Topical Vitamin B5

Vitamin B5 or Pantothenic Acid serves as a humectant or moisturizer for the skin. The most effective form of Vitamin B5 for topical application is Panthenol which is the alcohol version. Panthenol penetrates the skin and hair efficiently compared to pantothenic acid. But Pantothenic Acid applied topically also affects the level of moisturization of the skin.

Since panthenol is a bit difficult to find over the counter, we are going to make a topical vitamin B5 by just using Pantothenic Acid capsules or tablets dissolved in water or 70% ethyl alcohol/30% water. For oily skin, use dissolve the Pantothenic Acid in 70% alcohol 30% water solution for better skin penetration.

For dry skin, the Vitamin B5 distilled water combination should be sufficient enough. There are anecdotal evidence that topical Vitamin B5 also helps in the reduction on the oil produced by sebaceous glands of the face. Do not mix Vitamin B5 capsules with Vitamin C capsules or tablets in water solution as they would react and cancel each other.