C-COS™ is the standardized dry extract of Amla containing not less than 25% of Emblicanins A and B and other hydrolysable tannins making up to a total tannin content of about 35-40% w/w.

The vitamin C content by titration using dichlorophenol- indophenol titration is 6.7%. The bioavailability is over 8 times that of pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid). C-COS™ contains the gallo-ellagi tannins in ester form with a vitamin C analog 2-ketogluconolactone, Emblicanins A & B.

They are the vitamin C analogues and produrugs. They have a long lasting and wide spectrum anti oxidant activity that quenches free radicals and super oxide ion. The free radical quenching takes place through induction of enzymes like SOD, CAT and GPX.

. The powerful antioxidant effect is due both to vitamin C activity and by the presence of gallic and ellagic acid groups in its molecule that promotes skin health by preventing oxidative degeneration of collagen the principal protein that gives strength and support to the skin and supports collagen synthesis or reverses wrinkling and ageing .

It also blocks the conversion of hyaluronic acid to histamine like products that lead to skin allergy. Skin color is due to the type and amount of melanine synthesized and their distribution in the keratinocytes.

C-COS™ inhibits tyrosinase and interferes with the formation and conversion of dopaquinone to a series of melanine pigments. This is how C-COS™ increases skin fairness. Though ascorbic acid is a skin whitening agent, due to its poor solubility and accessibility into the lipophilic cells of the skin it cannot be effective enough to treat the skin.

C-COS™ has, in addition to a vitamin C like and antioxidant activity a much higher reducing power due to the presence of 4 trihydroxyphenyl groups and a far superior solubility in the lipophilic skin tissue and is far more bioavailable than pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid) as demonstrated by diffusion studies using guinea pig skin.

The study also showed that the entire polyphenol-tannins are retained on the skin providing a UV shield while vitamin C along with all the hydrogen ions from the hydroxyl groups are also transferred across the skin membrane increasing with increasing dilution, exponentially.

Thus the lower concentrations of C-COS™ transports more percentage of hydrogen ions and in the normal concentrations of the application at 0.1 to 0.01 mg/ml the hydrogen ion concentration provides ideal pH for the reduction of melanine quinone and other pigments and also inhibits tyrosinase.

C-COS™ can provide superior anti scorbutic activity offers protective effects against atherosclerosis, carcinogenesis, relieving oxidative stress in ischemic reperfusion injury and enhances immunomodulation.

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