Antioxidants & Your Skin Health — "The More The Better," Say Derms

If you're reading this, I'm going to wager that you're using an antioxidant in your skin care routine. You may not even realize it's there, but tucked away in one of your face creams, cleansers, serums, or even makeup formulas is an ingredient with antioxidant properties—placed there by a cosmetic chemist who knew your skin would be craving it. 

Antioxidants are widely used in skin care—and they should be. These free-radical-fighting powerhouses do wonders for the skin. And even if beauty folk are constantly praising their usage, we rarely get into the nitty-gritty of what they're actually doing in the skin.

An antioxidant is a molecule that inhibits the chemical reaction of oxidation—hence the name, "anti" "oxidant." Oxidation can cause organic matter, like our bodies, to break down. Essentially: Oxidation is our body rusting. 

Antioxidants stop this process by scavenging for and neutralizing free radicals in the body. "Free radicals are harmful unstable molecules that can damage your cells or DNA," says board-certified dermatologist Zenovia Gabriel, M.D., FAAD. Free radicals are called "unstable" because they are missing an electron. This is a problem because atoms don't like to have uneven electrons, and when they are unbalanced they wreak havoc. 

One way they wreak havoc is they take electrons from healthy cells. Those healthy cells are then turned into, you guessed it, free radicals. The cycle continues. 

The cycle, of course, has to start somewhere. The thing is, our body naturally creates free radicals as a byproduct of cell metabolism1. So free radicals are created inherently in the body. But more alarmingly, they also come from external aggressors like UV exposure, smoking, pollution, inflammation, and so on. 

This is notable because free radicals change the body—and, notably for this article, the skin. "Free radicals lead to changes in the cell that are recognized as signs of aging: decreased collagen and elastin, increased pore size, increased textural changes and changes in pigmentation," says Morgan Rabach, M.D., board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of LM Medical NYC.

So when you apply antioxidants, they stabilize free radicals by donating an electron. Or they might make free radicals harmless by breaking them down. And what's even more impressive is that antioxidants don't turn into free radicals themselves after giving away an electron. 

Perhaps the most famous synergistic antioxidant duo in skin care, vitamins C and E are vital for the formation of healthy skin. Not only do they neutralize free radicals, but they're vital for collagen and elastin production. Vitamin C plays a role in the collagen synthesis process, and vitamin E can help stop collagen cross-linking (a process by which collagen becomes stiff and brittle) and is the most prevalent fat-soluble vitamin in the skin2. 

Niacinamide (also called nicotinamide) is a B vitamin, more specifically vitamin B5. This buzzy antioxidant has several key differentiators. First up, it can help increase the production of ceramides and fatty acids, two key parts of the skin's barrier.

Polyphenols are antioxidants found in things such as green tea7 as well as certain fruits, vegetables, and other botanicals. There are thousands of polyphenols, but they also contain a handful of similar antioxidant behaviors. 

Along with antioxidant properties that defend against oxidative stress, polyphenols also contain anti-inflammatory properties8 that help reduce signs of sensitive skin, like redness or irritation. 

A vastly underrated antioxidant, CoQ10 is naturally found in all living cells. It is a fat-soluble compound that's found in all your cells that has strong antioxidant properties. What's more, research shows it protects against lipid peroxidation12, a process by which free radicals damage cell membranes leading to a weakened barrier function. 

When applied to the skin, panthenol is converted to vitamin B5. It's a very common skin care ingredient because it plays well with other ingredients, is fairly stable, and has notable skin benefits.