Skin-care ingredients can get tricky, especially if we’re talking about umbrella terms like antioxidants. Likelihood is, you is perhaps acquainted with a few of the hottest antioxidants in skincare already, like vitamin C and niacinamide. Nonetheless, the best antioxidant serums contain a slew of those oxidative stress- and free radical-fighting ingredients so your skin will appear and feel its best after every use.

What are antioxidants, anyway? In accordance with Los Angeles-based, board-certified dermatologist James Y. Wang, MDantioxidants are molecules that neutralize the consequences of free radicals, also referred to as oxidants, which can be created from each your metabolism and external aspects. “Free radicals are thought to break DNA and result in mutations that cause the signs of aging,” he says. Dr. Wang also notes that antioxidants can play a key role in supporting the health of your skin barrier. “Antioxidants be sure that the barrier stays healthy and is in a position to defend against environmental assaults, equivalent to UV light, pollution, and chemicals,” he says.

Since antioxidants goal free radical damage on the molecular level, each Dr. Wang and Nava Greenfield, MDa board-certified dermatologist based in Recent York City, note that antioxidants can actually prevent the event of cancer. “DNA damage ends in aging skin and may also cause skin cancer,” says Dr. Greenfield. “Antioxidants prevent the DNA damage that may cause irreversible damage leading to aging skin and skin cancer.”

Here’s the thing: in keeping with Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Healththere are a whole bunch if not 1000’s of antioxidants on the market. So, which of them do you have to add to your skin-care routine? Each Dr. Greenfield and Dr. Wang say vitamin C is a robust antioxidant that is an incredible addition to only about anyone’s regimen. It’s known for its brightening, skin-firming, and hyperpigmentation-reducing properties, nevertheless it’s also price noting that there are quite just a few formulations of the potent antioxidant.

Look out for products that contain stabilized types of vitamin C, equivalent to l-ascorbic acid, and pair this ingredient with other antioxidants like vitamin E and ferulic acid along along with your favorite sunscreen to spice up its skin-nourishing effects. Other antioxidants Dr. Wang recommends adding to your routine include glutathione (a peptide derivative known for its firming properties), niacinamide (a mattifying must for greasy skin), retinol (a fantastic line- and wrinkle-targeting powerhouse), and resveratrol (a skin-smoothing moisturizer present in grapes) into your routine.