What is Sea Kelp Bioferment?

Sea Kelp Bioferment is a natural kelp extract that has been derived by fermentation of Sea Kelp using Lactobacillus, the same bacteria that produces yogurt, sour cream and sour dough breads, among many other foods. Sea Kelp Bioferment is a natural kelp extract that is obtained using traditional fermentation technology.

The fermentation process increases the bioavailability of many chemical compounds by freeing them from the food matrix to which they are typically bound. In addition, the principle of fermentation allows for the isolation and concentration of naturally occurring phytochemicals

Fermentation breaks down the cellular tissue of the kelp leaf, thereby increasing the bioavailability of the naturally occurring chemical compounds abundant in kelp. Fermentation and subsequent reduction of the kelp liquor results in the concentration of these vital nutrients. Naturally occurring algin, the mucilaginous intercellular material found in kelp thickens this product to a gel consistency.

How do I use Sea Kelp bioferment?

Sea Kelp Bioferment, a natural film former, acts as an excellent oil-free moisturizer. It can be used full strength on the face and body and used as a gentle styling gel in the hair, adding bounce and shine. It can be used as a base for the addition of many of the cosmetic actives we carry or added to formulations of creams, lotions, toners, shampoos and other personal care products.

Sea Kelp Bioferment can be used as a great nutritive active. Used alone, it’s perfect for people with oily skin as it moisturizes without supplying extra oil. It’s firming, healing, soothing for any skin type. It is also incredibly effective for normal and dry skin, as it is a powerful nutritive moisturizer. It can be added to almost any product – from creams to serums to washes and lotions, it is the perfect active for almost any purpose. Sea Kelp ferment can also be used 100% pure as a serum base, hair conditioner, or shaving gel.

Directions For Use:

Sea Kelp Bioferment can be added to the water phase of cosmetic formulations and heated to 80°C (167°F) without problems. It is heat stable. Sea Kelp ferment can also be used 100% pure as a serum base, conditioner, or shaving gel.

SeaKelp Ferment is available here: http://www.bulkactives.com/seakelpferment.htm

In this post I will write about Cellex C and Skinceuticals C E Ferulic, two popular anti aging skin care products that use Vitamin C as their main active ingredients.

I will also discuss the problems with using Vitamin C in anti ageing skin care products and some other the alternatives that are available in the form of Vitamin C derivatives.

In the next post I will be giving some examples on how we can make our own DIY Cellex C and DIY Skinceuticals C E Ferulic products.

Vitamin C and anti-aging skin care

Vitamin C is one of the most popular ingredients in anti aging skin care products. Vitamin C can benefit the skin in two ways. First it can increase collagen production, and second as an antioxidant it can reduce and prevent skin damage caused by free radicals.

Vitamin C is also one of the most studied active ingredients in anti aging skin care. These studies examined the various ways in which Vitamin C increases collagen synthesis, and the way in which vitamin C prevents free radical damage, as well as UVB damage.

For more details about these studies, please look at this list of abstracts.

Cellex C

Commercial skin care products with vitamin C started with Cellex C. Developed by Lorraine Meisner , who is a cell biologist at UW-Madison, Cellex-C was quite revolutionary. There is an interesting article about her here.

From a DIY skin care point of view Cellex C is not very practical.  The three main ingredients are: L-ascorbic acid, the mineral zinc and the amino acid tyrosin.

Tyrosin has poor solubility in water and alcohol, and requires the use of some very professional (and dangerous) solvents.

Also, L-ascorbic acid is unstable, and this is what the main problem is.

Unstable L-ascorbic Acid

It is well known that L ascorbic acid is unstable.  It reacts with water and air, and will easily oxidize. Oxidized Vitamin C is not good for the skin, instead of an antioxidant, it becomes a pro-oxidant. This means that it will increase the formation of free radicals, instead of doing what it is supped to do and decrease free radicals in the skin.

Vitamin C derivatives

Many efforts have been made to use Vitamin C in skin care products. Most of these efforts have involved developing Vitamin C derivatives. For example, products such as: Ascorbyl palmitate, Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, and Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (also known as Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate).

Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate and Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate / Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, have shown to increase collagen production, and they are good stable alternatives to L-ascorbic acid. However, it would be nice if we could still use the real deal.

Stable L-ascorbic acid in skin care products

Two other solutions have been developed. One is the L-ascorbic acid in silicone. I blogged about this recently, and you can read all about it here.

The other solution was offered by Pinnel and others in their paper “Ferulic Acid Stabilizes a Solution of Vitamins C and E and Doubles its Photoprotection of Skin”.

L-ascorbic acid with Ferulic acid

The Pinnell paper proposes that:

“Ferulic acid is a potent ubiquitous plant antioxidant. Its incorporation into a topical solution of 15% L-ascorbic acid and 1% tocopherol improved chemical stability of the vitamins (C+E) and doubled photoprotection to solar-simulated irradiation of skin from 4-fold to approximately 8-fold as measured by both erythema and sunburn cell formation. Inhibition of apoptosis was associated with reduced induction of caspase-3 and caspase-7. This antioxidant formulation efficiently reduced thymine dimer formation. This combination of pure natural low molecular weight antioxidants provides meaningful synergistic protection against oxidative stress in skin and should be useful for protection against photoaging and skin cancer.”

This study (and the patent) led to the Skinceuticals C E + Ferulic product. The Skinceuticals skin care product is certainly very popular and many people swear by it.

However, is it really stable?

This sentence “Ferulic acid is a potent ubiquitous plant antioxidant. Its incorporation into a topical solution of 15% L-ascorbic acid and 1% tocopherol improved chemical stability of the vitamins (C+E)” would suggest it is.

However, some forum members have commented that their product is colored orange, and an orange product with L-ascorbic acid means that the asacorbic acid has oxidized.

Did the Pinnell study also look at for how long Ferulic acid can stabilize a solution of Vitamin C and Vitamin E?

I don’t know, and it really does not matter, because this product is something that we can DIY ourselves.

The advantage of making your own version of Skinceuticals C+E+Ferulic is that it can be made fresh every week, so it will never oxidize.

In my next post I will discuss various DIY recipes for the SkinCeuticals product.  In the meantime there are already some recipes available on our website:  ce ferulic 1 and ce ferulic 2

Active ingredients for DIY Skinceuticals CE + Ferulic

http://www.bulkactives.com/ascorbicacid.htm

http://www.bulkactives.com/ferulicacidnatural.htm

http://www.bulkactives.com/dpanthenol.htm

http://www.bulkactives.com/nah.htm

There is no difference!

Ascorbyl Tretaisopalmitate and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate are the same product with a different name.

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate is a colorless to pale yellow liquid.  Its CAS number is 183476-82-6 (CAS# 183476-82-6). Its INCI name is Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (INCI: Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate) and its chemical name is Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (Chem. Name: Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate).

What is Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate?

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate is a very stable, oil-soluble Vitamin C ester which has anti-oxidant activity, inhibiting lipid peroxidation. Topical use can mitigate the damaging effects of UV exposure. Studies have shown it to stimulate collagen production as well as clarifying and brightening the skin by inhibiting melanogenesis (the production of pigment) thereby promoting a more even skin tone. Unlike ascorbic acid, it will not exfoliate or irritate skin.

How do I use Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate?

Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate is one of the easiest skin care actives to use in DIY skin care.  It can be added to any cream or lotion, and it is also the key ingredient in an Anhydrous C product.  I wrote a previous post about Anhydrous C  ( l-ascorbic acid and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate in a silicone base) here: http://bulkactives.com/blog/index.php/2009/11/anhydrous-c-for-skin-care-absorption-of-l-ascorbic-in-a-silicone-base/

Recent posts on various DIY skin care forums have discussed the issue of the penetration of L-ascorbic acid suspended in a silicone base into the skin.

More precisely, a few posters have started promoting the idea that L-ascorbic acid cannot penetrate into the skin, because silicone forms a barrier on the skin.

I would like to address this issue in more detail.

Background: Stable L-ascorbic acid products for skin care

The DIY skin care community has long struggled with the formulation of a stable L-ascorbic acid skin care product. In fact, professional skin care companies and formulators have also struggled with the same problem.

Some attempts have been made by professionals to develop a stable vitamin C skin care product.  The best example of this is the Skinceuticals C+E+Ferulic product.  This is based on the 2006 study “Ferulic acid stabilizes a solution of vitamins C and E and doubles its photoprotection of skin” by Pinnel and others.

This study claimed that

“Ferulic acid is a potent ubiquitous plant antioxidant. Its incorporation into a topical solution of 15% L-ascorbic acid and 1% tocopherol improved chemical stability of the vitamins (C+E) and doubled photoprotection to solar-simulated irradiation of skin from 4-fold to approximately 8-fold as measured by both erythema and sunburn cell formation.” http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/v125/n4/full/5603565a.html

However, consumers have found that skinceuticals C E ferulic product is often orange tinted.  This color usually indicates that the L ascorbic acid has oxidized, thus making it pro-oxidant.  So, even though Ferulic acid may stabilize l ascorbic acid in the lab, in practicality there appear to be some serious issues that have not been addressed.

DIY skin care formulators are able to work around this.  By making a CE Ferulic product at home, it is possible to have a fresh supply every week, thus reducing (but not eliminating) the amount of vitamin C oxidization.

Solution: The Fitzpatrick study

Another study of interest is the 2002 “Double-blind, half-face study comparing topical vitamin C and vehicle for rejuvenation of photodamage” by Fitzpatrick.

Even though this study predates the CE+Ferulic study, it did not start getting discussed on the DIY skin care forums until quite recently.

Fitzpatrick’s method was as follows:

“Ten patients having facial photodamage were recruited for a double-blind pilot study of a newly formulated vitamin C complex having 10% ascorbic acid, a water soluble acid, and 7% tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, a lipid soluble analog.

Both of these are combined in an anhydrous polysilicone gel base, which acts as a ‘dermal patch,’ releasing the water soluble acid slowly and the lipid soluble analog rapidly. The active vitamin C complex was applied to one side of the face and the inactive placebo base was applied to the opposite side of the face once a day.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=11896774&query_hl=7&itool=pubmed_ExternalLink

Now, this is where a very few posters start having some issues.  The base used is an anhydrous silicone gel, and the doubt seems to be in the fact that a very few posters believe that silicone forms a barrier and therefore hinders the absorption of active ingredients.

However, let’s look at the next part of Fitzpatrick’s study:

“Biopsies showed increased Grenz zone collagen, as well as increased staining for mRNA for type I collagen. This formulation of vitamin C results in clinically visible and statistically significant improvement in wrinkling when used topically for 12 weeks. This clinical improvement correlates with biopsy evidence of new collagen formation.”

Now, if silicone prevents the absorption of active ingredients, than there would not have been an increase collagen.

So, this should put to rest the claims that using silicone as a base prevents the absorption of active ingredients.

Flawed study

There is one troubling aspect about the Fitzpatrick study.  The study did not test the use of each key ingredient separately.

The two key ingredients in the anhydrous C product are L-ascorbic acid (which is water soluble), and Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (also known as Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate ) which is oil soluble.

So, even though the study shows that the combination the two active ingredients in a silicone base led to an increase of collagen, we do not know if this was caused by the Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, the Vitamin C, or the combination of the two.

This brings us back full circle to the original problem! We do not know which active is responsible for the increase in collagen. So it is possible to claim that the L-ascorbic acid is in fact not absorbed by the skin, and that the increase of collagen is cause by the Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate.

The blame for this confusion can be put purely with Fitzpatrick. It seems a simple matter to have tested the activity of both l-ascorbic and Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate in anhydrous silicone, separately. However, he chose not to do this.

So, we remain with his original statement.

“Both of these are combined in an anhydrous polysilicone gel base, which acts as a ‘dermal patch,’ releasing the water soluble acid slowly and the lipid soluble analog rapidly.”

To me the dermal patch idea makes sense, and I personally put more trust in this than the doubt caused by a very few (but very ‘vocal’) posters on skin care forums.

In the end the choice is yours.

I will continue to use the anhydrous C product as my number one weapon in anti aging skin care.  Why? Because no matter which active did the job, somehow this product has improved my skin and that is ultimately what I want.

http://www.bulkactives.com/siliconegel.htm

http://www.bulkactives.com/ascorbicacid.htm

http://www.bulkactives.com/ascorbyltetraisopalmitate.htm

So, let me explain.

Ferulic acid is soluble in an alcohol.

I know that some people claim they have dissolved it in water of glycerin, but I wonder if they confuse ‘well dispersed’ with ‘dissolved’. There is a big difference, but because Ferulic acid is such a very fine powder it may be hard to physically tell the difference.

Now, what alcohols are suitable for dissolving Ferulic acid?

In my recipe I suggest ethanol or Propylene Glycol. My recipe does not suggest denatured alcohol, and I also do not suggest that people buy this.

There is a difference between ethanol and denatured alcohol.

“Ethanol, is also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol

“Denatured alcohol is ethanol that has additives to make it toxic, unpalatable, or otherwise undrinkable. In some cases it is also dyed.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatured_alcohol

My recipe clearly states to use ethanol. One customer wrote that she bought ethanol, and got a bottle of denatured alcohol. This is an issue between her and the supplier she used. I suggested that she contact her supplier to verify what it was she actually ordered and received.

It may be possible to buy NON-denatured  ethanol where you live. However, in some countries this product is not available. In the USA people could buy Everclear (if available in your state), or you can simply use a high alcohol content VODKA.

Regarding the use of alcohols in skin care products.

I am well aware that a particular ‘scientific’ supplier makes a big deal out of this.

On their product pages she clearly states the solubility of her powder IF it is water or oil soluble.

If it is not, then there is no solubility info displayed, but they then claim that “The powder will not dissolve immediately, but will release components slowly into the cream/lotion.”

I think that this is a ridiculous claim to make, but it most definitely does help sell all their powders.

What really cracks me up is when I look at the ingredient listings for some of their ready-to-use products. Here we can see that they do actually use alcohol related compounds, mainly Butylene Glycol ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butylene_glycol ).

For example, in the infamous ‘Canvas base cream’, it is the 4th ingredient in the listing (although they claim it is used for ’slip’).

So, rant over.

In short, if you want to use actives that are alcohol soluble then use NON-denatured  ethanol, Everclear, or vodka. DO not use denatured alcohol.

If you don’t want to use any alcohol in your skin care products, then do not buy powders that only dissolve in alcohol.

If you want to try alternative solvents, like glycerin, please make sure that the powder has actually dissolved, not just well-dispersed.

There appears to be some confusion with these percentages and it appears that some people believe that our products use ‘fillers’ and are therefore no good.

Let me explain this

If someone emails me and asks “Are your products pure?” then the answer is “YES.”

They are pure, because we do not add any fillers.  So, that means when you buy our Grapeseed extract, it is 100% Grapeseed extract, NOT 60% Grapeseed extract and 40% red colored flour.

What about those percentages?

The percentages indicate the amount of the active ingredient in the powder.  For example, the active ingredient we want in Grapeseed extract are the Proanthocyanidins.

So, when you see the name Grapeseed extract 95% Proanthocyanidins, then you know that the active is 100% pure Grapeseed extract and that it has been standardized for 95% Proanthocyanidins.

The term used to show you this is the assay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assay), we list the assay for all our products on each product’s page.

Why do we sell products that are standardized for 70% or 95%, why not 100%

Well, the more a plant extract is standardized, the more expensive the manufacturing process.  This REALLY makes a big difference.  For example, White Willow Bark extract is standardized for 25.23% Salicin, it costs hundreds of dollars per KG. It is also possible to buy the same product standardized for 95% Salicin, but that will cost THOUSAND of dollars per KG.

So, sometimes it is prohibitively expensive to buy plant extracts that are standardized at a high percentage.

We therefore buy products that are standardized at as high a percentage as possible, while at the same time keeping the price reasonable.

I really do not think you would be willing to spend US$80 for a gram of White Willow Bark 95%, especially when it is easier, a lot cheaper, and just as effective to use Salicylic acid (BHA).

Consumers of skin care products will notice the difference in products formulated with a delivery enhancement agent. Test results show that Arlasolve DMI contributes to fast color development of sunless tanner, with less streaking and longer lasting tan as compared with self-tanner products without the carrier ingredient. In other specialty products, such as eye-zone treatments, skin serums, scalp treatments, Arlasolve DMI may be used to enhance skin penetration. The unique solvency properties of Arlasolve DMI boosts performance of formulations such as make-up removers.

The skin care formulators’ performance booster

Ask consumers why they use a skin care product and chances are good they will purchase one they perceive to be effective. Formulators can improve the odds that an active ingredient will work to the benefit of the consumer in products designed for skin treatment. With Arlasolve DMI, the formulator can enhance the delivery of active ingredients without having to add more active. Effective delivery of actives such as salicylic acid, Vitamin C, lactic acid, hydrocortisone and hyaluronic acid can even reduce the active ingredient concentration requirement, serving to reduce the formulation cost of finished products.

Other benefits of Arlasolve DMI include:

• Enhanced penetration of actives to the epidermis, enabling targeted delivery
• A lower level of skin irritation with a reduction in the required concentration level of aggressive actives
• Improved formulation shelf stability, including those susceptible to hydrolysis and transesterfication
• Miscibility with most organic solvents and non-ionic surfactants
• Incorporation within many product forms, including clear gels
• A long history of safe usage
• Ability to transport water soluble actives into skin, without recrystallization of the active
• Ability to produce formulations with standard equipment, without the need for flammable materials handling

Arlasolve DMI / Dimethyl Isosorbide

However, creams, lotions and any other product where water is present, require adding a preservative.

If you do NOT use a preservative, or if you decide to believe the hype and try out a ‘natural’ preservative (such as grapefruit seed extracts), then you are putting yourself, and your skin, at RISK.

The only way you can avoid using preservatives is if you make your products FRESH every week, and store them in the refrigerator. This is what we, at BulkActives, do.

We have now started carrying three preservative systems. None are formaldehyde releasing, but they do contain other chemicals that have been getting a bad name (phenoxyethanol and the paraben family).

Let me repeat, if you make your products FRESH every week, and store them in the refrigerator, then, and ONLY then, can you avoid using preservatives.

It is in this light that the medicinal benefits of milk thistle have been a subject of intense research by scientists. Though its value as a medicine for a host of health conditions, including dermatological, has been known for over 2,000 years, it is only now that science has seriously begun looking at the role played by milk thistle and “Silymarin”, its active compound, in treating skin damage.

In an experiment conducted at Palacky University in Czechoslovakia (1), researchers studied the impact of two components of Silybum marianum (technical name for milk thistle) as both a preventative as well as treatment intervention for skin damage against UVA exposure. Their findings were positive, in that it was discovered that these two components – collectively known as “flavonolignans” – perform a host of functions, such as increasing the viability of keratinocytes in irradiated cells, inhibiting the production of ROS, stopping further depletion of ATP and GSH taking place at intracellular level, and halting the peroxidation of membrane lipids. Further, the activation of caspases-3 process that UVA exposure initiates gets halted and reversed when the two components of Silybum marianum are applied. The overall picture that emerges, therefore, is that Silybum marianum is a good candidate to be considered for inhibiting UV damage.

An interesting experiment conducted on mice at the University of Alabama in Birmingham has been reported in the March-April 2008 issue of Photochem Photobiology journal (2). Two observations from this research are of special relevance to us here. One, it is the CD11b+ cells, which are the major source of oxidative stress in UV-irradiated skin, were inhibited by Silymarin. The flavonoid also suppresses the infiltration of leukocytes that UV exposure had induced. The second important observation is that Silymarin not only halts UV damage, it also acts as a preventive measure. Another researcher has gone one step ahead with the identification of yet another reversal that this chemical performs to UV action: it reduces the volume of H2O2-producing and cytokine interleukin-10 producing cells, both of whose generation is activated by UV (6).

Nearly the same conclusion has been arrived at by researchers working in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado (3). Their research has shown a positive effect of Silibinin on the repair of UVB-induced DNA damage. Another experiment conducted at the Department of Dermatology of the University of Alabama has observed the inhibition affect that the flavonoid has on tumor promoters such as 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, mezerein, benzoyal peroxide and okadaic acid (4).

Topical application of Silibinin prior to, or immediately after, UV irradiation has been found to inhibit thymine dimer positive cell generation that UV induces in the epidermis (5). This research has also shown that terminal sunburn cell formation that is again induced by UV is inhibited too, when Silibinin is applied.

A strong case for Silymarin being a very effective agent in inhibiting and reversing carcinogen and tumor-promoter-induced cancers is made by two independent researches. In both the experiments (7), (8), it has been reported that Silibinin inhibits cancer-causing cells (ERK1/2 activation) and promotes benign cells (JNK1/2, p38), making it an effective cancer-intervention agent for cancer.

A paper published in the journal “Cancer Research” details yet another in-depth investigation carried out on the efficacy of Silymarin as a possible intervention agent against Stage I and Stage II tumors (9). The paper reports that the milk thistle extract has been found to be especially useful in Stage I tumor suppression, and inhibits edema, hyperplasia, proliferation index and oxidant state which take place due to UV irradiation. This same result has been arrived by an independent group of researchers, who used a different chemical to induce skin edema in mice (10).

From the above researches being conducted around the world, it may safely be concluded that Silymarin is proving to be very effective in inhibiting UV-induced skin damage, and the day may not be far when milk thistle becomes one of the major ingredients in sunscreen lotions.

References

Svobodová A, Zdarilová A, Walterová D, and Vostálová J. Flavonolignans from Silybum marianum moderate UVA-induced oxidative damage to HaCaT keratinocytes. J Dermatol Sci. 2007 Dec;48(3):213-24. Epub 2007 Aug 3.

Katiyar SK, Meleth S, and Sharma SD. Silymarin, a flavonoid from milk thistle (Silybum marianum L.) inhibits UV-induced oxidative stress through targeting infiltrating CD11b+ cells in mouse skin. Photochem Photobiol. 2008 Mar-Apr;84(2):266-71. Epub 2007 Nov 28.

Singh RP, and Agarwal R. Mechanisms and preclinical efficacy of silibinin in preventing skin cancer. Eur J Cancer. 2005 Sep;41(13):1969-79.

Katiyar SK. Silymarin and skin cancer prevention: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects. Int J Oncol. 2005 Jan;26(1):169-76.

Dhanalakshmi S, Mallikarjuna GU, Singh RP, and Agarwal R. Silibinin prevents ultraviolet radiation-caused skin damages in SKH-1 hairless mice via a decrease in thymine dimer positive cells and an up-regulation of p53-p21/Cip1 in epidermis. Carcinogenesis. 2004 Aug;25(8):1459-65. Epub 2004 Mar 19.

Katiyar SK. Treatment of Silymarin, a plant flavonoid, prevents ultraviolet light-induced immune suppression and oxidative stress in mouse skin. Int J Oncol. 2002 Dec;21(6):1213-22.

Singh RP, Tyagi AK, Zhao J, and Agarwal R. Silymarin inhibits growth and causes regression of established skin tumors in SENCAR mice via modulation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and induction of apoptosis. Carcinogenesis. 2002 Mar;23(3):499-510.

Jifu Zhao, Moushumi Lahiri-Chatterjee, Yogesh Sharma and Rajesh Agarwal. Inhibitory effect of a flavonoid antioxidant Silymarin on benzoyl peroxide-induced tumor promotion, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses in SENCAR mouse skin. Carcinogenesis, Vol. 21, No. 4, 811-816, April 2000.

Lahiri-Chatterjee M, Katiyar SK, Mohan RR, and Agarwal R. A flavonoid antioxidant, Silymarin, affords exceptionally high protection against tumor promotion in the SENCAR mouse skin tumorigenesis model. Cancer Res. 1999 Feb 1;59(3):622-32.

Zhao J, Sharma Y, and Agarwal R. Significant inhibition by the flavonoid antioxidant Silymarin against 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate-caused modulation of antioxidant and inflammatory enzymes, and cyclo-oxygenase-2 and interleukin-1-alpha expression in SENCAR mouse epidermis: implications in the prevention of Stage I tumor production. Mol Carcinog. 1999 Dec;26(4):321-33.

The simple truth is that, with the issues surrounding some of the chemical UV protection ingredients, you may not always want to lather up. When it comes to those days that you will spend hours out in the sun, the benefits outweigh the risks, and you should protect yourself from the suns damage.

For the days that you won’t be in the sun for long periods of time, though, it is better to use botanical products. Many botanical ingredients provide anti-oxidant protection, have anti-inflammatory properties, and have been shown to be able to repair the suns effects.

The advantage to using botanical sun products is that you aren’t covering your body in harmful chemicals. For the times that you are using the chemical products, a good botanical antioxidant can also provide protection against the damaging effects of the sunscreen itself.

Botanical Sun Care Ingredients

Studies are currently being done into botanical ingredients that provide UV protection. Some of the ingredients that I have listed do provide mild UVB protection, but they aren’t adequate for long term exposure. What you really want when you start to make a sun care product, from botanicals, are ingredients that provide antioxidant protection, and ingredients that help to repair the suns damage.

With that let’s look at some botanical ingredients that work well for sun care. The idea that some ingredients are better than others does hold true here, and I have tried to indicate the best ingredients for the job.

Botanical Antioxidants and Sun Care Ingredients

Conclusion – Protect Yourself

With the last three article we have covered UV damage, and how to protect yourself. You should now have a good knowledge of ingredients that can be harmful, and those that work for you. With this last article you also have a good guide to ingredients to use in your botanical sun care products.  When it comes to sun protection and to DIY skin care, choosing the right ingredients for the job is important to ensuring your skin’s health!