antioxidants Flashcards
What are the benefits of green tea in a product?
Green tea is a potent antioxidant, whether consumed orally or applied topically. The key compound in green tea that provides antioxidant protection is epigallocatechin-3 gallate (EGCG). Current research indicates that EGCG extract, applied topically can prevent collagen breakdown and reduce UV damage to the skin, which is a very good reason to use skin-care products that contain one or more forms of tea! Green tea is also very good at reducing inflammation. Look for green tea in moisturizers and in products for rosacea.
What is Retinol?
Retinol, the term for the entire vitamin A molecule, has a long-established reputation as a brilliant ingredient for skin. It is a cell-communicating ingredient and an antioxidant, and provides multiple benefits when used on a regular basis. n skin-care products, it’s found in the form of retinol, retinyl palmitate, and retinylaldehyde. In prescription-only skin-care products, it is in the form of retinoic acid (also called tretinoin); other prescription topical retinoids include adapalene (Differin) and tazarotene (Tazorac).
what are the benefits of adding retinol in products?
Although it is not the only ingredient to look for in an anti-aging product, it deserves strong consideration by anyone who wants to keep their skin younger and healthier over the years. An added benefit is that retinol also has been shown to reduce breakouts, brown spots, and red marks from past breakouts. Retinol helps skin create better, healthier skin cells and increase the production of skin-support substances such as ceramides. Retinol has been shown to increase the skin’s collagen production and glycosaminoglycan content (an important skin-protecting substance found in young skin), resulting in firmer skin with an improved texture and enhanced barrier function. If you want firmer skin—Use retinol! Retinol is found in all types of products, from moisturizers to serums to body treatments and many others.
Tip: New research shows that retinol is helpful for those with rosacea because it works against the inflammation that causes the persistent redness.
what is Resveratrol?
Resveratrol is a potent polyphenolic (abdundant micronutrient) antioxidant that’s found in red grapes, red wine, nuts, and fruits such as blueberries and cranberries.
what are the benefits of reveratrol in a product?
Resveratrol has incredible protective benefits for the skin. When applied topically, it protects against sun damage, improves collagen production, and reduces cell damage. It is a stable, potent antioxidant worth seeking out in a skin-care product. It also has significant anti-inflammatory properties—and inflammation is a major behind-the-scenes culprit of multiple skin issues, from acne to rosacea to eczema. In addition, studies have shown that resveratrol inhibits tumor development. Look for resveratrol in moisturizers and anti-aging makeup.
what is vitamin E?
Vitamin E (often listed as tocopherol or tocotrienols), one of the most well-known antioxidants, is a fat-soluble vitamin available in both natural and synthetic forms. Research shows that both forms provide significant antioxidant benefits to skin, but that the natural forms are more potent and have a higher retention rate (meaning they are absorbed better by skin) than their synthetic counterparts.
what are the benefits of adding vitamin e to products?
Vitamin E works in several different ways to protect cell membranes from oxidative damage and from the early stages of ultraviolet light damage. It also works in powerful synergy with vitamin C; that is, a serum or treatment that contains both vitamins C and E can be doubly beneficial. Look for Vitamin E in serums and moisturizers.
what is vitamin c?
Vitamin C (listed as ascorbic acid, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, among others) is a potent antioxidant that works particularly well for treating wrinkles, dullness, and brown spots. This well-researched water-soluble vitamin is considered an anti-aging superstar.
what do you have to look out for when this ingredient is present in a product?
Note that vitamin C, like any antioxidant, must be packaged to protect it from excess exposure to light and air. Although ascorbic acid and L-ascorbic acid are the forms most prone to breaking down with repeated exposure to light and air, even the stabilized forms of vitamin C don’t remain as potent if they are not packaged to minimize or eliminate their exposure to light and air. Avoid any vitamin C product packaged in a jar, unless what’s inside the jar are individually sealed, single-use capsules.
what does vitamin c do for the skin?
When applied topically, vitamin C has been proven to increase collagen production (including dermal collagen, which is significant in the fight against wrinkles). There is also research showing that vitamin C reduces skin discolorations, strengthens the skin’s barrier response, enhances skin’s repair process, reduces inflammation, and helps skin better withstand exposure to sunlight, whether protected by sunscreen or not. How cool is that?! Amounts from 0.5% to 20% have shown impressive efficacy. Vitamin C is found in all sorts of products, from lip balms to eye creams, but you’ll get the most out of this antioxidant in targeted treatment products and skin-brightening serums.
how do antioxidants work?
Oxidation occurs throughout nature. In the case of our skin, it is largely caused by the creation of free radicals at the cellular level when skin is exposed to ultraviolet light. Antioxidants are touted to reduce oxidative stress by neutralizing free radicals‘unstable atoms that have an unpaired electron in their outermost shell, almost like a knife without a sheath. The antioxidants act to sheathe the knife, binding with the unstable electron and stopping it from attacking collagen strands and other cells of the skin’s architecture.
benefits of q-10?
Theoretically speaking, CoQ10 (in a skin cream, for example) can be helpful. In most people over thirty, levels of CoQ10 in the skin are below optimum, resulting in lesser ability to produce collagen, elastin and other important skin molecules. Besides, CoQ10-depleted skin may be more prone to the damage by free radicals, which are particularly abundant in the skin since it is exposed to the elements. Thus, CoQ10 may boost skin repair and regeneration and reduce free radical damage. Furthermore, CoQ10 is a small molecule that can relatively easily penetrate into skin cells.
