Table 3 Anti-aging studies conducted with formulations containing vitamins
From: The state of the art in anti-aging: plant-based phytochemicals for skin care
Treatment | Model | Duration | Results | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
500 mg of vitamin C application with microneedling or sonophoresis | In vivo: 25 healthy probands aged 25–63 years, with erythematous changes and sensitive skin | 6 months | • Vitamin C helped to reduce wrinkles and boosted skin elasticity. • Treatment was effective for sensitive skin, reducing erythema. • The formulation along with application methods significantly decreased redness and lowered skin reactivity. • The therapies were effective and safe, causing only mild skin irritation in a few participants. | [75] | ||
Peptide-C ampoules (PC) containing peptides, 10% of vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and mineralizing water | In vivo: 1756 women aged ≥ 30 years, with signs of skin aging | 28 days | • 63% of participants experienced a reduction in forehead wrinkles. • 64% saw improvements in crow’s feet wrinkles. • Skin hydration increased in 67% of participants. • Comparable outcomes were found when PC was used alone or alongside with other skincare treatments. • 98% of participants rate product tolerance as good to very good. | [76] | ||
Mixture of polydeoxyribonucleotide, vitamin C (25%), and niacinamide (55%) with microneedling | • In vitro: HEKn cells radiated to UV-B • In vivo: HRM-2 mice (female, 5 weeks old, 20–25 g) radiated with UV-B | In vitro: 24 h In vivo: 28 days | • Levels of Nrf2/HO-1 increased, roxidative enzyme activity educed, and antioxidant enzyme activity enhanced in the skin. • Expression of proteins linked to pigmentation and skin aging, tumor protein p53 and tyrosinase, decreased. • Inflammatory markers and MMP levels linked to collagen breakdown were reduced. • The treatments boosted collagen and elastin fiber content, along with fibrillin and fibulin, supporting skin elasticity. | [77] | ||
Serum containing vitamin C (15% w/v) and vitamin E with palmitoyl tripeptide-38 (5 ppm) | In vivo: Women aged ≥ 40 years, with visible signs of photoaging | 2 months | • Statistically significant reductions in signs of aging, including smoother skin, brighter tone, and improvements in wrinkles and skin structure were observed. • The changes in skin isotropy and anisotropy were modest. • Skin evenness, radiance, and wrinkle appearance were improved. | [78] | ||
Azelaic acid (20%), phytic acid (30%), and vitamin C (40%) | In vivo: 20 Polish female volunteers aged 35–60 years | 8 weeks | • Application of the ingredients improved skin elasticity, reduced wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, erythema, and telangiectasia, and enhanced overall skin tone. • No irritation or allergic reactions were observed. | [79] | ||
Serum with 15% vitamin C, vitamin E, neohesperidin, Pinus pinaster bark, and hyaluronic acid | • Ex vivo: Human skin samples • In vivo: 40 women showing visible signs of photoaging, including facial hyperpigmentation | 90 days | • The topical antioxidant serum significantly reduced air pollution-induced skin pigmentation and expression of proinflammatory genes. • A significant improvement of skin aging signs was observed after 90 days. • Local tolerance was good. | [80] | ||
Encapsulated serum with vitamin C (20%), vitamin E, and European raspberry leaf cell culture extract | In vivo: 50 women aged 30–65 years | 2 months | • The serum improved several signs of aging—such as darkening, elasticity, radiance, smoothness, scaliness, and wrinkles. • Elasticity improvement did not lead to visible lifting effects. • The serum was well-tolerated by participants. | [31] | ||
Vitamin C lotion (10%, 15%, 20%, and 25%) | • In vitro: Corneal epithelial cells, mice melanocytes • In vivo: 34 women aged 24–58 years | 28 days | • For all lotions, vitamin C effectively penetrated the skin, with 20% lotion achieving the highest transdermal efficiency, reaching 85% diffusion in 24 h, surpassing the control group by 1.43 times. • Irritation tests showed low cytotoxicity, and patch testing confirmed no allergic reactions. • The use of vitamin C lotion demonstrated significant improvements: 10.5% increase in skin radiance, a 9.2% boost in elasticity and firmness, and a 12.3% reduction in wrinkle area. | [32] | ||
Niacinamide (2%) with fractional ablative laser treatment | • In vivo: 25 women aged 27–62 years • In vitro: HaCaT cells irradiated with UV-B | 3 weeks | • The treatment led to greater reductions in wrinkles and pigmentation compared to a standard formulation. • The stem cell medium with niacinamide provided antiinflammatory benefits and boosted wound healing and skin cell turnover. | [81] | ||
Product containing genistein (4%), vitamin E (1%), vitamin B3 (1%), and ceramide (0.2%) | In vivo: 50 postmenopausal women aged 48–65 years | 6 weeks | • The product showed significant improvement in skin hydration, and fine pore size and area, and increased skin redness reduction. • Among older participants (age > 56) with high compliance, the product significantly improved most wrinkle parameters. | [33] | ||
Topical gel containing vitamins (50,000 IU of vitamin A and 50 mg of vitamin E) and 0.02% retinoic acid | In vivo: 60 participants (56 women and 4 men) aged > 50 years | 12 weeks | • After 6 weeks, skin aging global scores dropped by 13% in the group using topical gel alone and by 14% in the group using gel with vitamins. • By week 12, the reductions were 22% and 27% for the groups using topical gel alone and the gel with vitamins, respectively. | [35] | ||
4% retinol solution containing TGF-β activators and antioxidants | In vivo: 15 women | 30 day intervals | • Skin tone, pigmentation, hydration, structure, oil control enhanced. • Pigmentation, especially in those with early aging signs, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, acne scars, and enlarged pores significantly improved. • The treatment was well-tolerated, cost-effective, easy to use, and associated with minimal side effects. | [34] | ||
Retinyl palmitate (5%)-loaded nanocapsules (100 and 1000 µg/mL) | In vitro: NIH 3T3 mouse fibroblast and RAW264.7 macrophage cells | 24 h | • The chitosan coating retinyl palmitate’s skin penetration and showed significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects without cytotoxicity to dermal fibroblasts. • Cell proliferation and collagen synthesis promoted. | [82] | ||