Skincare isn’t only about cleansing and moisturizing; once you learn more about the chemistry behind your favorite skincare products, you’ll realize the importance of each ingredient in those products.
One ingredient we’re seeing included in many new skincare products is antioxidants. Before we get into what antioxidants do in your skincare products, let’s break down what antioxidants are.
What Are Antioxidants?
“Antioxidant” is a fancy word for several substances you’re already acutely familiar with. Vitamin C, vitamin A (retinol), vitamin B3, green tea extract — these are all different antioxidants with unique benefits.
Think of antioxidants as the Roombas of your cells — these substances spend their time patrolling your cells and sucking up any damaging agents they find. Those damaging agents are free radicals, molecules that are created through harmful environmental factors like pollution, consuming processed foods, and smoking.
Free radicals are bad news; without their efficient removal, they cause oxidative stress, which is linked to cancer, heart disease, signs of aging, and several other diseases and conditions. Antioxidants are the super-cleaners that find and remove free radicals — that’s why the word “antioxidant” seems to show up everywhere now. These substances are in hot demand as our environments become more toxic because of pollution and the increasing power of the sun’s UV rays, making free radicals more abundant and the need for antioxidants more apparent.
Antioxidants in Skincare
Do antioxidants also play a role in our skin’s health? Absolutely. Many skincare products are infused with antioxidants to offer skin health-boosting properties. Antioxidants have an incredible impact on our skin because free radicals can also affect our skin.
Aging
By removing the free radicals from our skin, antioxidants can help to reduce many of the signs of aging, like wrinkles or fine lines, and uneven skin tone, and a dull complexion.
Skin Tone and Complexion
If you struggle with dark spots or an otherwise uneven skin tone, antioxidants are the perfect remedy. These substances help to prevent and reduce damage and any appearance of uneven skin pigmentation.
Protection
Another essential quality that some antioxidants like green tea extract and vitamin B3 offer is the ability to better protect your skin from harmful environmental agents and internal damage. The plant polyphenols in green tea extract improve your skin’s immunity, leading to fewer breakouts. Vitamin B3 does a great job of strengthening your skin’s barrier against damaging agents like pollution.
If your skincare routine is lacking in antioxidants, start with an option like vitamin C or green tea extract to give your skin the incredible benefits that antioxidants can offer.