Vitamin C absorption above 200 mg per dose drops sharply in standard oral supplements. This is well-documented in nutrition pharmacology. The body’s intestinal transporters become saturated. Anything above the saturation threshold is excreted.
Liposomal encapsulation is the manufacturing technique that addresses this. By wrapping the vitamin C molecule in a phospholipid bilayer (the same structural material as cell membranes), liposomal Vit C bypasses the saturation pathway and is absorbed via lymphatic uptake instead.
How a liposome is constructed
A liposome is a microscopic sphere — typically 100–500 nanometres — with a phospholipid bilayer shell and an aqueous core. The shell is made from phosphatidylcholine (often derived from sunflower or soy lecithin). The aqueous core carries the active ingredient (vitamin C, glutathione, magnesium, etc.).
The bilayer is structurally identical to a cell membrane, so liposomes are absorbed via membrane fusion rather than the transporter-mediated path that bottlenecks standard supplements.
Manufacturing trade-offs
Liquid vs spray-dry powder
Liquid liposomal has the highest bioavailability but the shortest shelf life (typically 6–12 months refrigerated). Spray-dry liposomal powder is shelf-stable for 24+ months and capsulable, with a small (15–25%) bioavailability give-back compared to fresh liquid.
Particle size distribution
Smaller particles (100–200 nm) absorb faster; larger particles (300–500 nm) carry more payload per liposome. Premium spec sheets require both a mean particle size AND a polydispersity index (PDI) below 0.3.
Active payload
Industry benchmark for liposomal Vit C is 1000 mg active per 30 mL dose. Lower payloads suggest watered-down or weakly encapsulated product.
How to spec a liposomal Vit C OEM order
| Spec field | Premium tier | Value tier |
|---|---|---|
| Vit C payload | ≥ 1000 mg / 30 mL | ≥ 500 mg / 30 mL |
| Mean particle size | 100–200 nm | ≤ 500 nm |
| PDI | ≤ 0.3 | ≤ 0.5 |
| Encapsulation efficiency | ≥ 90% | ≥ 70% |
| Phospholipid source | Sunflower (non-GMO) | Soy lecithin |
| Halal cert | JAKIM supplier-level | JAKIM finished-good |
Bionutricia’s liposomal Vit C
We hold a Malaysian patent (MyIPO) on the encapsulation process. Premium spec at our facility:
- 1000 mg Vit C per 30 mL serving payload — available as bulk concentrate (5 kg bottle / 25 kg drum) or bulk spray-dry powder (5 kg / 10 kg pack) for B2B ingredient buyers, AND as Bionutricia’s own-brand consumer SKU: Liposomal Vitamin C in 10 fruit-extract flavours (Original, Acerola Cherry, Banana, Kurma, Lemon Lime, Mangosteen, Pineapple, Pink Guava, Red Dragon Fruit, Soursop). Custom-brand liposomal SKUs under another label are handled via OEM/ODM at our sister division bionutricia.com.
- Mean particle size 150 nm, PDI 0.25
- Encapsulation efficiency > 90%
- Non-GMO sunflower phosphatidylcholine
- JAKIM HALAL supplier-level · FSSC 22000 · GMP · HACCP · US FDA registered
- MOQ 25 kg powder / 100 L liquid · FOB Port Klang
For full spec sheets and the case study showing 6x bioavailability improvement in a brand partner trial, see our Liposomal Encapsulation page.
