How Do the Most Popular Anti-Aging Ingredients Work?

With every new skin care product, it can feel as though a whole new series of anti-aging ingredients is introduced. It can be hard to keep up with what they all do and if they’re beneficial. One day, a doctor or scientist in a commercial is promising that a certain substance is the be-all and end-all to skin care. The next, something entirely different has the spotlight.

The following are some of the most popular anti-aging ingredients in top products on the market. I’ve looked into each of them and here’s what I’ve learned about each one.

Anti Aging Ingredients: Alpha-Lipoic Acid

This is an antioxidant that provides your skin with additional free-radical protection. It also further activates other antioxidants such as coenzyme Q10. It’s supposed to decrease inflammation and improve cellular energy production.

Anti Aging Ingredients: Coenzyme Q10

Deficiencies in coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) can lead to reduced collagen and elastin production. Those are two naturally occurring anti-aging ingredients produced by your own body. CoQ10 supplementation makes sure the body continues to make enough of those substances, even after the age of 30.

Anti-Aging Ingredients: Caffeine

It’s not just your friend in your morning coffee and in energy pills you take to get you through your workout. Caffeine can also be applied to your skin. It has antioxidant properties, provides UV protection and can reduce the photo-aging process in your skin. It is often used in eye creams because it reduces the look of puffiness and sagging, as well as in anti-cellulite products because it can temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite, too.

Anti-Aging Ingredients: Green Tea

Green tea is well known among anti-aging ingredients for its anti-inflammatory properties as well as for being an antioxidant. Some preliminary studies have indicated that it may help to protect skin from cancer, reduce sun damage (photodamage) and reduce the breakdown of collagen.

Anti-Aging Ingredients: Hyaluronic Acid

This may sound harsh because it’s an acid, but it’s actually a powerful moisturizer. It can hold up to 1,000 times its own weight in water so it can help to keep skin hydrated and supple. It is already found naturally in the body, but it is added to many quality products as an alternative to synthetic fillers. It holds more water than polymers and helps to plump the skin to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, dark circles as well as sagging.

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