TOCOPHEROL (VITAMIN E)

Tocopherol are a family of vitamin E compounds naturally found in vegetable oils, nuts, fish and leafy green vegetables. The nutritional benefits of Vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol) and its importance as a daily part of the human diet have been well documented.

Cosmetics: Vitamin E is widely used as an inexpensive antioxidant in cosmetics and foods. Vitamin E containing products are commonly used in the belief that vitamin E is good for the skin; many cosmetics include it, often labeled as tocopherol acetate, tocopheryl linoleate or tocopheryl nicotinate. Vitamin E is often claimed by manufacturers of skin creams and lotions to play a role in encouraging skin healing and reducing scarring after injuries such as burns on the basis of limited research.

Preservative: Tocopherols are sometimes used as a food preservative to prevent oils from going rancid, and in liquid castile soap made from coconut, olive, jojoba or hemp oil.
Pregnancy: Recent studies into the use of both vitamin C and the single isomer vitamin E esters as possible aids in preventing oxidative stress leading to pre-eclampsia has failed to show significant benefits, but did increase the rate of babies born with a low birth weight in one study.

Parkinson’s disease: In May 2005, The Lancet Neurology published a study suggesting that vitamin E may help protect against Parkinson's disease. Individuals with moderate to high intakes of dietary vitamin E were found to have a lower risk of Parkinson's. No conclusion could be made whether supplemental vitamin E has the same effect.Other trials have tested whether giving vitamin E supplements reduces the risk of Parkinson's disease, or if they can slow the progression of the disease. In a 1998 study, vitamin E supplements had no effect on the rate of progression.

AMD: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in the United States and the developed world among people 65 years and older. It has been shown that vitamin E alone does not attenuate the development or progression of AMD.However, studies focusing on efficacy of Vitamin E combined with other antioxidants, like zinc and vitamin C, indicate a protective effect against the onset and progression of AMD.

SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tocopherol#Topical_use