Antioxidants in Skincare
Fight Free Radicals
BENEFITS
- Help correct signs of aging
- Help prevent UV sun damage
- Help skin repair itself – reduce inflammation – encourage skin production
- Help brighten skin tone
- Antioxidants may help prevent skin cancer
If there is one category of skincare ingredients you can never have too much of, it’s antioxidants. They intervene to defend your skin against pollution and environmental damage and work deep down to improve how the skin works.
Antioxidants are naturally occurring vitamins and minerals – like vitamins A, B, C, E, and green tea – that protect your skin against free radicals. And yes, free radicals sound like a bad ‘70s rock band, but they’re actually molecules in the environment that damage your skin by clinging to your collagen and weakening elasticity. They come from things like air pollutants, chemicals, and cigarette smoke, and they basically suck the life out of your face.
Antioxidants in skincare neutralise those free radicals to protect your skin from damage. Great, right? But that’s not all: Some antioxidants also brighten your skin, calm irritation, and even smooth fine lines – as long as you choose the right ones.
Vitamin A – Anti-Aging | Vitamin B – Hydration | Vitamin C – Brightener | Vitamin E – Moisturiser
UV rays, infrared radiation, pollution, and lifestyle factors generate damaging free radicals that prematurely age skin. Antioxidant skincare products neutralise these unstable molecules, acting as a second line of defence against photodamage and accelerated skin aging. In addition to preventing damage, antioxidants have been proven to improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, laxity, and pigmentation by neutralisation of free radicals and helping to stimulate collagen production.
Antioxidant skincare products contain ingredients that intercept problems existing in the environment and then, through a complex process, lessen their visible impact on the skin. Most antioxidants occur in fruits and vegetables, others are made in a lab (“designer antioxidants”). Both types offer benefits to all skin types, all ages for anti-aging and skin health.
Take an apple, cut it in half, leave it out for an hour and watch as the flesh turns a murky brown. That process, my friends, is oxidisation, and it’s caused by free radicals in the air. In part, the same thing happens when it comes to our bodies. When we’re exposed to UV, pollution or other stressors such as smoke and chemicals, free radicals form in the skin. At a cellular level, these free radicals can kick off a chain reaction that causes a huge path of destruction and often, ultimately, the death of the skin cell. But antioxidants swoop in and neutralise free radicals to halt the process. Essentially they’re all kind of awesome. Common antioxidants include compounds such as vitamins C and E, coenzyme Q10, Idebenone, zinc, copper and beta-carotene, but the list is endless – there are millions of them, with so many different functions.
Our bodies do produce their own antioxidants (made by our cells), which neutralise 99.9 per cent of free radicals. But by the age of 30, our cells can no longer eliminate them fast enough (and that’s when fine lines and collagen depletion set in).
Please Note: Aspect Dr products feature higher-level active ingredients to ensure maximum efficacy without a prescription. These products are only sold at select physician, skin clinic and spa locations. If your purchase contains any Aspect Dr products – our Skin Specialist is required to speak with you regarding the use of these products before your purchase can be authorised and shipped.
Our skincare products containing Antioxidants
Aspect Dr Age Management Kit
$290.00OUT OF STOCKSuccessfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart...Aspect Dr Hyaluronic Serum
$149.00OUT OF STOCKSuccessfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart...Aspect Dr Problem Skin Serum
$139.00OUT OF STOCKSuccessfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart...Aspect Dr Ultra Light Hydration
$92.00OUT OF STOCKSuccessfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart...Aspect Fruit Enzyme Mask
$69.00OUT OF STOCKSuccessfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart...Aspect Hydra Shield with Zinc
$85.00OUT OF STOCKSuccessfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart...- DISCOUNTED - RRP $278
Aspect Illuminate & Revitalise Perfect Pair
$202.50Successfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart... Aspect Intense Hydration Masks (5 pack)
$59.90Successfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart...Aspect Sun Envirostat On The Go SPF 50
$30.00OUT OF STOCKSuccessfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart...Aspect Sun Physical Sun Protection SPF50+
$59.00Successfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart...- NEW
Aspect Sun Tinted Physical Sun Protection SPF50+
$59.00Successfully Added to your Shopping CartAdding to Cart...
Packaging Matters
Just as important as the antioxidants in skincare is the container they are packaged in! The wrong packaging means you won’t be gaining the most from antioxidants! Despite their powerhouse abilities, antioxidants are delicate and must be packaged in containers that will ensure they remain effective, or else your skin won’t get their full benefit. As part of how they work to help your skin, antioxidants break down in the presence of light and air. So, if an antioxidant-rich moisturiser, serum, or other product is packaged in a jar or in clear packaging, it will likely lose its antioxidant benefit within a few weeks (or even days). How long this takes to occur depends on the formulation, but breakdown they will.
Any skincare products with antioxidants you use should be packaged in containers that are either airtight or air-restrictive and keep your fingers out of the product (putting fingers inside a jar steadily contaminates the contents and further breaks down the beneficial ingredients).
A Guide to Selecting the Best Skincare Products
Your skin is the bodies largest organ. Its major functions are protection, regulation and sensation. If our skin is not functioning to its full ability, these functions may become compromised.
It’s easy to get lost in the sea of skincare options these days. Not only are there doctors, dermatologists, skin professionals and aestheticians telling you this or that, you also have YouTubers, bloggers and beauty enthusiasts flooding you with thoughts and ideas too. It’s no wonder there are so many skin issues and concerns these days. When you don’t know where to start or what information is reliable, how is your skin really going to respond? More importantly, the use of incorrect skincare products can actually exasperate your condition or cause additional skin problems.
The use of professional active ingredient skincare is recommended. The “Professional” skincare products we recommend on this site can only be purchased through certified stockists and practitioners who are required to provide their professional advice on the application of these products, (as opposed to those you can purchase over the counter (OTC) in the department stores and supermarkets). These recommended professional products contain;-
- higher levels of active ingredients to boost your skin’s health and correct skin problems
(OTC product lines have less active ingredients to minimise the chance of irritation to protect the buyer) - are backed by clinical studies
(not exaggerated unsubstantiated claims) - are made in small batches and distributed to trained or licensed skin therapists, spas and salons to be supplied with professional advice on their use
(OTC products are made for the masses and sold in department stores and supermarkets) - contain small molecule technology for dermal and epidermal penetration
(OTC products that lack active ingredients, have large molecules which are not able to penetrate the skin. When a product can’t properly penetrate the skin, it will only “superficially” treat and temporarily provide relief to skin concerns. This gives the illusion that the products are working without actually treating the skin. Professional lines use molecular technology that penetrates the skin producing clinical results) - are packaged in airless pump packs to eliminate spoilage of ingredients when exposed to the air
- have pH balanced and adjusted ingredients – skin functions at its prime when the natural pH is between 4.5 and 5.5.
(Often OTC products don’t take pH into consideration and will leave the skin in an alkaline state. When the skin is alkaline, bacteria and free radicals (such as pollution) can invade the skin) - do not contain unnecessary fillers and preservatives
Professional skincare often has a reputation of being “too expensive” but that is more often than not actually far from the truth. A good professional line will price their products according to the concentration of active ingredients versus fillers and are actually overall more budget-friendly. It is a common mistake to overuse products which leads to the perception that professional skincare is more expensive. Our Skin Specialist will advise you on the appropriate amount and when to use the products according to your skin condition and type.
When used properly, professional skincare products will last longer and work better giving you the ultimate bang for your buck. OTC products will have a lower upfront cost but over time can be similar in price or more expensive than professional skincare and won’t actually repair the skin condition being treated.