Buzzwords in beauty- antioxidants

Hi again Femailers - Kate here again from Adore Beauty www.adorebeauty.com.au, to explain one of the latest buzzwords in beauty: antioxidants! Read on to find out what they are and what they can do for your skin.
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What are antioxidants anyway?

Antioxidants are substances that our body uses to help protect itself against "free radicals" - scavenger molecules that damage healthy cells and cause accelerated ageing and increased susceptibility to disease.

Without enough antioxidants to protect you against free radicals, all your body tissues can suffer damage - not just your skin, but all your other organs as well. This is particularly important if you smoke, sunbathe or live in the city, as all of these activities will increase the number of free radicals attacking your body.

How do antioxidants work?

Antioxidants help to stop free radicals from "scavenging" (and damaging your cells in the process). This means that your cells suffer less damage, and for your skin that means a less aged appearance! Your skin will still age naturally over time, but antioxidants help to prevent accelerated ageing, particularly from sun damage, smoking and pollution.

In 1998, a French study showed that antioxidants applied to the skin had a beneficial effect against free radical damage. When antioxidant creams were used every day over a long period of time, there was no further damage caused to the skin, and in fact the skin's condition improved. The researchers thought that this was because the skin was able to repair itself better, now that the antioxidants were protecting it. (SU.VI.MAX, 1998)

What types of antioxidants are there in skincare, and what should I look for in the ingredients list?

Vitamins A, C and E are the most popular antioxidants in skincare. Vitamin A is referred to as retinyl palmitate; Vitamin E is known as tocopherol or tocopheryl acetate; and Vitamin C is called ascorbic acid or sodium ascorbate.

There are also some natural ingredients which are rich in antioxidants. Some of these include lillypilly extract (try Baiame Lillypilly Cleanser - http://www.adorebeauty.com.au/cgi-bin/index.pl?BALILS), rose hip oil (try Eleusian Rose Hip Regenerative Oil - http://www.adorebeauty.com.au/cgi-bin/index.pl?ELRHRO ), wild lime extract, macadamia oil, carrot seed oil, kakadu plum extract, sweet almond oil, and avocado oil.

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