3 key types of antioxidants and their benefits
- Vitamins
You may already know Vitamin C – it is one of the effective and popular antioxidant vitamins used in both skincare and nutrition. This skincare superstar not only prevents and tackles sun damage, but also has been shown to increase collagen production with in-vitro testing. Another notable antioxidant vitamin is Vitamin E, a lipid-soluble antioxidant known to scavenge free radicals.
With age, your body increases the production of free radicals while decreasing the defense mechanisms against them – so it’s important to include antioxidants in your daily life as topical skincare products or food intake. Depending on what your skin needs, look for either Vitamin C or E in concentrated serums and supplement with food rich in vitamins such as blackberries, clove, and nuts.
- Minerals
Hot on the heels of vitamins are the Next Big Things of skincare: minerals. Copper peptides has risen to prominence as a hero ingredient in many anti-aging products as it tackles damaged skin cells. Fancy a throwback to your angst-filled teen days? Zinc (as in Zinc Oxide) is a mineral that protects your skin’s lipids from free radicals.
- Enzymes
Enzymes are found in every cell of our body naturally, with Coenzyme Q10 being the most recognised antioxidant in our body. It provides our cells with energy to repair damage and function healthily. As an antioxidant, it has been shown with in-vitro testing to protect your skin’s collagen from free radical damage while boosting skin cell activity.
Some antioxidants are very effective at scavenging free radicals by neutralising them. The body’s most efficient free-radical scavenger, Melatonin, is a hormone that lets your body know when it’s time to sleep and wake up. This super antioxidant has been found to have two times more antioxidant power than Vitamin E and is also known to boost your body’s anti-inflammatory properties and immune system. That’s why your rest time is also known as beauty sleep – well, as long as you get enough of it anyway!
Quick tipYour body starts to produces melatonin when it’s dark, so make sure your environment has as little light as possible at bedtime. That means putting that phone away!