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With all the hype surrounding Alpha lipoic
acid, you would think that it is a new invention - but in reality it is not and has been around for some time.
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Alpha lipoic acid is used in the following of our products |
On this page
Not withstanding the fact that alpha lipoic acid has been around for a long time, it plays two very important roles in the cell. Firstly, it is a fundamental co-enzyme in two vital reactions that lead to the production of energy at cellular level. These reactions are used with great success in skincare and cosmetic products.
Secondly, it is a powerful antioxidant that is active against a broad spectrum of free radicals in both aqueous as well as lipid surroundings, and due to its size it can access nearly the entire body.
It is this action - working in both aqueous and lipid environment that makes it so useful in cosmetics, as the skin cell is composed of both these environments, and this one very effective antioxidant can therefore act upon both these parts of the cell.
It is readily transported through cellular membranes and helps to recycle other antioxidants - when vitamin E for instance quenches lipid peroxidation, and a vitamin E radical is formed, alpha lipoic acid will reduce it back to the active state of vitamin E. The same reaction occurs in the presence of the anti-oxidant, vitamin C.
Although it may not sound important, it is vital to note that alpha lipoic acid is active in both water and lipid environments, since the human cell consists of various parts, and these parts are either water or lipid based - this particular ingredient can work in both to protect against free radical damage.
Free radical damage to the cell, and therefore the cells which form the skin, leads to premature ageing and skin wrinkling.
If the concentration and presence of free radicals can be contained within the cell, far less oxidative stress and damage will be caused. This will result in aging being retarded at cellular level, as oxidative stress is one of the leading causes of aging.
Apart from fighting oxidative stress and reducing free radicals and their damage, alpha lipoic acid can also help boost the level of intracellular glutathione, which is another antioxidant that is very important to the immune system.
Applied topically to the skin it has amazing antioxidant properties and some research has been done in vitro on human dermal fibroblasts in cell-culture systems.
The results were interesting, it is undeniably a very powerful antioxidant that helps to increase the cell's metabolism and also inactivates hydroxyl and peroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen, hypochlorous acid, and nitric oxide, while at the same time acting as a catalyst and chelator.
It furthermore helps to fight inflammation, as well as edema (water retention), caused by such inflammation. Alpha lipoic acid helps to combat inflammation, since it prevents the activation of NFk-B, which in turn prevents pro-inflammatory chemicals - called cytokines - from being formed.
The transcription factor - AP-1 - is also activated in a healing manner by alpha lipoic acid. When AP-1 is activated by sunlight, it starts to produce collagen-digesting enzymes called metalloproteinases, but when so activated by alpha lipoic acid, it actually destroys damaged collagen.
It also helps with the prevention of glycation - where sugar and the protein of the collagen are cross-linked, leading to stiffness, wrinkles, lines and ageing of the skin.
It is a rather costly ingredient to use in a cosmetic product, and for it to be effective the right inclusion factor must be used, and for this reason few cosmetic companies use this as an active ingredient in their products.
Another problem experienced by some cosmetics companies is to successfully formulate and include it in a cream or lotion, since it contains a sulfur ring in the molecular structure, and when incorrectly formulated the resultant cream or lotion could smell of eggs that have gone off. This is however a formulation problem which our research scientists have overcome a long time ago.
It is listed as thioctic acid according to the INCI name and is an organic compound, classed as a carboxylic acid, as well as a thio compound. It is used as an antioxidant and is also known as A-lipoic acid, 5-(Dithiolan-3-yl)Valeric acid, as well as 1,2-Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic acid.
For clarification of the above, please click here.
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