C that was initially present probably vanished before the jar was even opened!

It may be different if it's not exposed to the air or sunlight....

Just my opinion, hope it helps.

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:07 am Quote

has anyone heard of DR DENESE'S vita c serum having things at the bottom ? like little chunks of dark thingy's floating to the bottom. thank you

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 11:19 am Quote

I think it depends largely on the type of Vitamin C that's included in a given product.

Ordinary Vitamin C ... or ascorbic/l-ascorbic acid is very unstable ... even in foods that naturally contain Vitamin C. An orange, for instance, has the most Vitamin C when it's ripened but still on the tree. The further it is away from harvesting, the less Vitamin C it contains. Ascorbic/l-ascorbic acid is easily destroyed by light, heat, water and oxygen. Ascorbic/l-ascorbic acid is water soluable.

Recently, however, there's been a good deal of talk about Vitamin C Ester [not to be confused with Vitamin Ester C ... according to Dr. Perricone] which is oil soluable and supposedly far more stable. I don't know how it is affected by light or heat or oxygen.

Supposedly, those preparations with Vitamin C Ester have a higher percentage of Vitamin C content longer.

Those of us who make their own Vitamin C serum generally make about a week's worth at a time. I add Vitamin E to mine. We simply make a new batch each week and keep it in the fridge between uses.

Have you tried emailing the company to see what they say?

I know it always disturbs me when I see anything containing Vitamin C in a clear bottle/jar ... but perhaps Vitamin C ester isn't destroyed by light.

Mary

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 11:27 am Quote

wow, thanks for all that info,,this was in a dark blue bottle. geezzzz , should i not use it ? thx

lassie 1234

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 11:33 am Quote

Quote:

Supposedly, those preparations with Vitamin C Ester have a higher percentage of Vitamin C content longer

Yes, but Vit C esters are not useable to the skin in that form. They need to be converted to l-ascorbic for the skin to benefit. I dunno exactly what % on the average gets converted, but logically you don't get the full % in the product. Also, esters are thought to be less able to penetrate the skin. For extremely sensitive skins however C esters are better than nothing.

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 11:37 am Quote

Does the formula have water in it? Water makes C degrade quickly. For instance, skinceuticals and cellex-c users have complained of color changes in as little as 4-8 weeks. However, with no water in the solution, it can take about six months for the C to start to oxidize. This would occur from exposure to air each time the bottle was opened.

I use the C+ Firming serum and I called them when I started using it to find out about stability. They told me that it is 100% effective for six months (it has no water in it) then will slowly degrade until it is no longer useful at one year. (This is also an l-ascorbic acid product, not a C-ester, etc. I like the l-aa because it is supposed to be immediately accessible by your skin without any metabolizing/conversion having to be done that can lower the overall % that ends up staying in your skin.)

If the Vivier doesn't have water in it, I'd say you were okay with continuing to use it. May I ask how often you use it? I go through a 1oz bottle of the C+ about every 8-10 weeks or so. I put a drop on cheeks, forehead, chin, neck and tops of hands each AM.

If that's a one ounce bottle you are using, seems like you might not be using enough to get full-on benefits...

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 12:26 pm Quote

OK Cautious Newbie, I found a thread that addresses your crystallization issue. Read within the thread for pbsadhaka's post -

http://www.essentialdayspa.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=7727&highlight=denese

I agree with betterat40, you may not be using enough of the product. A 30 ml or 1 ounce size lasts me 3 months, the Skinceuticals Serum 10 started turning a light amber right around the 3-month mark so I thankfully was able to use it all up.

Lassie, have you not returned the Dr. Denese? In the same thread pdsadhaka said it might be bacteria.

Re containers, I've read that amber is superior to cobalt coz the latter blocks visible light but not all UV radiation.

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 2:40 pm Quote

[quote="betterat40"]If the Vivier doesn't have water in it, I'd say you were okay with continuing to use it. May I ask how often you use it? I go through a 1oz bottle of the C+ about every 8-10 weeks or so. I put a drop on cheeks, forehead, chin, neck and tops of hands each AM.

Well, I use it every morning. I use 1 to 1.5 drops on my neck, a very little bit under each eye, a drop on my forehead and half a drop each on my cheeks.

I had to stop using it for 2 separate weeks in the last few months because i was getting a reaction to something....but even taking that into consideration I haven't used that much.

hmm

m...i guess I will go home to check if Vivier has water in it...I seem to recall that it does, but it hasn't changed colour yet.

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 2:41 pm Quote

nope....i bought it from ebay. the stuff then turned into a black cloud.. she sent me a new one and it too had black stuff (chunks) she said i can return it .. and she also said that the chunks were suppose to be in there.. yuck... im not using it. im returning both bottles to her.. and the seals were not broken. i can tell they were new.. but could not tell how old Rolling Eyes

lassie1234

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 2:46 pm Quote

lassie,
What is in this serum? Please post the ingredients. I can't imagine what product would be supposed to have black chunks in it. Please post the ingredients & please don't use it - especially not around your eyes! Shock

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 2:57 pm Quote

its very small writing i dont know if i can read them.. ill try.NO WAY WILL I PUT THAT ON MY FACE... Mad

it's made by Dr. Denese. she is on qvc alot.

lassie 1234

enjoys freebies · Tue Oct 04, 2005 8:16 pm Quote

Don't you wish there was a big Vitamin C horsepill we could all take just once a week for perfect, constant, serum-style protection? Very Happy

enjoys freebies · Wed Oct 05, 2005 9:32 am Quote

actually Sheila, taking at least 1000mg of C each day is recommended for good skin. You want to get the plasma levels of C in your skin as high as possible to get antioxidant protection. Taking it internally is one way to do it but most people can't tolerate the 1000s of mg. it would take to equal the plasma levels you can reach by using a topical C. I do both to try to get protection from the inside out, and the outside in.... Smile

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