At a presentation on the recent developments in skin care applications of vitamin E at HBA in New York last week, Dr James McCaulley, market development representative at Eastman, said: "There are many different forms of vitamin E on the market, and using the right one is critical to getting the most effective results from skin care products."
Although vitamin E has a long history of use in nutraceutical products, its use in skin care is relatively new.
Tocotrienols used in cosmeceutical and skin care can be extracted from rice bran oil. McCaulley called them "potent scavengers of oxygen radicals", and "some of the most powerful antioxidants for beauty and nutritional supplements."
Eastman says its NuTriene tocotrienols are a complete vitamin E, because they are made up of eight compounds - four tocotrienols and four tocopherols.
McCaulley drew on scientific research indicating that smaller amounts of complete tocoterinols are required to exert greater protection against elements that can accelerate the ageing process, such as pollution and UV rays, when compared to other forms of the vitamin.
He also said that vitamin E is used by the pharmaceutical industry to solubilize drugs and enhance bioavailability, and that these properties could also be tapped for topical skin care.