most common antioxidants in skincare

Let’s play a game!

Grab your fave moisturiser and serum and tell me how many antioxidants you can spot.

1, 2, 3, Go!

Vitamin C.

Vitamin E.

Green tea.

Some antioxidants are easy to spot. Others go by weird name that makes them look like dangerous chemicals when they’re the friendliest allies your skin could have.

Time to end the confusion once and for all, me thinks. Here’s a roundup of some of the most common antioxidants found in skincare:

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)

What it is: An enzyme soluble both in water and fat. It easily penetrates the skin.

What it does: It has powerful antioxidants properties and is able to regenerate Vitamins C and E, enhancing their effectiveness.

Side effects: All antioxidants degrade when exposed to light and air, but ALA is more vulnerable to this. Plus, in high concentrations (about 5% or more) can cause burning and stinging.

Best Picks:


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Coenzyme Q10 (aka Ubiquinone)

What it is: A fat soluble antioxidant present in all human cells. It’s also known as Ubiquinone.

What it does: It helps fight free radicals, stimulate the production of collagen and reduce UV damage.

Side effects: None.

Best Picks:

Related: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Coenzyme Q10

use vitamin c and glycolic acid together

Ferulic Acid

What it is: A plant-based antioxidant naturally present in the cell walls of whole grains, coffee, spinach, orange, apples, parsley,  grapes and other vegs and fruits.

What it does: It fights three types of free radicals (superoxide, hydroxyl radical, and nitric oxide) and boosts sun protection. It works better when paired with Vitamins C and E.

Side effects: None.

Best Picks:

Related: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Ferulic Acid

Grape Seed Extract

What it is: An extract that contains lots of antioxidants, including anthocyanins, flavonoids proanthocyanidins and polyphenols.

What it does: It helps fight free radicals, improve collagen synthesis and reduce sun damage.

Side effects: None.

Best Picks:

  • Exuviance Age Reverse HydraFilm ($79.00): Available at Dermstore and Ulta
  • Paula’s Choice Clear Ultra-Light Daily Mattifying Fluid Broad Spectrum SPF 30+ ($33.00): Available at Paula’s Choice and SpaceNK
drunk elephant c-firma day serum

Green Tea

What it is: An extract derived from green tea, which is loaded with polyphenols.

What it does: Polyphenols fight free radicals and protect skin from the harmful sun rays. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, the most powerful antioxidant in green tea, reduces collagen breakdown, too.

Side effects: None.

Best Picks:

  • Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum ($80.00): available at Cult Beauty, Sephora and SpaceNK
  • MD SolarSciences Mineral Creme Broad Spectrum SPF 50 UVA-UVB Sunscreen ($30.00): available at Dermstore and Sephora.
  • Paula’s Choice Skin Balancing Super Antioxidant Concentrate Serum With Retinol ($34.00): available at Dermstore and Paula’s Choice

Related: The Complete Guide To Green Tea In Skincare

spotlight on superoxide dismutase

Superoxide Dismutase (SOD)

What it is: It’s an enzyme found in all living cells. It’s possibly the most powerful antioxidant your body creates.

What it does: It can destroy the worst type of free radical ever, Super Oxide. It also reduces UV damage and soothes sunburn-induced redness.

Side effects: None.

Best Picks:

Related: The Complete Guide To Superoxide Dismutase In Skincare

medik8 retinol 6 TR 01

Vitamin A

What it is: A fat-soluble vitamin that comes in many forms, including retinol, retinyl palmitate, retinoic acid and retinaldehyde. If it has “Retin” in the name, it’s usually a form of Vitamin A.

What it does: It’s the only thing that really reduces wrinkles. It does it in three ways: it speeds up cellular turnover (the skin’s natural exfoliating process) and boosts collagen.

Side effects: It can cause redness, stinging and irritation. Start with small concentrations twice a week and build your way up from there.

Best Picks:

Related: Which Form Of Retinoid Is Right For You?

paula's choice vitamin c products guide

Vitamin C

What it is: Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that comes in many forms, including L-Ascorbic Acid, Ascorbic Palmitate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium ascorbyl Phosphate and Ascorbyl Glucoside. If it has “Ascorb” somewhere in the name, it’s usually a form of Vitamin C.

What it does: It fights free radicals, increases the production of collagen, reduces inflammation, and boosts the protection of your sunscreen (it does this better when paired with Vitamin E and Ferulic Acid).

Side effects: L-Ascorbic Acid (the pure form of Vitamin C) can irritate sensitive skin.

Best Picks:

Related: The Most Common Types Of Vitamin C In Skincare: Which One Is Right For You?

ecooking vitamin e serum

Vitamin E

What it is: A fat soluble vitamin that comes in many forms, including Alpha-Tocopherol and tocotrienols.

What it does: It fights free radicals and boosts sun protection (it does this better when paired with Vitamin C and Ferulic Acid).

Side effects: None.

Best Picks:

Related: 4 Reasons To Use Vitamin E (And 1 Why You Shouldn’t)

How To Get The Most Out Of Antioxidants

Now you know what antioxidants to look for in your skincare products, here’s how to make the most of them:

  1. Packaging matters: Antioxidants go bad faster when exposed to light and air. Skip jars and opt for opaque, air-tight tubes and bottles.
  2. The more, the merrier: No antioxidant is better than the other. Just like you’d get sick if you ate only kale, your skin needs more than one antioxidant to stay healthy and youngeer-looking. The more you use in your routine, the better.
  3. Go high: The higher an antioxidant is on the ingredient list, the better it’ll work. Just be careful not to go too high, especially with Vitamins A and C. They can be irritating in high doses.

Do you use skincare products with antioxidants? Share your faves in the comments below.