Sunlight, environmental pollution, cigarette smoke, solvents and pesticides all wreak daily havoc on the skin at the cellular level. This process is called oxidation and explaining it will likely induce flashbacks of that high school chemistry class that bored you to death, but it’s a lesson worth learning.  At its very essence, the problem is this: atoms are composed of protons, neutrons and electrons, which always occur in pairs. When oxygen molecules are involved in various chemical reactions that naturally occur every day, they lose an electron, creating an imbalanced atom with a single electron.  That atom, now known as a free radical, is on a quest to find another electron to steal in order to stabilize itself.  Its victims are surrounding atoms, from whom they “borrow” an electron, creating another newly destabilized cell.  This new free radical cell must then steal yet another electron in order to fortify itself, and on and on…this dangerous chain reaction causes the cells to go into shock, a sort of frenzy designed to repair themselves.  That frenzy is known as free radical damage and it has been scientifically proven to be a major cause of fine lines, wrinkles and skin discoloration.

This rampage continues, destroying collagen, breaking down cell walls and impairing normal cell function until the free radicals are neutralized.  Damage is instantaneous and often irreversible, so it’s crucial to stabilize free radicals quickly and efficiently.  That’s where antioxidants come into play.  Antioxidants are substances which slow the skin’s natural oxidation process by neutralizing free radicals.  By intercepting and effectively neutralizing free radicals,  these single-electron destroyers are never allowed the opportunity to negatively impact the skin.  Antioxidants are both produced naturally by the body and consumed in the course of your normal diet, but recent studies suggest that topical application of antioxidants also plays a vital role in cancelling out free radicals.

Your personal anti-aging battle plan should include eating a diet rich in antioxidants, religiously applying sunscreen, minimizing sun exposure and supplementing your body’s natural antioxidant production with topical products. The next step is to understand how to identify beauty and skin care products which abound in antioxidants. Some antioxidants are independently listed on product ingredient labels, making them easy to identify if you know how to identify them, while others may be “hidden” and not quite as obvious. For instance, you will likely see vitamin E listed on a product label, and that’s certainly an antioxidant.  However, you’d be far less likely to see “polyphenols” listed on a label; therefore, it’s important to know that coffee and green teas are both rich in polyphenol antioxidants.  The United States FDA regulates the methodology for product labeling for all cosmetics distributed in America and their system does not provide for the specific inclusion of antioxidants unless they are added independently, so it’s takes a bit of sleuthing to discern where those antioxidant pots of gold can be found.  Armed with a bit of knowledge, you can easily raise your awareness, increasing your ability to choose products which abound in natural antioxidants.  We encourage you to read this Bella Luccè article for information on understanding product labels.

Common Antioxidants

Beta Carotene: may be listed independently, but also found in products containing carrots, pumpkin and papaya
Find it in: Warming Pumpkin Face Masque, Pumpkin Glow Sugar Scrub, Face Firming Serum

Vitamins A: rarely listed independently, but also found in products containing shea butter
Find it in: Vanilla Coconut Whipped Shea, Body Butter, Silk & Honey Lotion, Peruvian Chocolate Bliss Crème, Cooling Peppermint Foot Crème

Vitamin C: rarely listed independently, but also found in strawberries, oranges, pineapples and papayas
Find it in: Wildberry Body Polish, Strawberries & Cream Masque, Manuka Honey Drizzle

Vitamin E: often listed independently on product labels, but also found in products containing shea butter and coconut oil
Find it in: Multifruit Regenerative Face Crème, Moisturizing Body Wash, Cooling Peppermint Foot Crème, Face Firming Serum

Alpha Lipoic Acid: most often listed independently
Find it in: Face Firming Serum
 
Resveratrol: rarely listed independently, usually found products containing grapes and wine
Find it in:

Polyphenols: rarely listed independently, usually found in products containing coffee, chocolate, green or white tea
Find it in: Sea Kelp & Green Tea Masque, Green Tea & Crushed Rice Sugar Scrub, Bali Kopi Coffee Scrub, Citrus Twist Makeup Remover, Peruvian Chocolate Sugar Scrub, Peruvian Chocolate Renewing Masque, Peruvian Chocolate Bliss Crème

Flavonoids: rarely listed independently, usually found in products containing chocolate and papaya
Find it in: Peruvian Chocolate Sugar Scrub, Peruvian Chocolate Bliss Crème, Chocolate Silk Bath Bubbles, Peruvian Chocolate Renewing Masque

Tips for choosing products rich in powerful antioxidants:

• Every little bit helps; but, for maximum antioxidant benefit, choose “leave-on” products (lotions, creams, etc.)  or products that are left on for at least some period of time (i.e. face and body masks) rather than “wash-off” products (body washes, scrubs, etc.).
  
  
• By law, ingredients are always listed in descending order on all personal care products. That means the ingredients you see at the top or near the middle of the list are present in denser concentrations than those at the bottom. Choose products which list the antioxidants higher up on their ingredient list for best results.
  
  
• It’s also critically important to consume foods each day which are rich in antioxidants, including: red, pinto and black beans, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, artichokes, carrots, squash, broccoli, apples, pecans, plums, russet potatoes, strawberries, spinach, bell peppers, salmon and, lest we forget…CHOCOLATE!