3 Skin Care Nutrients That Will Slow Down The Skin Aging Process According To Research

I've been writing a few weekly sends of our longevity- and health-focused newsletter, The Long Game. Not only have I found it profoundly helpful for my own health and happiness (seriously, it's full of actionable advice on nutrition, movement, mental health, and more), but I love seeing what the audience resonates with.

Given it's a longevity newsletter, I suppose it should come as no surprise that slowing down the biological aging clock is often a hot topic. From specific nutrients to workouts, folks are eager to learn about how they can prolong their health span. 

This got me thinking about skin longevity, a beauty concept we talk about quite a bit. As a basic summary, skin longevity is approaching skin care through the lens of regenerative research—taking the lessons accumulated from the longevity space and applying them to skin care practices.

Ideally, these teachings can enhance not only one's life span and healthspan but also one's skinspan.

Most skin care enthusiasts know the importance of antioxidants for skin health. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, reduce inflammation, and prevent damage—all of which can help skin of any age. However, research shows that certain antioxidants provide additional longevity benefits. 

Such is the case of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). The coenzyme is a fat-soluble compound that is naturally produced by the body and found in most of your cells, skin cells included. It has a few functions in the body, including its role as an antioxidant. But CoQ10 is distinct in the fact that it not only protects against free radical damage, but it also protects against lipid peroxidation1, a process by which free radicals damage cell membranes.

Even though it's a powerful antioxidant, that's perhaps not its most critical function for skin longevity. In fact, its other function is perhaps even more critical for youthful, thriving skin.

Cells need the coenzyme to produce energy2. Here's how: It's used in the mitochondria, or the "powerhouse" of the cell, where it transports electrons along energy-producing pathways.

The energy produced by these pathways is then used for normal cellular functions.

CoQ10 decreases with age—research notes this starts at around age 203 but then picks up significantly after 504. And with that loss, mitochondrial activity and energy formation2 decline as well.

Due to this loss, cells become less capable of doing the things that keep skin thriving—such as producing collagen, elastin, keratin, and more—so it will sag, appear dull, and show other signs of aging. Essentially: The rate at which skin ages increases. 

Recently, I spoke with internal medicine physician and longevity specialist Anant Vinjamoori, M.D., and I asked him what was the most valuable skin care nutrient we had available. His answer took me by surprise: glutathione.

"Glutathione is an antioxidant that our cells make to clean up oxidative damage. Oxidative damage underpins all of aging," he began. "All these hallmarks of aging that we talk about, at the root of all of it is this process: the gradual buildup of oxidative stress that has lots of far-ranging consequences."

Oxidative stress is kicked off with free radicals5. But this chain reaction of damage has to start somewhere. And in fact, it often starts in our own bodies as part of the natural metabolic process. So, to help buffer against these free radicals, the body also produces glutathione, which is the mechanism our bodies utilize to clean up the debris6 from oxidative stress. 

However, even with this built-in buffer, the skin can become overwhelmed with free radicals. "Sometimes there is just so much damage that our own native systems are overwhelmed," he says, noting that is particularly relevant for the skin because it's an organ that's bombarded with a lot of oxidative stress. 

"One of the systems that experiences some of the most damage is the skin," he says. "Between UV light or being mechanically stressed, there's a lot of things happening to our skin every day.

"Fortunately, it turns over very quickly, but even then, sometimes there can be so much damage that we can't compensate." 

Therefore, supplementing with additional glutathione can help. Research shows that glutathione can help control the oxidative processes, as well as remove toxins from the body6.

Another study suggests that glutathione helps "fine-tune" our immune response7, helping the body to respond effectively when needed without kicking into unhelpful overdrive.

And because of its interactions with the immune system8, healthy levels of glutathione contribute to the body's overall balance, or homeostasis, supporting an overall environment that's favorable for maintaining long-term health.

ATP is your body's energy currency produced by the mitochondria, which is then transferred throughout the body, fueling various metabolic processes. 

Skin cells require a constant supply of ATP to fuel a variety of functions9, the most important of which is skin regeneration itself. The skin is what's known as a "high turnover organ." This means that the cells turn over at a quicker rate than other organs of the body. This makes sense, given the skin is a barrier and is exposed to many external stressors daily. 

In youth, skin cell turnover is very rapid. Research indicates that epidermal renewal takes place about every 20 days10 for folks aged about 20. But for older folks, this renewal time triples, with epidermal renewal taking up to 60 days11 later in life. 

ATP is involved in so much more than just skin cell turnover, however. For example, ATP is used by fibroblasts12 to create collagen and elastin, the skin's structural proteins that keep the dermis both firm and flexible.

It's also used to produce proteins, lipids, and other molecules that make up the skin barrier and maintain hydration. And ATP plays a role in skin protection13 by fueling both the inflammatory and antioxidant response.

When mitochondria health weakens and energy production slows, our body isn't able to produce as many of the things that keep our skin looking vibrant, such as collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid.

It's also not as capable of healing itself, regenerating the skin barrier, or protecting itself from external aggressors. 

Finally, it also means slower skin cell turnover as with age. (Among many other issues, I might add, but this article is specifically about mitochondria's role in skin health, so that's what I'm keeping it to.)