Antioxidants

The most popular antioxidants that are used for skin care products are the vitamins A, C and E.

Scientific research has shown that they help to improve the condition of the skin and reduce additional damage occurring that causes the aging effect that we are seeking to eliminate.

The damage to the skin is caused by free radicals and antioxidants help to fight off these free radicals and thereby improve the condition of the skin. Antioxidants are in no way harmful to the skin and not only can they protect the skin from damage but they have been to shown to actually reverse some of the damage that has already occurred to the skin of many people.

This has an anti aging effect and the publicity that has surrounded the discovery of this information has resulted in antioxidants being included in almost all skin care products to meet the demands of the consumer.
Sun damaged skin in particular has been shown to improve in condition when antioxidants have been applied directly to the affected area.

There are various different sources of antioxidants and some of the more popular ones are grape seed extract and green tea extract. Grape seed extract has shown to reduce inflammation of the skin and in addition it helps to strengthen the capillary walls. Because of these benefits it's a common product used in skin care creams.

Green tea on the other hand has shown to reduce the size of pre-cancerous skin lesions in various tests due to the active ingredient catechins.

With the use of these naturally occurring antioxidants the damage that is caused to the skin by the free radicals that degrade the collagen and elastin is reduced and the positive effect that they have in assisting the skin to renew damaged cells has the desired anti aging effect that people are looking for.