Spa Canada Magazine

The Back of the Bottle

By Carell Zaborski

Q: What does Tocotrienol do?

It seems that no sooner had last month’s column on Tocopheryl Acetate gone to press than I got a number of enquiries about another form of vitamin E, Tocotrienol.  Like Tocopherol, Tocotrienol is found in alpha, beta, gamma and delta forms, but its aliphatic tail is different than that of its corresponding Tocopherols.  Recent testing has shown that Tocotrienol can protect against some forms of lipid peroxidation 40 times more effectively than the more commonly used Tocopherol and further that it is 6.5 times more effective than Tocopherol at protecting some cells against oxidative damage.  This may in part be due to the fact that Tocotrienol tends to be located nearer to the cells’ membrane than Tocopherol.  Additionally, because it is distributed more evenly within the cell membranes and has a more powerful effect on the cell, it enhances cellular recycling and regeneration at a higher rate than Tocopherol.  Of special interest, is the fact that a recent (2009) study at the University of Hong Kong found that when skin cancer cells are treated with a combination of gamma-tocotrienol and the standard chemotherapy drugs, the gamma-tocotrienol enhanced the effectiveness of the chemotherapy by having a chemonsensitization and anti-invasive effect on the malignant melanoma cells.  Once again, I will not delve into the well-known beneficial effects of vitamin E on the skin beyond reminding people that it is a powerful antioxidant; neutralizing free radicals and acting as a stabilizing agent with the skin’s cells.  Nor do I wish to repeat much of what I wrote in last month’s column.  Suffice it to say, however, that Tocotrienol shows real promise when used in topical anti-aging skin care preparations, and each new study that is released seems to offer further confirmation of this fact.

Please submit your questions by email to Ms. Zaborski at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it In 1978 Ms. Zaborski founded the Corrective Skin Care Institute Inc, a pioneering medical spa, and for the past ten years has worked with an international team of cosmetic chemists and medical professionals to develop the System for Optimal Skin™ (SOS™) skin correction system.