Vitamin A

What is Retinol?

Retinol is the chemical name for vitamin A, an essential micronutrient that people need to get enough from food to maintain good health. Natural vitamin A and its derivatives play an important role in human reproduction and development as well as maintaining good vision and healthy skin. In skin care, vitamin A is considered an important ingredient and is widely used in various moisturizers, lotions and creams as a conditioner that helps reprogram cells.

What does vitamin A do for the skin?

• Normalize cell function, affecting the way cells work, making the skin younger;
• Make oil production normal to improve acne and other skin problems;
• Helps normalize the appearance of pigmentation;
• Stimulates fibroblasts to help promote healthy collagen and elastin formation;
• Accelerates skin healing, prevents acne formation, and promotes the formation of a natural moisture barrier;
• Maintains healthy dermis and epidermis.

What to look for on the label?

• Retinol
• Vitamin A
• Retinyl acetate
• Retinyl palmitate
• All-trans retinoic acid
• Tretinoin

What forms of vitamin A are used in cosmetics?

While there is much clinical evidence that retinoic acid/tretinoin are effective in reducing photodamage, hyperpigmentation spots, fine lines and wrinkles, this form of vitamin A is also very irritating and has suspected teratogenic risks. Both retinoic acid and tretinoin are banned from cosmetic use and are only permitted in pharmaceutical or therapeutic products under prescription use.

The types of vitamin A used in cosmetics include (from least popular to most popular):

• Retinaldehyde - Lower irritancy, not as wide spread in skincare as retinol and retinyl palmitate forms.
• Retinyl Propionate - Less irritating and more stable than retinol.
• Retinyl Acetate - Increasing in popularity, has similar performance to retinol.
• Retinyl Palmitate - Commonly used form, very low irritation, high stability, but much less active than retinol.
• Retinol - The most popular form of vitamin A in skincare, but it can be very irritating. Please check your local regulations carefully before using it in cosmetic formulations as it is limited by input in some regions.

Revision of the scientific Opinion (SCCS/1576/16) on Vitamin A

On October 6, 2016, the European Union Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) published a scientific opinion on vitamin A (SCCS/1576/16). On October 24-25, 2022, SCCS adopted the final revised version of the scientific opinion on vitamin A (SCCS/1639/21) (this covers retinol, retinyl acetate, and retinyl palmitate) during the plenary meeting, which is an update version of SCCS/1576/16: The SCCS is of the opinion that vitamin A in cosmetics at concentrations of 0.05% retinol equivalent (RE) in body lotions and 0.3% RE in other leave-on and rinse-off products is safe.

Regarding the contribution of cosmetics to overall/total exposure, no conclusions can be drawn due to the inconsistencies in the presented model calculations. However, from the probabilistic assessment of the contribution of food and food supplements, it appears that the most exposed consumers (5% of the total population) may have exceeded the upper limit of vitamin A exposure. Although the contribution of vitamin A in cosmetics is low compared to food, it still increases overall consumer exposure.

Since cosmetics along do not exceed the upper limit, the allocation of contributions of different sources of exposure is a risk management issue that cannot be resolved through risk assessments. Therefore, the recommended maximum concentration limits that take into account contributions from other sources (e.g., food and food supplements) are beyond the scope of the SCCS.

As a professional cosmetic developer and analyst, Creative BioMart provides active ingredient analysis for personal care and cosmetic products, such as vitamin quantification services, to help customers ensure that their products meet quality standards and comply with national regulations. In addition, we also provide high-quality raw materials for product development, including many vitamin liposomes, which protect active ingredients more efficiently.
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