The Best Topical Antioxidants For Pre- & Post-Sun Care

The best way to deal with sun damage is to not get it in the first place. And to avoid UV damage, we encourage folks to practice smart sun care—which not only involves wearing sunscreen (peep our favorites here) but also utilizing accessories and avoiding peak hours when possible. Because, ultimately, sunshine is vital to our overall health, so it's important we figure out how to enjoy it responsibly. 

One way to bolster your sun protection is to utilize antioxidants that can curb UV-induced free radicals, which ultimately means less collagen degradation, pigmentation issues, and cell damage. 

"While it is not classified as SPF, it does increase the skin's resistance to the sun by a little bit and is an excellent choice as a base layer before sunscreen," board-certified dermatologist Rebecca Marcus, M.D., says about repairing skin from sun damage. Using antioxidant-rich topicals post-sun, too, can help counteract and repair photoaging.

Safflower seed oil is a botanical oil rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants, including a very special flavonoid called acacetin. A 2020 study found that safflower seed oil and this compound can reduce damage caused by UVB exposure, specifically stopping damage to collagen. 

This is a classic skin care combo for a reason. Not only do they provide excellent free radical protection, but they're also vital parts of the collagen synthesis process1.

Vitamin C has the ability to "turn on" your body's collagen production abilities through the fibroblasts, and vitamin E helps C by recharging it. (They're synergistic vitamins that work together to become more effective.)

Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant your body makes naturally. However, with age it makes less and less of it.

It's a very important antioxidant because it has several functions in the body. In fact, your cells need CoQ10 to produce energy3, as it's used in the mitochondria, or the "powerhouse" of the cell.

Like other antioxidants, it neutralizes free radicals—but it also protects against lipid peroxidation4, a process by which free radicals damage skin cell membranes.