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Beauty Decoded
You’d have to be a beauty genius to work out what all the jargon on your beauty and skin-care products really means. If you don’t know your AHAs from your antioxidants, read on. We’ve deciphered and translated the ingredients you’ll often find listed on your pots and potions, so you’ll know exactly what they do, why they work and whether you should be slathering them on.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants: good for combating free-radical damage
Not strictly speaking an ingredient (antioxidants include vitamins A, E and C and Coenzyme Q10), antioxidant is the generic name that describes the function or action a specific ingredient can have on your skin, in short, preventing oxidation.
'Anti-oxidants are any molecules that will readily react with oxygen. Their protective effect comes from the fact they will react with oxygen much more readily than other substances available and oxygen will therefore be removed before it can react with these other substances' says Dr.Saul Alkaitis, renowned scientist and creator of the Dr.Alkaitis Therapeutic Skinfood range.
Ingredients with antioxidant properties are essential in combating damage caused to the skin by free radicals, which are destructive molecules that can attack the cells. 'The direct effect of anti-oxidants is to protect the cells from the oxidative damages induced by free radicals' explains Dr Daniel Maes, Senior Vice President, Global Research and Development, Estee Lauder. Free radicals are caused by exposure to the sun or pollution and if allowed, will lead to premature ageing and a possible increased risk of cancer.
Smoking, living in a city where pollution is high, or spending a lot of time in the sun, can accelerate the free radical events taking place in your body at any given time.
'Since the skin is assaulted everyday by free radicals and they are known to cause premature ageing, we think that antioxidents are a necessity in any good skin care regime' says Dr Tom Mammone, Clinique's Executive Director of Research and Development.
Look out for antioxidant moisturisers in particular and remember that they deteriorate with exposure to air and light, so pick one in an opaque bottle with a pump to dispense the product. In general the more antioxident in a product the more protected you will be.
ELLE loves
Antioxident Face Cream, £36.16 by Organic Pharmacy
Essential Protective Serum, £26.50 by ESPA
Next Pages
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AHAs
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Salicylic Acid
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Hyaluronic acid
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Peptides
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Antioxidants
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Coenzyme Q10
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Vitamin B3
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Vitamin B5
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Vitamin E
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