Topical Antioxidants: What They Are and How They’ll Keep Your Skin Beautiful

There are plenty of products out there jam-packed with good-for-you antioxidants. If you’ve ever wondered what that actually means, you’re not alone. To gather some intel on how antioxidants help fight free radicals—and why that’s a good thing—we chatted with Leslie Baumann, MD , CEO of Baumann Cosmetic & Research Institute, and head of the advisory board of Skin Type Solutions.

See, free radicals are destructive molecules that can compromise your health (and damage and age your skin) making them Public Enemy Number One in our beauty book. And since they’re caused by everything from pollution to UV rays to fried foods and even stress, they’re hard to avoid. Luckily, antioxidants can stop free radicals from wreaking havoc on your system—and keep your skin looking healthy, gorgeous and glowing.

While you can fill your plate with antioxidant-rich foods like chocolate (consider this your excuse to reach for some of the sweet stuff), avocadoes and almonds, to name a few, you can also slather them onto your skin.

“Both topical and digestive antioxidants play a role in fighting off free radicals,” says Baumann. Translation: Applying creams and serums that contain antioxidants will do your skin a whole lot of good.

A few of the most popular topical antioxidants? Vitamins C and E, caffeine, green tea, soy, ferulic acid and resveratrol, says Baumman. To add some of these skin superheroes to your beauty routine, take a look at our product recommendations above!

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