Vitamin E

In food, vitamin E is found in vegetable oils, nuts, and seeds. Its main role in the body is to act as a fat-soluble antioxidant, and aid in immune function and heart health as well. But like vitamin C, topical application will get you the best results with this ingredient. Especially when it comes to sun protection.

Your skin’s gonna love this: As an antioxidant, vitamin E is vitamin C’s counterpart to skin health. It protects the fatty cellular parts of your body (such as the cell membranes) from the reactive free radicals, the culprits for oxidative damage and effects of aging (often caused by UV exposure). For most people, vitamin E doesn’t tend to cause any allergic or irritant reactions.

P.S. You may see vitamin E commonly referred to as a treatment for burns and reducing scars, but there isn’t much evidence that it helps in this area.

Where to find it: In skin care, vitamin E is usually listed as tocopherol or tocopheryl acetate.

It’s frequently used in sun protection and anti-aging products at concentrations of 0.5–1 percent, due to its antioxidant effects. Brands often combine it with vitamin C or vitamin A (retinoids) to boost their action.

One study shows that when vitamins C and E were used in tandem, the combination was four times as effective at protecting against UV than either vitamin alone. The C and E pairing is even more powerful when ferulic acid is added.

In beauty, there's a new novelty ingredient pushed to the forefront of the industry practically every single day, with each new formula lauded better and more innovative than the last. While we're all for trying something new, there's something to be said about sticking with an old favorite. Enter vitamin E, which is popular in both oil and capsulated forms.

The ingredient has long been incorporated into skincare products, promising hydrating, antioxidant, and protective benefits, but what does it really do? We posed that very question to a few experts to see what concrete, science-backed results we can expect when using vitamin E for our skin.

What is Vitamin E?

Alpha-tocypherol (the form of Vitamin E humans can metabolize) is typically produced synthetically but can be found in natural products as well. Avocado, pumpkin, and wheat germ oil are all great sources of the vitamin both for topical and internal uses.2 Most often in skincare, Vitamin E can be found in oil or cream form. "Vitamin E is an antioxidant vitamin and an oil, says MacGregor. "It’s often found in anti-oxidant blend topicals or moisturizers."

• Protects Lipid Barrier: "Vitamin E keeps lipids fresh in your skin," explains celebrity esthetician Renée Rouleau. "This helps to keep your skin's protective barrier intact. [Keeping it intact] can help seal up little cracks created in the skin's barrier that can cause moisture to escape and leave the skin feeling tight and dry."
• Keeps Skin Moist: As such, vitamin E allows for long-lasting moisture retention between your skin cells;3 much longer than products without it. According to Rouleau, it doles out up to 16 hours of hydration.
• Heals Skin: Schep explained to us why Vitamin E is so beloved: "The prime benefit of vitamin E is the capability to accelerate healing of skin damage such as burns and wounds by as much as 50% of the rate. It is an antioxidant and will heal the skin from sunburn and any form of irritation and injury. It also has the capability to increase the moisture content of the skin. As such, it has skin anti-aging capability."
• It's an Antioxidant: Vitamin E offers antioxidant (fat-soluble) benefits as well—it helps neutralize harmful free radicals and, due to its antioxidant benefit, can discourage sebum (oil) oxidation, which prevents blackheads.1 "The words 'anti' and 'oxidant' refer to antioxidation," notes Rouleau. "Since the tip of the hardened and blocked oil in the pores turns dark from oxidation, vitamin E may help slow that process down."
• Soothes Skin: Formulas containing vitamin E provide conditioning to environmentally exposed skin.1 The ingredient works to smooth your skin and make it feel comfortable after irritation from pollution and sun damage.
• Protects From the Sun: The vitamin has photo-protective purposes as well.3 "When vitamin E is combined with vitamin C and used under sunscreen, it can provide four times the protection of sunscreen alone," says Rouleau.

Side Effects of Vitamin E

"When used in its pure form, in a capsule, and applied directly to the skin, vitamin E may cause dermatitis-type reactions," warns Rouleau, "especially for the thinner and more sensitive skin around your eyes." If you've ever had dermatitis—the technical, blanket term name for inflammation of the skin—that was caused by skincare, you understand that using it in this area without a patch test is a bad idea.

It could also potentially clog pores and, for those who are prone to acne and breakouts, add to the problem. According to Rouleau, using products with vitamin E is best suited for "normal" (a cringe-worthy description of skin that has few to no blemishes, no sensitivity, minimally visible pores, and balanced hydration levels) and dry skin types. That's not all—MacGregor makes a point to note that "some develop an allergy to it when it is used topically."

How to Use It

"As for the common concern about it having a pore-clogging effect," continues Rouleau, "it's important to note when used in skincare formulations, vitamin E is only offered in a small concentration. Using it that way is far from piercing a capsule and applying the ingredient in its pure form." So if you want to try out the hottest new Vitamin E serum, go for it; it's likely been diluted enough that it won't be an issue.

That being said, when looking at a product's ingredient list, it's challenging to know the percentage of purity that is used—or how your skin will respond to it. Though, this goes for any ingredient used in any product. According to Rouleau, it's always best to get into the practice of performing a patch test whenever you purchase a new product.

"If you have a specific scar or area you want to treat, then puncture a Vitamin E capsule and apply the oil to that area for a few weeks," Hamdan advises us. "It is a wonderful antioxidant and has been studied extensively in its ability to help with premature aging. It’s part of the reason why I like getting my Vitamin E as part of an oil, instead of pure Vitamin E, which is usually an alpha-tocopherol version of Vitamin E. If you have sensitive skin, you can still use it just use very little and pat gently. If you’re breaking out or have any redness, it might be a sign that your skin isn’t tolerating it."