At Malibu C, innovation has always been rooted in one simple belief: wellness begins with purity. Since our founding in 1985, Tom Porter has led the way in challenging conventional beauty practices by making a confident statement based on the research he discovered with Dr. Keith Ault: vitamin C used on the external body can produce as dramatic results as using vitamin C inside the body. Tom was aware of the research by Linus Pauling, who advocated taking vitamin C internally. However, Tom was confident that applying vitamin C to the external body, specifically skin and hair, was just as important as taking it internally.
In the beginning, Tom chose ascorbyl palmitate to introduce vitamin C into the beauty industry. At that time, ascorbyl palmitate was being used as a fat-soluble ingredient to deter oxidation of food, beverage, and pharmaceutical products. That alone was revolutionary. But one of the biggest shifts in our history came when we moved away from ascorbyl palmitate in those first years and pioneered the use of freshly activated vitamin C. This change wasn’t just a technical adjustment; it reflected Tom’s philosophy of integrity, wellness, transparency, and most importantly, guaranteed results.
The Early Days: EC4U2 Wrinkle Less Lotion
In Malibu C’s early skin care product development, Tom selected ascorbyl palmitate to be used in formulations like EC4U2 Wrinkle Less lotion. At the time, it seemed like a cutting-edge way to incorporate vitamin C into skincare and wellness products, thanks to its fat-soluble properties and claims made regarding stability. But over time, Tom noticed its limitations. While ascorbyl palmitate was marketed by he raw ingredient supplier as stable, it became clear that within six months of formulating it into products, it was losing it potency. Even though it never demonstrated all the benefits of pure ascorbic acid, it was clear that making any claims of ascobyl palmitate in skin care formations could not guaranteed to the user simply because the time it would take to make the product, warehouse the product, ship to a distributor who would ship to a salon and then sell to a client could be much longer than the six months of limited stability, potency, and effectiveness. Products started turning yellow and eventually brown while being held in warehouses and shipped around the US in hot trucks, as occurs with any vitamin C product that delivers the effectiveness of pure vitamin C. 
Why Not Ascorbyl Palmitate?
Ascorbyl palmitate is a fat-soluble derivative of vitamin C often used in beauty products for its stability. It simply doesn’t deliver the same potency or immediacy of benefits as pure vitamin C. Over time, Tom Porter realized that limited stability without efficacy could not be guaranteed, especially when it came to truly transforming skin, hair and scalp health.
The Freshly Activated Breakthrough
All of the research Dr. Keith Ault had introduced to Tom was based on the purest form of vitamin C, Ascorbic Acid. Tom’s vision was clear: bring the most potent, active form of vitamin C directly to stylists and clients. That’s why Malibu C began formulating with freshly dried ascorbic acid in the 1980s, using a revolutionary approach in hair and skincare, allowing the salon professional and their clients to activate the finished formula on the spot when mixed with water. This innovation ensures that every application delivers the full antioxidant power of vitamin C at its peak potency, working instantly to help remove mineral buildup, neutralize oxidizers, and restore hair’s natural texture and vibrancy.
A First in the World
Malibu C became the first company in the world to use any form of vitamin C as a remedy for hair, scalp, and skincare. The decision to harness freshly activated vitamin C in professional hair care was a game-changer. This groundbreaking move defined clean beauty and what it could mean to the beauty industry: no preservatives, no compromises, just the pure power of nature combined with cutting-edge science that provided visible results.
Tom’s Lasting Legacy
For Tom Porter, it was never about following trends; it was about leading with integrity. His decision not to compromise quality for ease of use was a bold and risky move. The switch from ascorbyl palmitate to freshly activated vitamin C set Malibu C apart, introducing wellness into the beauty industry, and it continues to inspire everything we do today.
At Malibu C, we remain committed to Tom’s mission: to innovate fearlessly, to educate globally, and to always put wellness first. Freshly activated vitamin C isn’t just an ingredient; it’s a symbol of the Malibu C difference.
