6 Antioxidants in Skin Care

Skin care is designed to help us look and feel our best – and since the skin is our body’s largest organ, sometimes it certainly needs the help. Some of the most popular skin care products aim to improve skin tone, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and do away with sun damage. Did you know that antioxidants can help solve these problems, without the help of toxic chemicals?

More often than not, so-called miracle products will rely on synthetic ingredients and chemicals that come with harmful side effects. Imagine using an eye cream with the hopes of brightening your dark circles, only to have it give you an unsightly rash instead. That’s why at Puristry, we infuse your skin with potent nutrients and organic components – our antioxidants come straight from the source!

What are antioxidants, and why do we rave about them so much? As you’re reading this right now, thousands of harmful molecules called free radicals are wreaking havoc on your cells. As long as you eat, breathe, and live on earth, free radical damage will be unavoidable. It results not only from exposure to pollution and smoke, but also the food you eat and the sun that shines overhead.

While you might not be able to see skin cell damage happening right away, oxidative stress will slowly and steadily cause a number of issues. Free radicals do a number to your collagen stores (which are already depleting as you age), making them a direct cause of sagging, crepey skin.

UV damage is also another big source of free radicals, directly contributing to premature skin aging, dark spots, and skin cancer. Unfortunately, free radical damage is a natural biological process that will continue to occur as time goes on.

There is, however, a natural way to help combat the endless onslaught of environmental stressors on your skin: antioxidants. Your body naturally produces antioxidants to directly neutralize and eliminate free radicals.

Plants in particular are antioxidant powerhouses, because they rely so heavily on the sun. In order to keep themselves strong and flourishing against harsh sun and environmental toxins, plants produce all the nutrients and antioxidants they need to survive and thrive.

When included in your skin care routine, antioxidants can also help nourish and repair your skin, as well as prevent further damage. For example, vitamin C promotes firmer, brighter skin and fights dark spots, while vitamin A boosts your skin cell turnover for a more supple, radiant complexion. For this reason, antioxidants are one of the most sought after components in skin care.

Now that you’re more familiar with the benefits of antioxidants (and why they’re so essential to your routine), you’ll naturally be looking for skin care that effectively fights free radicals. Here are a few antioxidant-rich ingredients to seek out when you’re hunting for your next skin care favorites:

Grape Seed Extract
Grape seed extract is a rich source of vitamin E, an antioxidant with potent skin benefits for treating damaged, irritated, and dry skin. It also contains another powerful antioxidant named resveratrol (found in red wine grapes) that boosts collagen synthesis for firmer skin. We made sure to include it in our antioxidant serum, moisturizer, and eye cream.

Acerola
The acerola cherry is one of the highest known sources of vitamin C, a vitamin that promotes brighter skin and collagen production while diminishing dark spots. These variety of benefits make it arguably one of the most potent antioxidants of the bunch, securing it a spot in our anti-aging Vine Therapy Serum.

Rosehip
Rosehip is particularly high in vitamin A, an antioxidant that stimulates healthy skin cell production for smoother, more toned skin. It’s also rich in omega fatty acids and acts as an effective moisturizer, making the Restorative Facial Oil a particularly nourishing and pampering product to enjoy.

Green Tea
Green tea and green tea extract are loaded with EGCG, an antioxidant that had received immense popular attention due to its anticancer potential. EGCG keeps your skin youthful and radiant by tackling free radicals and reducing inflammation. We included this free radical scavenger in both our cleanser and face oil aso you can regularly reap the benefits of this powerful antioxidant.

Pomegranate
Pomegranate is rich in polyphenols, which combat sun damage and help restore your natural youthful complexion. We made sure to pack this juicy antioxidant into our Restorative Face Oil to help stimulate collagen production and promote firmer, more toned skin.

Sea Buckthorn
Sea buckthorn is filled with over fifty phytonutrients that promote a rejuvenated complexion, and also contains high vitamin C and E content. With its ability to help minimize fine lines and dull skin, sea buckthorn fully deserves its spot as the hero ingredient in our Seaberry Moisturizer.

Antioxidants not only help defend you against environmental stressors and revitalize your skin, but are also more beneficial to your skin than the synthetic ingredients that you might find in your standard skin care products.

We’ve talked about fillers in skin care before, and how these chemicals often do more harm than good to your precious skin. Ingredients like parabens, BHA, and BHT may help preserve your product longer, but they do little to help preserve the health of your skin. Researchers have actually found parabens in breast cancer tissue, drawing a startling connection between parabens and cancer. Still, parabens can be found in many self care products and even in our food.

“Fragrance” is another common ingredient that masks what it actually is: a cocktail of toxins with correlations to diabetes, obesity, and cancer. All the more reason to search for safer alternatives in nature, which is why skin beneficial antioxidants come in strong as skin care heroes.