What Is Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate and How Is It Used in Skincare Products?

Overview

Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate (ATIP for short) is an oil-soluble derivative of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C.

You can read more about regular ascorbic acid (AA) here - Ascorbic Acid - to learn about its mechanism of action. In short, it is a skin-natural, antioxidant, collagen boosting, and anti-pigment ingredient that unfortunately has some major stability and skin penetration problems. It tends to degrade and turn brown when exposed to light, air, or moisture.

Ascorbic acid derivatives such as ATIP were developed in an attempt to resolve these issues and improve the passage through the skin lipid barrier and into the dermis. It is created by adding 4 branched fatty acids to one molecule of vitamin C.

According to the studies, this is one of the more successful derivatives. ATIP is stable up to pH 5 and passes through the epidermis into the dermis where it is converted back into vitamin C and utilized as an antioxidant and in collagen production.

It was shown in clinical studies that ATIP retains the anti-pigment effects of ascorbic acid. There was an observable improvement in skin discoloration with the use of 3% ATIP cream after 3 weeks and 42 days.

Another study on mice also showed that 1% ATIP had moisturizing and emollient effects and can make the skin smoother. Contrary to that, another study on human volunteers didn't see any improvement in trans-epidermal water loss or elasticity after 4 weeks of 2% ATIP cream.

We therefore definitely need more research in order to see how well ATIP performs in skincare.

Ratings

Reported efficacy

Wrinkle reduction

-6.4%

vs. benchmark (Tretinoin 0.05%)

-15%

Strength of evidence

Study 1

Study 2

Anti-wrinkle power

Creamscan anti-wrinkle rating is a weighted result of 2 parts:

Reported Efficacy: This measures the ingredient's ability to reduce wrinkles, confirmed by a double-blind, vehicle-controlled, randomized study. We compare the results reported in the study against a gold standard anti-wrinkle benchmark, 0.05% Tretinoin, to calculate a 0-10 efficacy score for the reviewed ingredient.

Strength of Evidence: This reflects how thoroughly an ingredient has been researched. While there are many studies on cosmetic ingredients, very few are robust, vehicle-controlled clinical trials on humans.

Each study meeting CreamScan Research Evaluation Standards earns the ingredient 5 points. An ingredient with just one qualifying study receives a score of 5 out of 10 for Strength of Evidence. To achieve a perfect score of 10 out of 10, an ingredient must have at least two studies confirming its efficacy from different research teams.

Science

Mariko et al. Evaluation of the anti-wrinkle effect of a lipophilic pro-vitamin C derivative, tetra-isopalmitoyl ascorbic acid. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2022 Aug;21(8):3503-3514. PMID: 34910367

Stamford N. P. (2012). Stability, transdermal penetration, and cutaneous effects of ascorbic acid and its derivatives. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 11(4), 310–317.

Dulińska-Molak, I., Pasikowska-Piwko, M., Dębowska, R., Święszkowski, W., Rogiewicz, K., & Eris, I. (2019). Determining the effectiveness of vitamin C in skin care by atomic force microscope. Microscopy research and technique, 82(9), 1430–1437.

D'Angelo Costa, G. M., & Maia Campos, P. (2021). Efficacy of topical antioxidants in the skin hyperpigmentation control: A clinical study by reflectance confocal microscopy. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 20(2), 538–545.

Maia Campos, P. M., Gianeti, M. D., Camargo, F. B., Jr, & Gaspar, L. R. (2012). Application of tetra-isopalmitoyl ascorbic acid in cosmetic formulations: stability studies and in vivo efficacy. European journal of pharmaceutics and biopharmaceutics : official journal of Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Pharmazeutische Verfahrenstechnik e.V, 82(3), 580–586.

Campos, P. M., Gonçalves, G. M., & Gaspar, L. R. (2008). In vitro antioxidant activity and in vivo efficacy of topical formulations containing vitamin C and its derivatives studied by non-invasive methods. Skin research and technology, 14(3), 376–380.

Ochiai Y, Kaburagi S, Obayashi K et al. A new lipophilic pro-vitamin C, tetra-isopalmitoyl ascorbic acid (VC-IP), prevents UV-induced skin pigmentation through its antioxidative properties. J Dermatol Sci 2006; 44: 37–44.