This Ingredient Is An Under-The-Radar Hero For Aging Skin

September 26, 2022 — 11:25 AM

If signs of aging are your main complexion concerns, you’ll likely come across a few common players as you fill your skin care arsenal. Topical retinol, of course, is the gold-standard for healthy skin aging; vitamin C is also essential for collagen production; and peptides have certainly proven their worth when it comes to improving hydration and firmness.* 

These are all sound investments for any “anti-aging” skin care routine, but they by no means represent the full scope of MVPs. In fact, a few hero ingredients fly under the radar: For example, did you know astaxanthin is one of the greatest ingredients for aging skin? 

It’s true! When used in topical applications, astaxanthin (a potent carotenoid found in microalgae) was found to be 6,000 times stronger than vitamin C and 550 times stronger than green tea catechins. Beyond its purpose as a free-radical fighter, this carotenoid has been clinically shown to improve skin hydration, elasticity, and smoothness after six to eight weeks of oral consumption.* Talk about a workhorse ingredient. 

You can find astaxanthin in a load of topicals (namely eye creams and moisturizers), but if you want to double up on benefits, you might want to ingest it, too: Of course, topical products are top notch for addressing surface-level skin concerns, but for overall support, oral supplements can aid in hydration, elasticity, firmness, and tone.* Plus, when consumed, astaxanthin has been shown to improve moisture levels, especially around the eye area.* 

That’s why mindbodygreen used a premium algal-sourced form of astaxanthin called AstaReal® when formulating our beloved cellular beauty+. This powerhouse carotenoid has been clinically researched and shown to reduce fine lines and age spots after six to 16 weeks.* This blend also comes with plant-sourced ceramides (called phytoceramides), which have also been clinically shown to significantly increase skin hydration, elasticity, and smoothness.* There’s also ubiquinol CoQ10 to promote skin cell "cleanup" (aka, getting rid of debris) and rejuvenation, plus polyphenol-containing pomegranate whole fruit extract for photoprotection.*

What does this all mean? Well, astaxanthin is a significant player for healthy skin aging, but our cellular beauty+ formula features a team full of all-stars.