Vitamin A

(in 6,817 products)

1. Anti-aging - Prevents or slows aging, and causes the skin to appear more youthful

2. Dietary / Nutritional Supplement - Vitamins, minerals, proteins, fatty acids or probiotics that improves nutritional intake

3. Exfoliant - Removes dead cells at the surface of the skin

4. Experimental / Patented - Relatively new ingredient with limited data available

5. Skin Whitening Agent - Reduces the melanin content of the skin

Vitamin A is effective for the treatment of Vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A refers to a group of fat-soluble substances that are structurally related to and possess the biological activity of the parent substance of the group called all-trans-retinol or retinol. Vitamin A plays vital roles in vision, epithelial differentiation, growth, reproduction, pattern formation during embryogenesis, bone development, hematopoiesis, and brain development. It is also important for the maintenance of the proper functioning of the immune system. Retinol is the fat-soluble vitamin retinol. Vitamin A binds to and activates retinoid receptors (RARs), thereby inducing cell differentiation and apoptosis of some cancer cell types and inhibiting carcinogenesis. Vitamin A plays an essential role in many physiologic processes, including proper functioning of the retina, growth, and differentiation of target tissues, proper functioning of the reproductive organs, and modulation of immune function. [1]

Retinols/retinoids/retinals and all other derivatives of Vitamin A tend to have an adverse interaction with UV light (which may include radical formation, sensitization, or degradation). It is strongly advised to apply products containing Vitamin A and its derivatives in the absence of sunlight and to remove them prior to any sunlight exposure. This adverse interaction with UV light only pertains to contact-based products and not ingestion-based products. [2] [3] It should also not be applied to anywhere near the eyes due to the potential damage it may cause. [4]

Warning: Do not use in the presence of UV light (including sun exposure).

1. PubChem: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/445354

2. Photodecomposition of Vitamin A and Photobiological Implications for the Skin. (Photochem. Photobiol., 83(2), 409–424. doi:10.1562/2006-10-23-ir-1065)

3. Photodecomposition and Phototoxicity of Natural Retinoids. (Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2(1), 147–155. doi:10.3390/ijerph2005010147)

4. Vitamin A activates rhodopsin and sensitizes it to ultraviolet light. (Vis. Neurosci., 28(06), 485–497. doi:10.1017/s0952523811000423)

5. In vitro and in vivo percutaneous absorption of retinol from cosmetic formulations: Significance of the skin reservoir and prediction of systemic absorption. (Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol., 231(1), 117–121. doi:10.1016/j.taap.2008.04.006)

6. Characterization of Esterase and Alcohol Dehydrogenase Activity in Skin. Metabolism of Retinyl Palmitate to Retinol (Vitamin A) During Percutaneous Absorption. (Pharm. Res., 11(8), 1155–1159. doi:10.1023/a:1018941016563)

1. South Korea - Ministry of Food and Drug Safety - Prohibited/Restricted Chemicals

- Ref: 1222

2. CANADA INGREDIENT HOTLIST, List of Ingredients that are Restricted for Use in Cosmetic Products [2019]

- Retinol and its esters

3. Japan’s List of Designated Food Additives under Article 10 of the Food Sanitation Act

- Vitamin A (Retinol)

4. US FDA Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) Food Substances (21 CFR 184) [2017]

- § 184.1930 - Vitamin A