2 min read
A term you've seen everywhere
Oxidative stress turns up on ingredient labels, in skincare ads and all over social media. It's rarely explained.
Here's the simple version.
What is oxidative stress?
Your skin is your body's outermost barrier, so it meets the outside world all day, every day. UV light, pollution and other environmental stressors can all contribute to the formation of free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules. They're a natural part of life, and the body has its own defences to keep them in check.
Oxidative stress happens when that balance tips: more free radicals than the skin's natural defences can comfortably manage. Over time, it's one of the factors associated with visible skin ageing.
In other words, it's less a single event than a steady, everyday pressure.
Where do antioxidants come in?
Antioxidants are compounds that can neutralise free radicals, which is why they're so widely used in skincare.
Not all antioxidants are the same, though. They come from many different sources, from vitamins to plant compounds, and they behave differently from one another.
The bigger picture
Oxidative stress isn't something you can switch off. Skincare is one part of a wider picture, and sun protection is a big part of it. Antioxidants don't replace sunscreen.
Understanding what's happening at skin level makes it easier to see why antioxidants are such an interesting area of research, and why it's worth asking where an ingredient comes from and what the evidence actually says.
Find out more
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