Each October 9, C60 Power, a woman-owned wellness company specializing in Carbon 60 products for people and animals, celebrates National C60 Day. The observance, created by the company, marks the anniversary of the day in 1996 when the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of fullerenes. This year, the company is hosting educational events, sharing community stories, and offering a 20% storewide sale at ShopC60.com, aiming to make reliable C60 education more accessible.
National C60 Day, also known as National Carbon 60 Day or C60 Day, recognizes the discovery of C60, a hollow, spherical molecule made of exactly 60 carbon atoms arranged in 12 pentagons and 20 hexagons—the same pattern found on a classic soccer ball. The molecule is also called buckminsterfullerene or a "buckyball." Its discovery dates to 1985, when British chemist Harold Kroto joined Rice University scientists Robert Curl and Richard Smalley to recreate the chemistry of carbon-rich stars in the laboratory. Their experiments revealed C60, and Kroto's admiration for architect R. Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes helped give the molecule its name. In 1990, Wolfgang Krätschmer and Donald Huffman developed a method to produce C60 in quantities large enough to study, and the journal Science named buckminsterfullerene its Molecule of the Year for 1991. Curl, Kroto, and Smalley were awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. In 2010, astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope detected C60 in Tc 1, a cloud of gas and dust shed by a dying star, the first confirmed sighting of buckyballs in space.
"National C60 Day gives us an opportunity to honor the science that introduced this extraordinary molecule to the world. This holiday may help consumers understand the importance of purity, and 3rd-party testing, along with the opportunity to learn more about the potential of the molecule," said Jessica MacNaughton, CEO and cofounder of C60 Power. "Our goal is to make reliable C60 education more accessible and give people the information they need to make informed choices for themselves and their animals."
Since its discovery, C60 research has expanded into chemistry, materials science, nanotechnology, energy, skincare and wellness. Its ability to interact with free radicals is one reason C60 continues to attract attention in antioxidant research. Interest in C60 and healthy aging grew after a 2012 study reported that rats given C60 dissolved in olive oil lived longer than untreated rats. Consumers can review published studies at WhatIsC60.org and ShopC60.com/research.
To celebrate, C60 Power encourages sharing the story on social media with #NationalC60Day, #Carbon60 and #C60, exploring the research at WhatIsC60.org, and taking the C60 Challenge by purchasing C60 at ShopC60.com on October 9 and downloading the C60 30-Day Challenge Journal at https://shopc60.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/c60-journal.pdf to track routines and feelings. A 20% storewide sale runs until October 9, 2026, with code CELEBRATE20 at checkout, and new customers can use code NATIONAL10 for 10 percent off a first order at ShopC60.com.
The implications of this announcement extend beyond a single company celebration. By anchoring a holiday to a Nobel Prize discovery, C60 Power is working to build mainstream awareness of a molecule that remains relatively unknown to the general public. The emphasis on purity, third-party testing, and published research signals a broader push for transparency in the wellness industry, where consumer trust is often fragile. As C60 continues to attract scientific interest in areas like antioxidant research and healthy aging, initiatives like National C60 Day may help shape how consumers evaluate emerging ingredients—prioritizing evidence over hype. For a woman-owned business founded in 2016 as C60 Purple Power, the day also reinforces its position as an educator and category leader, potentially influencing how the still-nascent C60 market develops.
