5 Reasons to Add Astaxanthin to your Skincare Routine
Does the word Astaxanthin sound familiar? For most of you, this may sound like a really odd word. I know the first time I heard it, I said, “Asta-what?” Although if you have been following our blog, then you most likely noticed our post from a few months ago regarding this new powerhouse antioxidant. However, this blog post is going to be a bit more in-depth with regard to the numerous benefits of Astaxanthin.
If you need a quick refresher, Astaxanthin is one of nature’s most potent antioxidants, it is what is classified as a caretenoid. It is primarily found in marine life including micro algae, wild salmon, red trout, krill, shrimp, crabs, and lobsters. It gives flamingos and salmon their brilliant pink hue.
So what can Astaxanthin do for your skin?
Astaxanthin is particularly impressive for your skin due to the fact that it never becomes a pro-oxidant, meaning that it protects our cells against oxidation. And, what is oxidation? Technically speaking, oxidation means the loss of electrons. In simpler terms, oxidation is decay or decomposition.
Maya Chia Beauty was at the vanguard of introducing the powerhouse antioxidant, astaxanthin, into beauty care. It can be found in the Maya Chia Beauty’s “Super Couple” face oil, which features Astaxanthin’s signature coral hue that imparts a beautiful radiant glow to the skin – one that appears as if you are glowing from within.
With that said, here are 5 fun facts about Astaxanthin, showing why it is a game changer in the world of high-performance, natural skincare.
1. Astaxanthin has been shown in clinical studies to increase skin moisture, moisture retention, elasticity, as well as promote skin smoothness, decreasing fine lines and wrinkles.
2. Astaxanthin has incredible UV-blocking properties, which helps to assist the skin in protecting itself against sun-related damage. So long dark spots! Please note: our oil does not have SPF in it – which means you will need to use an SPF in addition to the application of this face oil.
3. While we err on the side of quoting a more conservative study which found Astaxanthin 65 times stronger than Vitamin C in combating free radicals. Another reputable clinical study, has shown “Natural astaxanthin is exceptionally powerful in singlet-oxygen quenching. A 2007 study analyzed several popular antioxidants and their antioxidant power. This study found astaxanthin was 6,000 times stronger than vitamin C, 800 times stronger than CoQ10, 550 times stronger than green tea catechins and 75 times stronger than alpha lipoic acid.”
4. Astaxanthin can neutralize multiple free radicals at once, protecting your skin and body from oxidation, damage, and inflammation.
5. Astaxanthin has been proven to increase blood flow, meaning that it will help your skin to have better circulation. Increased circulation has various benefits, including increased cell turnover, amplified elasticity, and increased water retention.
In addition to all these amazing skin-related benefits, Astaxanthin can be taken as a supplement. There are a spate of clinical studies which demonstrates how it can increase energy, strength, eye health, and brain health, to name a few.(note: we (at Maya Chia Beauty) do not claim our products will lead to any of these benefits, but it’s interesting to read about) Needless to say, we can’t get enough of this transformative antioxidant!
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Nishida Y. et. al, Quenching Activities of Common Hydrophilic and Lipophilic Antioxidants against Singlet Oxygen Using Chemiluminescence Detection System.