Background & Training

Eddie Omar holds a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences with a specialization in Pharmacognosy from the University of Rhode Island (URI, 2013), where he conducted research under the supervision of Dr. Navindra Seeram in the Bioactive Botanical Research Laboratory. His doctoral work focused on the bioactive compounds of natural plant extracts—a foundation that directly informs how Phyto-C approaches botanical ingredients today.

He grew up in the Phyto-C laboratory. His father, Dr. Mostafa Omar, founded Phytoceuticals Inc. in 1995 and pioneered the science of topical L-ascorbic acid—NCI-funded research conducted in collaboration with Dr. Sheldon Pinnell at Duke University and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2003. Eddie learned formulation science from the inside, starting long before he had a PhD to show for it.

Rebuilding Phyto-C

When Eddie took over Phytoceuticals Inc. in 2014, the company needed rebuilding. He restructured operations, significantly expanded the formulation portfolio, and built the in-house manufacturing infrastructure that has defined Phyto-C ever since. Production ran for years out of the original facility at 37 Midland Ave in Elmwood Park, New Jersey, before the company relocated to its current home at 200 Central Ave in Hawthorne, New Jersey in late 2022.

Every product is manufactured on site. No contract manufacturing, no outsourced production. That is a deliberate choice and one that has not changed as the company has grown — it is the only way to maintain the quality controls that clinical skincare demands.

Over the following decade, Phyto-C grew into an international brand with products sold in more than 50 countries, and professional and wholesale accounts across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia.

Formulation Work

Eddie has personally invented or reformulated the majority of the products currently in the Phyto-C line. Notable contributions include:

• E in C Lite and E in C Advanced — Novel formulations that solubilize high concentrations of fat-soluble Vitamin E in a water-based vehicle alongside pure L-ascorbic acid. This was considered a formulation impossibility by much of the industry. The E in C Advanced, at 20% L-ascorbic acid and 5% Vitamin E, remains one of the most technically demanding products in the Phyto-C line.
• The HYPER Line — A collection of concentrated treatment boosters: HYPER Lift (peptide firming), HYPER Hydrate (hyaluronic acid complex), HYPER White (multi-acid brightening), and HYPER-C (vitamin C booster). Designed to layer with existing routines.
• Reviving Eye Gel and Corrective Eye Cream — Multi-peptide eye treatments developed to address the specific physiology of periorbital skin, which responds differently to actives than the rest of the face.
• Intensive Hydrating Cream — A barrier-support moisturizer built on ceramides, Vitamin E, and B5, formulated to complement vitamin C serums without interference.
• Reformulated SuperHeal O‑Live collection — The O‑Live Lotion, Cream, and Mask were fully reworked with a proprietary olive leaf extract complex, retinol, and ceramides to address barrier function and inflammation markers.

He is currently developing Celastin, a neck and neckline treatment built around a proprietary peptide complex and in-house botanical extraction—a category that has historically underperformed in clinical skincare due to formulation shortcuts. He is also formulating and filing trademark for H2A2, a proprietary hyaluronic acid ingredient developed at the Phyto-C laboratory.

Scientific Positions

Eddie is transparent about where Phyto-C's science departs from industry consensus. Two positions are worth stating plainly:

On ferulic acid: Phyto-C does not use ferulic acid in any formulation and has not done so in 30 years of operation. The concern is pro-oxidant activity—specifically, NADPH oxidase-mediated generation of reactive oxygen species documented by Lee et al. (2005) in the Archives of Pharmacal Research. This contradicts much of the industry and a significant portion of the vitamin C market. Eddie stands by it. Phyto-C stabilizes L-ascorbic acid formulations using bioflavonoids, a plant-derived polyphenolic class with antioxidant properties and no documented pro-oxidant risk at cosmetic concentrations.

On vitamin C derivatives: Ascorbyl palmitate, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, sodium ascorbyl phosphate, ascorbyl glucoside, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate—none of these are acceptable substitutes for pure L-ascorbic acid at optimal pH. The bioavailability data is consistently weaker, and the conversion pathway to active ascorbic acid in skin tissue has not been demonstrated reliably in peer-reviewed literature at the concentrations used in commercial products. Phyto-C formulates exclusively with L-ascorbic acid.

These are not marketing positions. They are the product of three decades of formulation work, starting with his father's NCI-funded research and continued through every batch manufactured in Hawthorne.

Manufacturing Philosophy

All Phyto-C products are manufactured in-house at the Phytoceuticals Inc. facility in Hawthorne, New Jersey. Eddie personally oversees production, which typically begins at 2–3 AM to maintain quality controls during low-interference hours. This is not a logistical quirk. It reflects a belief that clinical skincare cannot be separated from the people who make it: the formulator, the manufacturing process, and the quality check are the same person.

Phyto-C holds two NCI grants related to topical L-ascorbic acid formulation. The core formulation know-how is protected as trade secrets, not patents. That distinction is intentional—trade secret protection requires ongoing excellence, which is the standard Eddie holds the operation to.