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- What Are Antioxidants? A Guide
What Are Antioxidants and How Do They Improve Your Skin?
By Gabriella Buckner - 8 months ago | Updated
Even those of us that like to proclaim ourselves as skincare gurus (in the privacy of our own minds, of course, never out loud) probably, unless you’re actually an aesthetician or dermatologist, only vaguely know that antioxidants are great for dull, uneven skin and something called ‘free radical damage’.
So we’re here to clear the air and tell you just what antioxidants are, what they actually do for your skin and the best ones to use for the most fabulous of results.
What are antioxidants?
Let’s jump right in!
Antioxidants are loved in skincare for potent anti-ageing properties, as well as brightening and evening out dull, discoloured skin and improving blemishes.
Whether synthetically or naturally derived, antioxidants protect you from oxidative damage caused by free radicals and environmental aggressors, like UV rays and pollution.
How do antioxidants work?
Remember when we threw out the term ‘free radical damage’? Well, get ready for a quick science lesson (after which you totally can dub yourself a skincare guru). If you’d rather just get to the product recommendations, skip ahead to the next section.
Atoms with outer shells that are missing a few electrons may bond with other atoms to complete this outer shell, and become known as free radicals. They occur naturally in the body, but fried foods, cigarettes, alcohol and pollution can accelerate their production.
Generally an atom with a full outer shell would be considered stable, but not free radicals, which react quickly with other substances and can damage your body’s cells, causing them to break down over time and also become free radicals.
Whilst a certain level of free radicals are necessary for fighting off pathogens, when your body has too many free radicals it goes under oxidative stress. Numerous studies show that oxidative stress can result in everything from diseases (inflammatory disorders, vision decline, Parkinson’s) to premature ageing (wrinkles, grey hair), and our defences against free radicals only decline over time, meaning even more damage.
This is where antioxidants come to the rescue! They stabilise free radicals by donating electrons so the free radicals don’t take them from your healthy cells.
What do antioxidants do for your skin?
But what does all that electron bartering actually mean for your skin? You want tangible results, after all!
The most common benefits of antioxidants include:
- Reducing inflammation, wrinkles, pigmentation and DNA damage from UV light
- Improving hydration and the production of collagen and elastin for firmer skin
- Healing blemishes
- Preventing skin conditions like atopic dermatitis and acne
- Brightening and softening skin
Most common antioxidants in skincare and how to use them
Up your antioxidants by following a varied diet (they say the more colourful the better). Fruits and veggies are great for their antioxidant content, as well as beverages like green tea and spices like turmeric. You can also take supplements, though we always recommend speaking with your doctor before you start taking them.
And of course, you can get antioxidants through skincare!
1.Vitamin C
Pure vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, is one of the most effective antioxidants for improving signs of ageing, which it does by stimulating collagen production, smoothing texture and reducing the appearance of wrinkles, pores and pigmentation. Plus, its radiance-boosting benefits are insane!
We love to use vitamin C in serum or booster form in the morning, as it pairs perfectly with SPF to shield your skin from environmental aggressors throughout the day.
Read more about vitamin C in our ingredient guide, and check out some of our favourite vitamin C products below:
Medik8 C-Tetra Luxe
£59.00
The Ordinary Ascorbyl Glucoside Solution 12%
£15.04
Paula's Choice C15 Super Booster
£45.00 £52.17 (14% off)
PIXI Vitamin C Serum
£23.87 £26.50 (10% off)
Dr Botanicals Pomegranate Superfood Regenerating Sleeping Mask
£3.29 £11.99 (73% off)2. Vitamin E
Vitamin E not only protects your cells from free radical damage and reduces free radical production, but also enhances immune function and may even help prevent chronic conditions associated with free radicals.
When used in skincare, this fat-soluble vitamin moisturises the skin by attracting water and trapping it in the skin. It also protects skin from the ageing effects of free radicals and soothes inflammation.
We love to use it in the form of an oil, moisturiser or body lotion for dry skin, as well as in eye creams to target signs of ageing. Foods like olives and sunflower seeds also contain vitamin E, so keep an eye out for products with olive oil or sunflower oil as well. Pair vitamin E with vitamin C (or use a product that contains both), since vitamin C helps regenerate this molecule after it stabilises a free radical.
Read more about vitamin E in our ingredient glossary, and check out some of our favourite vitamin E skincare below:
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant
£16.33 £39.00 (59% off)
Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream
£13.60 £17.00 (20% off)
Pestle & Mortar Hydrate Moisturiser
£26.55
ELEMIS Superfood Night Cream
£33.95 £50.00 (33% off)
Zelens Body Defence Sunscreen SPF 30
£52.95 £55.00 (4% off)
Allies of Skin Peptides & Omegas Firming Eye Cream
£61.50 £82.00 (25% off)3. Retinoids
This category of vitamin A-based products are the gold-standard in anti-ageing skincare, and also improve uneven skin tone, pigmentation, texture and mild acne.
You can find vitamin A in food like spinach and eggs, as well as carrots, which contain beta-carotene that your body converts into vitamin A.
As a skincare ingredient, you’ll most commonly find retinol as a serum, but it also comes in the form of night creams, eye creams and masks. Retinol fades spots and uneven pigmentation, increases cell turnover for glowing skin and also reduces wrinkles by boosting collagen production.
It requires gradual integration into your routine since it can have irritating side effects, and also shouldn't be mixed with a range of ingredients (vitamin C and any alpha/beta/poly hydroxy acids), but with caution, patience and careful monitoring of how your skin reacts, the results are totally worth it!
Read more about this ingredient in our guide to vitamin A as well as our page on retinol, and shop some of our top retinol products:
Paula's Choice Clinical 1% Retinol Treatment
£56.52 £59.25 (5% off)
Medik8 Intelligent Retinol Smoothing Night Cream
£59.00
Dermalogica Dynamic Skin Retinol Serum
£71.20 £96.46 (27% off)
bareMinerals Ageless Phyto-Retinol Face Cream
£46.35 £58.00 (21% off)
Murad Dr.Zion Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Masks
£37.95 £42.00 (10% off)4. Green tea
Not only does it make a healthy drink (and a not-as-healthy Starbucks frappuccino), but green tea also has powerful antioxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
The super-concentrated extract is popular in anti-ageing and anti-acne products for how soothing and nourishing and sebum-balancing it is, but it’s also hydrating for dry complexions—meaning everyone can enjoy its benefits!
As a cuppa, supplement, cleanser, moisturiser, de-puffing eye cream—you name it, we love green tea. Its caffeine content is sure to give both your brain and skin a boost too.
Find out more about green tea in our guide, then fill your cart with some green tea goodies:
Allies of Skin Molecular Silk Amino Hydrating Cleanser
£28.50 £38.00 (25% off)
HydroPeptide Cleansing Gel
£42.00
Q+A Caffeine Eye Serum
£5.21 £7.48 (31% off)
Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream
£29.99 £39.00 (24% off)
PCA SKIN Vitamin B3 Brightening Serum
£103.00As a final word, we'd like to remind you to put on sunscreen! You should be doing this daily (yep, even when it's cloudy), but it's especially important when using antioxidants as some, like retinol, make the skin more susceptible to sun damage.
For additional skin protection, read up on our Anti-Pollution Skincare Tips as well as this year's Top Mineral Sunscreens. Or if you're prone to forgetting your sun protection, check out the Best Moisturisers with SPF to make life a little easier.
Written by Gabriella Buckner
Gabriella is a junior content writer with a background in creative writing, content marketing and journalism. She’s passionate about all things makeup and skincare, but especially vegan and cruelty-free beauty that is effective and inexpensive.
