Why antioxidant serums, you might ask? Well, want to do something for youthful skin!? First, use copious amounts of sunscreen every day. Second, use antioxidants in your skincare. The problem is: very likely you won’t even notice an effect. Let’s investigate in this installment of Skincare Basics: Antioxidants.
When it comes to anti-aging, before you’re putting all the heavy hitters like Retinol and various acid peels into your basket, you should maybe try something a bit less aggressive. Antioxidants might be a good option for you. And even all you skincare lovers around here: ARE there antioxidants in your skincare routine? Maybe it’s time to check.
Why our skin ages
80% of skin aging (wrinkles, loss of elasticity, hyperpigmentation) comes from UVA and is the best reason to tell everyone around you to wear sunscreen instead of buying Augustinus Bader and frolic around in the sun wearing SPF15.
There’re also chemical processes in our bodies that occur as we age: there’s increasingly less elastin and collagen in our skin. Both proteins are responsible for the elastic fibres that make our skin plum and supple. Sadly, our bodies produce less every year, and also starts to degrade the collagen and elastin in the skin’s layers. A rounded diet is important to counteract that: eat those fruit and veg!
Free radicals
But back to UVA rays: they especially destroy collagen, and also are the reason elastin degrades more quickly. ALSO a reason for that? Free radicals. Those are very reactive molecules that are produced in cells and oxidise sugars, lipids and proteins (and thus, collagen). Free radicals are produced by UVA (surprise!), smoking, and pollution. That process is called oxidative stress, and you’ll have heard about it in skincare PR many, many times. Skincare’s approach is using antioxidants topically to counteract oxidative stress.
There’s a ‘but’
Nevertheless, even bathing in antioxidants won’t, very likely, give you that ‘OMG have you been on a three week vacation?!’-effect. It’ll instead try to slow a natural process and to counteract environmental effects on your skin. Sadly, as we’re all just one person and don’t come with our own personal clone to use as a control group, we can’t really see if in twenty years, the diligent use of antioxidants had a visible significance.
What are antioxidants?
Here’re the most well-known:
- Vitamin C and its derivatives
- Vitamin A and its derivatives
- Ferulic Acid
- Resveratrol
- Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
- Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide)
- Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q)
- Beta Glucan
- Glutathione
- Superoxide Dismutase
- Green Tea extract (EGCG)
Which one is the best for you?
If you’re trawling through best-of lists of antioxidant serums, you’ll quickly realise that the internet tends to lump completely different product categories together: namely, retinol/vitamin c serums and antioxidant serums. True, both Vitamin A and C are great antioxidants – but more often used as hellishly potent active ingredients used to brightening/firming skin. In high percentages, both ingredients tend to be very irritating and not really a ‘mere’ antioxidant. That’s why I won’t cover them here. To reap their antioxidant benefits, look for their derivatives.
One for all and all for one
For my layman’s mind, a well-rounded mix is the way to go with antioxidants. From everything I’ve read, I can’t say that one is better than the other, but more is more, in this instance. Again, liken it to your daily intake of fruit and veg: Imagine you can’t stand broccoli, but broccoli might be great for preventing heart diseases (I’ve no idea, it’s just an example). In the long run that might not matter if you don’t like it, shrug your shoulders and eat your five a day without ever touching broccoli. It MIGHT matter, though, if you think all veg is terrible and go without touching them. Just like that, if your skin doesn’t like Vitamin C, try a nice mix of antioxidants that don’t include it or use a derivative.
Packaging is important
Antioxidants are finicky little buggers. If you want to reap their full benefits the whole time you’re using the product, rely on products that’re packaged in opaque bottles or tubes that are as airtight as possible. Airless pump dispensers are best.
Skincare Basics: Antioxidants – Favourite Products
And now I’ve to break it to you: very likely, you won’t see well-rounded antioxidant products from cheap skincare brands. Brands like The Ordinary and The Inkey List usually give you one-ingredient-formulas: one hero ingredient plus a carrier medium. A good antioxidant product boasts various different antioxidants, though.
Some brands will also pack antioxidants into their toners, moisturisers and especially sunscreen, and for good reason. We’ve seen that aging damage from UVA is closely linked to oxidative stress, so: apply a product with antioxidants under your sunscreen, or choose a sunscreen rich with antioxidants.
Here’re some products I like with an exceptional amount of antioxidants: Beyer & Söhne Hautcreme + (review), Paula’s Choice Calm Toner (review), Beyer & Söhne Dayshade SPF50 (my review, Astrid’s review), Paula’s Choice Clinical Retinol 1% (it’s a powerful retinol product with a lot of antioxidants) (review), Niod Survival 30 (review).
Antioxidant serums
Survival 0
Astonishingly, Survival 0 (shop) isn’t Survival 30 twin (review), but rather a close cousin. While Survival 30’s base is silicones, Survival 0’s is water, glycerine and caprylic triglyceride (an emollient made from coconut oil and glycerine). Consequently, it feels like a watery serum, looks unappealingly brown, and smells like soup stock.
Beta Glucan and Superoxide Dismutase are the antioxidants in the highest concentration here, followed by Lutein, Dimethylmethoxy Chromanol and Pycnogenol®. Are especially the last two ‘better’ than than resveratrol or ferulic acid, like Niod claims? I can’t say, but it’s an impressive array of potent antioxidants.
It also sinks in quickly and hasn’t ever given me any problems when layering other skincare products or makeup over it.
Paula’s Choice Super-Antioxidant Serum (normal to dry skin)
Texturally, this is as far away from Survival 0 as possible. While especially Survival 30’s base is a very volatile type of silicone, PC’s Super-Antioxidant Serum (shop) is thick and WILL sit on your skin. It’s a rather old-fashioned type of formula, and the antioxidants mirror that: a Vitamin C derivative, Tocopherol, Ubiquinone, alpha lipoic acid, ferulic acid, Beta Glucan, Superoxide Dismutase, EGCG and more. In fact, it mirrors my list of antioxidants above, and combines some of the best researched antioxidants.
The trick to use it? Apply it on damp skin: either on toner or another serum. That makes it sink in instead of just sitting on your skin. If you don’t like that siliconey feeling, this is emphatically not for you.
Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods or money for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
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