Everyone seems to be talking about antioxidants these days. From nutritionists singing the praises of antioxidant-rich foods to skin care experts advocating for products containing ingredients like Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and pracaxi oil, these powerful compounds are having a moment. And for good reason. Antioxidants play a crucial role in combating the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals that lead to premature skin aging. Consider them your first line of defense against the environmental stressors that cause lines, wrinkles, and uneven texture over time. (1) But what exactly are antioxidants and what do antioxidants do for skin? Read on to find out.
01
What Are antioxidants?
Before we dive into what antioxidants are, you should understand how they interact with free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that are missing an electron. This makes them reactive, causing them to steal electrons from stable molecules in the body. When a free radical takes an electron from another molecule, it damages and destabilizes that molecule turning it into another free radical. This starts a chain reaction that perpetuates more free radical formation and damage โ a process called oxidation. Antioxidants help stop this oxidation process by donating one of their own electrons, allowing the free radicals to stabilize without causing more damage. Antioxidants are quite literally anti-oxidants because they stop free radicals from oxidizing.
02
Why Does the Body Need Antioxidants?
The body is constantly bombarded with free radicals and ROSs from both internal and external sources. Internally, ROS are an unavoidable byproduct of the metabolic processes that keep you alive. But you also face external exposure from things like radiation, air pollution, and industrial chemicals, and other stressors. (2) Some level of free radicals is normal, however an excess can be extremely harmful to your health. In fact, theyโre known to be fundamental contributors to several degenerative diseases including cancer, diabetes, and dementia since they wreak havoc on DNA. (3) The oxidative damage caused by free radicals leads to genomic instability and epigenetic changes โ two of the primary hallmarks of aging itself. (4) Itโs this oxidative stress and cellular degeneration that determine how fast you age.
03
What Do Antioxidants Do For Skin?
Antioxidants are critical to maintaining the health of several vital organs, and your skin is no exception. One of their key functions is neutralizing the free radicals generated when skin is exposed to UV radiation, especially the sunโs deeply penetrating UVA rays which can lead to sun damaged skin. The oxidative stress caused by these free radicals breaks down essential structural proteins like collagen. And when collagen becomes degraded, it creates a weakened skin barrier, which results in subsequent sagging, wrinkles and fine lines. Antioxidants help prevent this cascade of skin damage by neutralizing the UV-induced free radicals before they can oxidize and degrade collagen. (5)
Do antioxidants help improve acne?
Oxidative stress and inflammation caused by oxidized molecules can trigger or exacerbate acne. Not only that, sebum produced by the oil glands can also get oxidized by free radicals, modifying its viscosity and composition in such a way that it begins to block pores, leading to blackheads and acne. (6) Since antioxidants are able to prevent post-oxidative inflammation and sebum oxidation, they can help get acne-prone skin under control and reduce future breakouts.
Do antioxidants exfoliate?
Antioxidants increase cellular turnover from the inside out, making them a gentle, natural way to exfoliate skin. In contrast to methods like scrubs and brushes that slough off surface cells through abrasion, antioxidants facilitate the shedding of older skin cells below the surface. (7) This results in smoother, more radiant skin without the irritation and micro-tearing caused by harsh physical exfoliation. Many dermatologists recommend using antioxidant-rich products for this very reason as they provide continuous, gentle exfoliation by fostering faster cell turnover.
04
Whatโs More Effective For Skin Health: Consuming Antioxidants or Applying Them Topically?
When it comes to healthy skin, the best plan is a comprehensive one. That means eating a variety of antioxidant-rich foods and using skin care products formulated with powerful antioxidants, like OneSkinโs line of topical supplements. Used together, this approach can help protect against environmental stressors while boosting repair and rejuvenation on the cellular level.ย
05
Which Antioxidants Do OneSkinโs Products Contain?
OneSkin's products are designed with potent antioxidants that work synergistically with the OS-01 peptide. For example, OS-01 FACE contains antioxidant superstars like pracaxi oil, niacinamide and oleic pau mulato extract, while OS-01 BODY features sulforaphane and geneisten antioxidants. Even PREP gets a boost of antioxidant power from breu branco and Japanese honeysuckle extract.Since antioxidants neutralize UV-induced free radicals, itโs no surprise that OneSkinโs broad-spectrum sunscreen OS-01 SHIELD is formulated with levels proven to outperform common vitamin C serums and leading โanti-agingโ sunscreens when it comes to neutralizing skin-damaging free radicals. (08)
Levels of free radical scavenging were measured for common vitamin C serums and OS-01 FACE SPF (OS-01 SHIELD) using a DPPH assay.
Utilizing a chemical probe with a stable radical that changes colors when that radical is scavenged, levels of free radical scavenging were measured for various leading SPFs and OS-01 FACE SPF (OS-01 SHIELD).
The perfect companion to OS-01 SHIELD isย OS-01 BODY SPF, the first longevity-focused sunscreen for the body. Powered by the OS-01 Senescence Blocking Peptide โข it not only contains non-nano zinc oxide which is safer for skin and the planet, it features an antioxidant capacity that surpasses many of the "anti-aging" sunscreen formulas currently on the market.
Antioxidant capacity of OS-01 BODY SPF and commonly used โanti-agingโ body SPFs with antioxidants were measured using a DPPH assay. Measured four separate times.
Key Takeaways:
- Antioxidants are quite literally, anti-oxidants; theyโre a family of molecules with the property to inhibit oxidation caused by environmental stressors.
- Free radicals induce unwanted oxidation that leads to genomic instability, and epigenetic alterations - two hallmarks of aging. Antioxidants inhibit this oxidation and thus, slow aging.
- Antioxidants improve skin health, acne and are a better way to exfoliate, further combating uneven skin tone and texture.
- Consuming antioxidant-rich foods and applying antioxidants topically is a comprehensive approach for promoting skin health.
- The antioxidants and OS-01 peptide in OneSkinโs products work together to prevent and repair skin damage.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5514576/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3249911/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7619452/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3836174/
- https://www.curel.com/en-us/skin-health/skin-science/free-radical-damage-prevention/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4756869/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6439348/
- Based on data from clinical studies and/or lab studies conducted on human skin samples, models, and cells in the OneSkin lab. Explore more at oneskin.co/claims
