Love your skin

Love your skin
30 nov 2020

Antioxidants: what they are and what benefits they have for the skin

If you care about your skin and health, you're sure to have heard of antioxidants – but what are they, where are they found and why are they useful?

Before answering this question, we need to take a step back and deal with another, even more important one.

Why do we age?

Why does the body age and why do wrinkles and other signs of ageing appear on the skin? It's mainly an oxidative process, caused by the notorious free radicals, unstable atoms that damage DNA, cells and tissues.

How free radicals arise

As well as being the main cause of ageing, free radicals are considered to be responsible for most degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and cardiovascular diseases. So where do free radicals come from? Many factors can lead to their creation. Alongside those related to cellular processes within our body, we can mention:

  1. Psychophysical stress

  2. Cigarette smoke

  3. Exposure to UV rays

  4. Environmental pollution

The power of antioxidants

This is where antioxidants come into play: valuable substances that prevent the formation of free radicals and neutralise those already formed, slowing down the ageing process.

This category contains very different compounds, already present in our body or found in nature.

What happens when we get older

Unfortunately, with the passage of time, our body's antioxidant system loses its effectiveness and can no longer cope alone with all the "oxidative" aggressions.

This is the point when it's important to enhance the body's ability to fight free radicals through "extra" antioxidant compounds supplied from outside.

"Hall of fame" of antioxidants

So here's a rundown of the most famous antioxidants that nature generously makes available to us:

  • Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, found in citrus fruit, other fruit like strawberry and papaya, and vegetables like pepper, cabbage etc.

  • Carotenoids, among which Lycopene, Beta-Carotene and Lutein stand out, found in yellow-orange fruit and vegetables (carrot, pumpkin, melon, etc.), in tomatoes and green leafy vegetables such as spinach and salad leaves.

  • Tocopherols, whose family includes Vitamin E, contained in dried fruit, olive oil and some cereals.

  • Polyphenols like Resveratrol, found in red wine.

Antioxidants and skin beauty

If you want to enhance your natural beauty and improve your health, now's the time to include antioxidants in your skincare routine.

As well as slowing down the skin ageing process, antioxidants like Vitamins A, C and E help prevent dehydration and protect the skin from the harmful effects of the sun's rays. Vitamins C and E stimulate collagen production and reduce the depth of wrinkles. Phloretin and Ferulic Acid have regenerating properties and lighten skin spots, to name just a few of the benefits of these wonderful substances.

Problems (finally solved!) in the use of antioxidants in beauty products

Unfortunately, there are two main problems related to antioxidants, which make traditional products of limited effect:

The first is instability: antioxidants oxidise easily in contact with air – just look at how fast a freshly cut fruit darkens.

The second is penetration through the skin, which for most antioxidants is very low under normal conditions.

The AOX solution – The antioxidant experts

AOX's scientific research has provided a definitive answer to these problems through the use of exclusive formulas and patented technologies.

Carrier microspheres

Imagine being able to put all the antioxidants you need into a transport system, which can "pass them" through the skin. These are microspheres patented by AOX researchers, made up of phospholipid layers that "deceive the dermis", managing to transport the active ingredients inside and then release them.

Innovative packaging to preserve the power of antioxidants

Furthermore, the AOX laboratories have designed an exclusive airless dispenser that doesn't allow air to come into contact with the product. The AOX dispenser ensures that the antioxidants are always active, and you'll always get the right daily dosage without unnecessary product waste.

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