understanding skincare ingredients: antioxidants

The word ‘antioxidants’ is often highlighted on skincare products, but how many of us actually know what these holy grail ingredients do for our skin’s overall health?

There are so many different ingredients to keep up with that it can become overwhelming and challenging to navigate skincare, we get it. That's why we're here to explain exactly what antioxidants can do for your skin and, how you can add them to your daily skincare routine.

First, let’s talk free radicals. Free radicals are unstable atoms that take electrons from other atoms to become more stable. This process causes oxidative stress, which then causes damage to the body’s cells, leading to the risk of diseases and aging in our bodies, and on our skin.

Don’t fret—this is where antioxidants play a significant role in helping your body fight off free radicals. By neutralizing free radicals and offsetting daily aggressors like exposure to UV rays, pollution, smoking, alcohol consumption (and much more), antioxidants can reduce damage to cells and allow the skin to repair itself.

Now that we’ve covered the why, let’s talk about how you can incorporate antioxidants in your skincare regimen.

Look for antioxidants that are backed by research and are proven to work. Here’s a list of our favourites:

Vitamin A (Retinol or retinoic acid) 

Vitamin A is a  powerhouse ingredient found in anti-aging products. It’s proven to turn back time! Retinol can penetrate deep into the skin, where it stimulates collagen production and accelerates cellular turnover.

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid)

The most commonly used and well-studied—Vitamin C. Dark spots, hyperpigmentation, rough texture, aging skin, you name the skin concern and it’ll come to your defence!

Vitamin E (Tocopheryl acetate and tocopherol)

Suffering from dry or sensitive skin? Look for Vitamin E in your skincare products. Apart from its moisturizing properties, it is also soothing, anti-inflammatory, treats uneven skin tone, improves texture and brightens skin.

Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide)

Vitamin B3 has superpowers.  It is a powerful ingredient used to treat acne-prone and rosacea-prone skin. While preventing water loss and protecting the skin’s barrier, niacinamide also treats fine lines, uneven skin tone and texture.

Green Tea (Extract)

Green Tea has so many benefits for your health, and this includes your skin! It can be consumed and/or applied topically daily to help improve the skin’s natural defence to prevent aging by repairing DNA damage.

Resveratrol

Revesratrol helps renew skin and improve the appearance of hyperpigmentation, fine lines, rough texture and uneven skin tone. It is a powerhouse anti-aging antioxidant that, when taken in supplement form, also helps manage symptoms of some chronic illnesses, joint pain, blood pressure, and much more.

Curcumin

Turmeric is a popular spice known to treat skin conditions like acne, but what exactly in this spice is the real cure? It contains an antioxidant ingredient called curcumin, which is anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and helps speed up wound healing and clear up scars.

If you’re just starting to dabble in the skincare world, try to remind yourself that seeing positive changes in your skin requires patience and maintenance. Avoid overdoing it to get quick results and don’t give up after a month of not seeing the results you were looking for. The fact that you’re using these ingredients in your skincare routine at all is setting your skin’s health up for a positive change!

The key is to build your tolerance with antioxidants. Use them 2-3 times a week and keep your skin extra moisturized to prevent any irritation. Once your skin gets used to the ingredients, you can eventually start using them every day.

Tip: Start by using a cleanser that is packed with antioxidants to build up your tolerance. Be sure to give yourself a good massage for 1-2 minutes to really absorb the ingredients before washing it off.

While antioxidants do protect your skin from free radicals, they are nothing without SPF! An SPF like the IMAGE Prevention+ Moisturizer SPF (our favourite), contains a blend of antioxidants that help protect and repair your skin.