Vitamin E for Skin: What Does It Do?

Vitamins, minerals and botanicals are touted as moisturizing powerhouses that make skin smooth, supple and radiant. Vitamin E is commonly listed among them, and some people also take it as a supplement. But is vitamin E for skin health really beneficial or just a marketing ploy?

Dermatologist explains the role vitamin E plays in skin care and gives the lowdown on whether it really treats conditions like dryness, wrinkles and sun damage.

What is vitamin E and how does it help your skin?

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that acts as an antioxidant, helping protect cells from damage throughout your body. It’s found in our sebum (skin oil), which creates a natural barrier to keep moisture in your skin. So oilier skin surfaces, like the face, contain greater amounts of vitamin E. And since people with oily skin have more sebum, they also have more vitamin E on their skin.

Sebum, along with vitamin E levels, naturally declines with age. Vitamin E is also depleted by ultraviolet light (UV) sources like:

1) Sunlight.

2) Tanning beds.

3) Some fluorescent, halogen and incandescent light bulbs.

How vitamin E benefits skin?

The research on how vitamin E benefits skin is ongoing.

It probably makes moisturizers work better, but it’s unclear in most studies if it has a direct medicinal role. Its effects are fairly subtle. It doesn’t treat any particular skin condition other than helping a bit with general skin aging and lack of moisture.

In moisturizers, vitamin E:

1) Stops skin from losing moisture.

2) Protects cells from damage.

3) Softens skin.

The evidence isn’t clear-cut yet, but vitamin E may also reduce sun damage by absorbing UVB rays and reducing your skin’s inflammatory response, which includes:

1) Swelling.

2) Reddening.

3) Thickening.

But don’t replace your sunscreen with vitamin E oil. Two types of UV light damage the skin: ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB).

Vitamin E can absorb some UVB light, but not all of it. In addition, vitamin E doesn’t protect against UVA light, which can lead to sunburns and skin cancer. And multiple studies have proven that vitamin E doesn’t prevent or help treat skin cancers.So, it’s important to keep up your daily routine of applying sunscreen to protect your skin.

How to use vitamin E on the skin?

To regain a radiant complexion, incorporating vitamin E oil into your beauty routine is recommended. Moreover, the use of vitamin E in topical application enhances the skin's defenses against external aggressors that accelerate its aging. Vitamin E is not photosensitizing : it does not increase the skin's sensitivity to the sun. Thus, a skincare product containing vitamin E can be used both in the morning and throughout the day. Furthermore, a vitamin E skincare product can be applied several times a day without any risks.

As an active ingredient, vitamin E is found in serums and creams, lip care products, and even cleansing gels. At Typology, vitamin E is present in many of our formulas as apreservative ingredient. It plays the role of an active molecule in the following three treatments:

1.The relipidating shower oil Vitamin E+F 2.5% + Bitter Almond Extract is an antioxidant treatment that restores suppleness to the epidermis and reduces feelings of tightness while delicately scenting the skin with a light almond fragrance. In the shower, apply to the entire body, then rinse.

2.The Firmness & Radiance Complex with 5 vitamins is a serum that offers both preventive and corrective action against the appearance of signs of aging, restoring radiance and uniformity to the skin. It is used on clean, dry skin, morning and/or evening. Apply 3 to 4 drops of your serum to the face. Gently massage the face and neck with circular motions. Once the serum has fully absorbed, you can apply your daily moisturizing cream.

3.The tinted lip oil is enriched with squalane, plum oil, and jojoba oil. It comes in 6 shades and helps to nourish and enhance the lips. Dip the applicator into the bottle of tinted oil and glide it over the lips. Repeat as many times as desired throughout the day. In the evening, remove withourmakeup remover oil or our reusable makeup remover pads soaked in micellar water.

Vitamin E can’t make your wrinkles disappear or prevent sunburn. But applying products with vitamin E can benefit dry skin. And when consumed in the right amount, vitamin E may also help your skin stand up to environmental stressors from the inside out.