Antioxidants are one of the most powerful anti-aging tools available in skincare products because when they’re actually effective (spoiler, most times they aren’t by the time they reach you) they help protect your skin from free radicals—unstable molecules generated by UV rays, pollution, stress, and other environmental factors. In simpler terms, free radicals are like little attackers that stress and damage your skin, causing aging, irritation, and making skin conditions like acne or hyperpigmentation worse. Antioxidants lose their potency when they degrade over time, which makes them less effective or even completely ineffective at neutralizing free radicals on your skin.
Potency Loss In Antioxidant Skincare
Unfortunately, most beauty products on the market contain antioxidants that have already degraded. This can happen because of formulation mistakes that are all too common, like having an unstable pH, packaging that exposes the actives to air/light, and incompatible actives being combined in the same product. These degrade antioxidants, leaving you with skincare products that aren’t doing what they promised. Think of it like opening a bottle of fresh juice—if you leave it out too long, it loses its nutrients and flavor. We were frustrated with this state of affairs, which is why HPPY Skin’s products are made using a patented process that preserves the potency of antioxidants, ensuring they maintain maximum effectiveness, and really deliver glowing, happier skin.
Why Do Antioxidants Lose Potency?
Oxidation, meaning when your product is exposed to air, is one of the main reasons why antioxidants lose potency. The same antioxidants that battle free radicals can degrade when exposed to air, light, and heat. For example, Vitamin C ⎯ especially in its pure ascorbic acid form, oxidizes quickly. You’ve probably seen it in action—when Vitamin C turns yellowish or brown, it’s like watching an apple brown after being cut and left exposed to the air. Once oxidized, its benefits are drastically reduced. Oftentimes this is due to the product’s packaging, which is why it’s important to look for formulas in airless packaging.
Signs Antioxidants Are Losing Their Potency
Not sure if your products are still effective? Here are signs your product is no longer delivering the right results.
- Color changes: e.g., golden Vitamin C serums turning brown.
- Shifts in texture: products becoming clumpy or grainy.
- Sudden unpleasant or strong odors: a sudden change in smell, especially if off-putting, can indicate an ingredient has gone rancid.
What Factors Affect Skin Absorption?
Even if your product is perfectly formulated, it’s only effective if your skin can absorb and utilize those antioxidants. Unfortunately, skincare absorption challenges are more common than you might think. Here are some reasons why:
- Molecular size: For an ingredient to penetrate the skin, its molecules must be small enough. Some antioxidants like Vitamin E, can struggle because of their larger molecular size.
- Skin barrier: A damaged or compromised skin barrier can reduce how well antioxidants (and other active ingredients) work since healthy skin is essential for proper absorption.
- Inefficient delivery systems: Without advanced delivery systems, antioxidants may linger on the skin’s surface instead of reaching deeper layers where free radical damage occurs. It’s like watering a plant, but only the leaves get wet. You won’t see much repair that way!
Why Your Product Could Already Be Ineffective On Your Skin
Some antioxidants can lose their effectiveness even before they have the chance to work on your skin. Here are some reasons how that often happens:
Antioxidants vs. Environmental Stress
Antioxidants are designed to fight free radicals and prevent oxidative damage, but if they degrade during storage or application, they won’t work effectively on your skin. Many antioxidants, like Vitamin C (especially L-ascorbic acid) are highly unstable and can degrade quickly when exposed to air, UV rays, and heat. Even some of the most expensive and popular products make this mistake!
Improper Formulation
The formulation of an antioxidant product plays a huge role in its efficacy. If the pH is off, or the antioxidant isn’t properly stabilized, it might degrade before even touching your skin. Similarly, sometimes brands want to be able to include a long list of active ingredients, but some of those ingredients may not be compatible, and leave you with a great-sounding but ineffective product.
Delivery & Absorption Challenges
Even if the antioxidant is stable when it’s in the package, it might not reach the deeper layers of your skin where it’s needed most. Antioxidants like Vitamin E, which are oil-soluble, might struggle to penetrate oily skin effectively. This is why products like our fridge-fresh cryo-facial masks are designed to be refrigerated in order to help stabilize antioxidants. By refrigerating your mask, you’re protecting it from degradation caused by heat and light, ensuring maximum potency when you apply it.
How HPPY is Different
Many products on the market face the challenge of antioxidant degradation, but HPPY Skin has created a solution to help protect important antioxidants like anthocyanins, Vitamins C and Vitamin E. Our patented HPP (high-pressure processing) process was developed to preserve ingredients’ potency and ensure they deliver maximum benefits for your skin. Unlike typical manufacturing processes that can denature active ingredients, our masks maintain their full antioxidant power. When you apply HPPY Skin products, you can be confident you’re getting the maximum efficacy of each ingredient.
SOURCES:
- Medical News Today. How do free radicals affect the body? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318652#What-are-free-radicals.
- Harvard Medical School: Understanding antioxidants. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-antioxidants.
