Start Your Year with an Antioxidant Serum

It feels great to check resolutions off your list – and one of the easiest to complete is investing in a high performing, skin-protecting antioxidant serum.

When it comes to vitamins and nutrients, antioxidants are the reigning queens; they say “off with your head” to skin-ravaging free radicals. Here’s how an antioxidant serum can make your next decade of skin care the best one yet!

One of the ways our skin ages is through oxidation. Consider our skin cells like rowdy reality TV stars: there’s always a troublemaker in the bunch, spreading rumors and causing feuds. The free radicals in our skin circulate around electron pairs, causing drama that stress out these otherwise happy couples. This free radical stress leads to skin damage, and that damage appears as signs of aging in the form of fine lines, droopy skin, and age spots.

Sure, some skin cell stress is just a natural part of aging – but some of it is a direct result of pollution and sun exposure. There’s no real way to get around skin aging in the long run, but a concentrated antioxidant serum is still your best bet at defending against the daily onslaught of environmental damage.

As we mentioned before, antioxidants are cell damage busters. They fight oxidation by blocking free radicals from contacting and disrupting happily partnered electrons. While antioxidants may seem unfamiliar to us, there are many that you already love and are likely using already. Here are some of our favorites:

Vitamin E
Vitamin E is not only helpful but essential for proper skin function; so much so, that we often refer to it as a building block for skin. Vitamin E is highly praised because it is healing, naturally anti-inflammatory, and ultra moisturizing for the skin. Vitamin E also helps to fortify our skin’s barrier and of course, helps to fight free radicals that cause constant damage.

Green Tea
This protective antioxidant calms irritation, stimulates skin circulation for a tighter complexion, and supports collagen for more youthful skin. This powerhouse ingredient is a serious acne fighter, helping to kill acne causing bacteria and regulate skin sebum at the same time for a balanced complexion.

Limiting damage to your hair can help prevent premature graying and hair loss, by preserving your melanocyte function and your hair strength. Plus, less damage means your hair will stay shiny and soft.

Vitamin C
Glow, radiance, shine – whatever you call this coveted effect, vitamin C is the key to achieving it. While we think of vitamin C as the glow-vitamin, this nutrient just happens to be one of the more powerful antioxidants out there. It fights the good fight against UV damage by blasting away age spots, dark spots, and other forms of hyperpigmentation.

Vitamin C can’t literally produce collagen in your skin. What it will do is help support collagen production by defending your skin’s existing stores, along with its process of regenerating and restoring cells. Anytime you use vitamin C, you make a huge deposit in your forever young savings account. Cha-ching!

Grape Seed
You’ve probably seen this antioxidant a lot on our labels – which, by the way, are some of the easiest to read because we like to keep things purely straightforward. Like our approach to formula labeling, grape seed doesn’t beat around the bush when it comes to fighting oxidation. In fact, it may be one of the strongest antioxidants out there for skin care.

Softening and highly moisturizing, grape seed contains some of the same benefits as our old friend vitamin C. This extract helps with achieving an even complexion, fighting both scars and sun damage at once.

Antioxidants aren’t just a holiday thing: we don’t only need them in the winter, when our skin is undergoing cold weather stress, or stress from three nights straight of holiday parties. What our skin really needs is antioxidant defense year around, because free radical damage is a year-round suspect.

What’s best for our skin is to supplement natural skin functions with antioxidants that fight oxidative stress, reduce the speed and appearance of aging, and contribute to balanced skin overall.

Where you add antioxidants into your routine is a big part of your new year-no-radicals strategy. Antioxidants in your facial cleanser are nice to have, but a cleanser won’t be on your face for long. You’ll want to infuse antioxidants into the step where they have the most intimate contact with your clean, bare skin: the serum step.

Multivitamin + Antioxidant Serum
Potent, luscious, and nutritious, our best-selling antioxidant serum makes every night a spa night. The vegan formula is compatible with all skin types, and injects four powerful antioxidants deep into the skin: vitamin C, E, CoQ10, and retinol. Experience brighter skin tone, faded acne scars, smoother texture, and undeniable radiance with consistent use.

Wear this antioxidant serum at night, and follow with an SPF the following day.

Vitamin C Serum
Hello gorgeous, nice to vitamin C-you. The 100% PURE™ Vitamin C Serum is incredibly restorative, utilizing antioxidants vitamin C and E to hydrate, tone, and smooth even sensitive skin types thanks to a soothing aloe gel base. This ultra lightweight serum brightens skin while delivering a much-welcome sip of skin hydration.

Wear this antioxidant serum at night, and follow with an SPF the following day. Can be used during the day, but must be worn under an SPF 30 or higher.

Green Tea EGCG Concentrate Serum
This fruity serum is heavenly with a lightweight texture that befriends even the oiliest of skin. Antioxidants are loaded into acai, goji berry, and avocado oil, amongst a host of other ingredients. Your skin will leave this serum party feeling protected from UV damage, and she’ll notice an extra bounce as the yerba mate in the formula help with firmness and elasticity. You can wear this serum daily under your favorite sunscreen.

When we move on to serum after toning and cleansing, our skin’s moisture levels have been depleted. When pores are empty and primed, they’re able to absorb moisturizing nutrients more efficiently, meaning a serum can deliver nutrition much more effectively than a moisturizer during this optimal timeframe in your skin care routine.

What makes an antioxidant serum better than a standard serum? Well we’ve learned that antioxidants ease cell stress, boost skin cell regeneration, prevent premature signs of aging, and support enhanced skin cell function. Combined with the direct nature of deep-penetrating serums, active ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamins, and antioxidants simply have the best chance of skin success with this skin care step.