Thursday, July 05, 2007
The Skin - Anti-Oxidants
Antioxidants are an essential element to a state-of-the-art moisturizer. A growing body of research continues to show that antioxidants are a potential panacea for skin's ills and ignoring this while shopping for moisturizers is shortchanging your skin. What makes antioxidants so intriguing is that they seem to have the ability to reduce or prevent some amount of the oxidative damage that destroys and depletes the skin's function and structure, while also preventing some amount of solar degeneration of skin (Sources: Cosmetic Dermatology, December 2001, pages 37-40; Current Problems in Dermatology, 2001, Volume 29, pages 26-42; Dermatologic Surgery, "The Antioxidant Network of the Stratum Corneum"; July 31, 2005, pages 814-817; and Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, February 23, 2005, pages 287-295).
The most common antioxidants used in skin-care products include alpha lipoic acid, beta-glucan, coenzyme Q10, curcumin, grape seed extract, green tea, soybean sterols, superoxide dismutase, vitamin A (retinyl palmitate and retinol), vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate and magnesium ascorbyl palmitate), vitamin E (alpha tocopherol, tocotrienol), and extracts from lemon and rosemary. A key point to keep in mind while considering a moisturizer with antioxidants is packaging.
Although antioxidants have great ability to intercept and mitigate free-radical damage, their main irony is that they deteriorate when repeatedly exposed to air (oxygen) and sunlight. Therefore, an antioxidant-laden moisturizer packaged in a jar or clear (instead of opaque) container will likely lose its antioxidant benefit within weeks (or days, depending on the formula) after it is opened. Look for moisturizers with antioxidants that are packaged in opaque tubes or bottles and be sure the orifice (where the product is dispensed from) is small to minimize exposing the product to air.
Source
The most common antioxidants used in skin-care products include alpha lipoic acid, beta-glucan, coenzyme Q10, curcumin, grape seed extract, green tea, soybean sterols, superoxide dismutase, vitamin A (retinyl palmitate and retinol), vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate and magnesium ascorbyl palmitate), vitamin E (alpha tocopherol, tocotrienol), and extracts from lemon and rosemary. A key point to keep in mind while considering a moisturizer with antioxidants is packaging.
Although antioxidants have great ability to intercept and mitigate free-radical damage, their main irony is that they deteriorate when repeatedly exposed to air (oxygen) and sunlight. Therefore, an antioxidant-laden moisturizer packaged in a jar or clear (instead of opaque) container will likely lose its antioxidant benefit within weeks (or days, depending on the formula) after it is opened. Look for moisturizers with antioxidants that are packaged in opaque tubes or bottles and be sure the orifice (where the product is dispensed from) is small to minimize exposing the product to air.
Source
Labels: Anti-oxidant, skincare
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