Vitamin E and Derivatives in Skin Health Promotion

Abstract

Vitamin E is fundamental for a proper function of human cells. Mostly obtained from vegetable oils, it has antioxidant and non-antioxidant actions. At times, its oral intake or skin application are employed. Oral intake is recommended in some cases. Differently, the topical application is a part of daily skin routine. Both in oral or in topical formulations, it is employed in its isoforms or derivatives. Tocopherols and tocotrienols are isoforms while derivatives are synthetic forms. In pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations, vitamin E and its derivatives are widely used due to its antioxidant and photoprotective properties. However, the clinical success treatment is often impaired by its low skin penetration, high lipophilicity, and chemical instability. A rational formulation design in the development of novel vitamin E dosage forms is required. In this chapter, the most successful and innovative approaches towards Vitamin E and its derivatives loaded in formulations for skin health promotion are reviewed. Conventional and nanoparticle-based formulations enable vitamin E chemical stabilization, and they are suitable vehicles for its release on the skin. Further, nano-sized carriers can increase vitamin E content in formulations as well as favor its skin penetration.

Citrus Essential Oils and Nanosystems towards Skin Delivery

“…Polymeric nanoparticles are composed of polymers and surfactants in which different drugs can be encapsulated. Liposomes are vesicular systems containing phospholipids [26]. Other vesicular carriers have been developed over the years including ethosomes [11,27], invasomes [28,29], transfersomes [11] and bilosomes [30], and they all have other ingredients than phospholipids [25,26].…”

“…Liposomes are vesicular systems containing phospholipids [26]. Other vesicular carriers have been developed over the years including ethosomes [11,27], invasomes [28,29], transfersomes [11] and bilosomes [30], and they all have other ingredients than phospholipids [25,26]. For instance, in bilosomes, there are bile salts [30].…”

“…Nanoemulsions contain an oily core and surfactants in their composition. Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) are both formed of lipids where SLN and NLC contain, respectively, solid lipids and a mixture of solid and liquid lipids (Figure 1) [26]. Elseways, microemulsions are similar to nanoemulsions as they have an oil phase, an aqueous phase, and surfactants (Figure 1) [31,32].…”

Chitin Nanofibril-Nanolignin Complexes as Carriers of Functional Molecules for Skin Contact Applications

“…Alpha-tocopherol, the main component of the vitamin E group, is a powerful antioxidant and free radical scavenger and the most important vitamin among those responsible for protecting cell membranes against peroxidation [36,37]. Wheat germ oil, sunflower oil, rice bran oil, canola oil, and palm oil are the natural products richest in vitamin E [38]. Naturally occurring in human skin, where exposure to unfavorable environmental conditions (pollution and UV radiation) may cause its depletion, it plays a role in the protection of epidermis from oxidative stress as a photo-protectant and immunosuppression compound.…”

Targeting Hydroxybenzoic Acids to Mitochondria as a Strategy to Delay Skin Ageing: An In Vitro Approach

“…Antioxidants are a promising strategy to decrease oxidative stress (OS) normally associated with skin senescence and death, [ 14 , 15 ]. Several types of exogenous antioxidants of different chemical classes (e.g., Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Coenzyme Q10, Phenolic acids), as well as their derivatives (e.g: Tocopheryl acetate, γ-Tocotrienol, Ascorbyl-6-palmitate), can be incorporated in anti-skin ageing products to reduce the harmful effects of oxidative damage and to delay skin ageing [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. However, as these antioxidants do not directly target mitochondria, their effects in this organelle are reduced [ 20 , 21 ].…”