A derivative of vitamin C. Its stability in skincare formulations is better than ascorbic acid’s, although clinical studies are yet to indicate whether it has the same collagen-boosting benefits.
Antioxidant
Antioxidant
Antioxidants reduce the oxidative stress caused by free radicals and prevent accelerated skin aging.
Antioxidant
Antioxidants reduce the oxidative stress caused by free radicals and prevent accelerated skin aging.
Other functions
Anti-Wrinkle,
Anti-Wrinkle
Anti-wrinkle ingredients prevent the formation or reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Anti-Wrinkle,
Anti-Wrinkle
Anti-wrinkle ingredients prevent the formation or reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Anti-Pigmentation
Anti-Pigmentation
Anti-pigmentation ingredients help to even skin tone by reducing the intensity of dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
Anti-Pigmentation
Anti-Pigmentation
Anti-pigmentation ingredients help to even skin tone by reducing the intensity of dark spots and hyperpigmentation.
Origin
Synthetic
Synthetic
All kinds of ingredients formulated or produced by a chemical process, or those that have a chemical modification in their structure.
Synthetic
Synthetic
All kinds of ingredients formulated or produced by a chemical process, or those that have a chemical modification in their structure.
3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid (3O-EAA) is a derivative of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). It was created as a more stable analog of vitamin C (you can read more about it here) and it seems to have been successful.
A study made on pig skin showed that 3O-EAA was able to penetrate the deeper layers of the skin, depending on the type of solvent. This means that the formulation of the cream/serum base is extremely important for proper absorption. The fact that 3O-EAA is slightly more oil-soluble than regular vitamin C helps too.
3O-EAA has been proven to be an antioxidant ingredient in test tubes, although solid clinical studies for this ingredient are lacking. It has been patented as an anti-pigment ingredient but there has been no data on its collagen-boosting properties so far.
It appears to be a good prospective vitamin C derivative, but we definitely need more information.
Science
1
Iliopoulos, F., Sil, B. C., Moore, D. J., Lucas, R. A., & Lane, M. E. (2019). 3-O-ethyl-l-ascorbic acid: Characterisation and investigation of single solvent systems for delivery to the skin. International journal of pharmaceutics: X, 1, 100025.
2
Nihro Y, Miyataka H, Sudo T et al. 3-O-Alkylascorbic acids as free-radical quenchers: synthesis and inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation. J Med Chem 1991; 34: 2152–7.
3
Liao, W. C., Huang, Y. T., Lu, L. P., & Huang, W. Y. (2018). Antioxidant Ability and Stability Studies of 3-O-Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a Cosmetic Tyrosinase Inhibitor. Journal of cosmetic science, 69(4), 233–243.
4
Shimizu, R., Yagi, M., & Kikuchi, A. (2019). Suppression of riboflavin-sensitized singlet oxygen generation by l-ascorbic acid, 3-O-ethyl-l-ascorbic acid and Trolox. Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology, 191, 116–122.