The health and beauty industry touts antioxidants, but why? What exactly are antioxidants and what do they do? In order to understand antioxidants, first we need to unravel free radicals.

Take a journey with us back to high school biology. "Programmed cell death" may - or may not - be a term that you remember. Our cells are constantly turning over. And when it’s time for a cell to die, its parts are neatly degraded and leave the body harmlessly. But when this process is compromised by external factors like radiation (sun), environmental toxins or chemical irritants (some of which can be found in skincare), dying cells don’t have enough time to be correctly degraded, and free radicals literally explode out of this instability.

So what then is a free radical?  The atoms that comprise all the molecules in our body, including proteins and DNA, are in turn made up in part by electrons, highly energetic particles. Electrons usually work in pairs to keep their energy levels balanced and their “excitement” or “instability” levels in check. But rapid cell death can break apart these electron pairs, leaving the resulting free radicals (i.e., a single electron) zipping around in search for another partner.

DNA is particularly susceptible to free radical damage. Free radicals can literally strip electrons from healthy DNA, breaking apart our genes (our genetic blueprint) into bits and pieces. And when our immune system takes note of damage to our genetic code, it goes into overdrive mode to stop the damaging process. This is part of our body’s check and balance system that ensures we never build new biological material starting from a faulty or damaged genetic framework. This dynamic response system is recognized by us as inflammation – the redness, swelling and pain we sometimes notice in the skin. Fortunately, there’s more we can do to address the serious damage free radicals cause to our body’s health other than relying on our body’s natural equilibration mechanisms.

Enter the antioxidant. Antioxidants are our body’s cleaning crew. They come in and sweep up free radicals (by actually donating an electron to its lonely yet excited friend, creating a stabilized electron pair), thus protecting our DNA and keeping inflammation in check. Vitamin C is the perfect example of an antioxidant that keeps our body healthy by neutralizing free radicals. As we age, it’s imperative that our bodies have a store of antioxidants available. It is also imperative that the products we use to care for our skin do not actually contain chemical irritants that can cause free radicals to form in the first place. So be it radiation exposure from the sun, chemically-laden skincare products, or just time itself, our bodies have to contend with the emergence of free radicals from everyday life activities. And antioxidants are the best way to keep us balanced, healthy and strong.

Learn how one of our antioxidant-rich skincare products can help revitalize your skin: C Advance anti-aging serum.