Antioxidants: What They Are And Why They Matter

If you’ve read our product pages, you’ll know that we’re huge fans of antioxidants here at Dang! Lifestyle. But what exactly are they, and why do they matter?

Antioxidants are a group of naturally occurring compounds that defends our cells against free radicals. To understand antioxidants, we have to slightly brush up on free radicals.

Free radicals are molecules missing one or more electrons. They go around snatching electrons from other molecules that trigger cell damage. Excess free radicals cause oxidative stress, and this happens when exposed to excess sun, pollution, smoking, radiation, etc.

Here’s where antioxidants show up for a rescue. They also go around donating electrons to prevent free radicals from destroying our cells and cancel their process.

Even though free radicals get all the bad rep, they are surprisingly useful for us. They help our immune system fight bacteria so, they aren’t all bad but they are responsible for inflammation and prematurely aging your skin which is why antioxidants are so good at preventing or reducing the signs of aging.

Where can you find antioxidants?

Antioxidants are used in various skin care products like body oils, skin treatments, face cream, moisturizers, face masks, serums, etc.

Almost all vitamins are antioxidants, and it’s not surprising to see them in this category considering how much they work for our health & skin. Here are some examples of antioxidants:

Vitamin C: apart from protecting skin cells from free radicals, it also blocks the action of tyrosinase, an enzyme responsible for the production of melanin so, brown spots can not form on the skin thereby fading hyperpigmentation.

Vitamin E: Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin with high antioxidant power. Because of this quality, it effectively safeguards cells from damage by free radicals. Additionally, it boosts collagen, helps fade dark spots, and reduces inflammation.

Ferulic acid: popularly used in anti-aging serums, ferulic acid is majorly used to boost the effectiveness of other vitamins like vitamins A, C & E.

Coenzyme Q10: CoQ10 helps prevent and repair damage caused by environmental pollution – the leading cause of aging before stress, diet, and exercise. Apart from these, it also supports the production of collagen and helps even out our skin tone.

Niacinamide (Vitamin B3): this vitamin offers a wide range of benefits to the skin. It hydrates the skin, lightens existing dark spots, smoothes wrinkles, and of course, fights free radicals.

Other antioxidants include phytoextracts (e.g white tea and green tea), retinol, flavonoids, omega-3 & omega-6 fatty acids, etc.

Top 5 reasons to add antioxidants to your skincare routine

1. To moisturize and calm inflammation
2. To brighten & even skin tone
3. To help firm the skin
4. To help improve scar appearance
5. To prevent & correct signs of aging

Apart from antioxidants, there are many anti-aging ingredients with amazing benefits. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycolic acid, and mandelic acid. For added benefit, make sure your skincare products consist of some of these beneficial ingredients.