The Case for Wearing Antioxidants After Dark

It’s long been the dermatologic party line: prevention by day, repair by night. As such, we’ve been applying antioxidants plus sunscreen every morning followed by a curative dose of peptides or retinol in the evening. Lately, however, we’ve sensed a shift in the way dermatologists are talking about antioxidants, those precious molecules that snuff out free radicals before they can chew up collagen or cripple DNA. And while many still advocate applying them upon waking to fend off environmental insults that sunscreens can’t shield us from—pollution, cigarette smoke—it turns out there are ample reasons to feed skin a second helping before bed, too.

Lending credence to the after-dark argument is the simple fact that sunlight deactivates a good many antioxidants, including the venerable vitamin C. “If you apply an antioxidant in the morning and then go outside, it will act much like a sunscreen, sponging up UV-generated free radicals before they can harm the skin. But in the process, that antioxidant is destroyed and never gets fully absorbed into your cells where it’s really needed,” explains New York City–based dermatologist Neal Schultz, M.D., who, for the record, has always held the dissenting opinion that antioxidants work best at bedtime. And antioxidants are needed, day or night, according to Ellen Marmur, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. “Every step of our nightly rejuvenation process gives off some by-products, like toxic free radicals,” she says. “Antioxidants can help the skin to repair by capturing that excess energy overnight.”

More exciting still, emerging research shows that certain botanical antioxidants, like coffee cherry extract and resveratrol, may even supercharge our usual wrinkle-fighters when worn together at night. According to David McDaniel, M.D., a dermatologist in Virginia Beach, Virginia, specializing in antioxidants and anti-aging medicine, “We can combine fairly potent retinoids with these antioxidants for enhanced anti-aging benefits, and also avoid most of the irritation typical of vitamin A creams.” He credits the antioxidants’ natural anti-inflammatory effects with minimizing redness and peeling—an especially big boon for those with rosacea and sensitive skin—and assisting the retinoids in “defending against and repairing environmental damage.”

With this in mind, beauty companies are delivering loads of p.m.-specific potions. SkinCeuticals’s new Resveratrol B E Antioxidant Night Concentrate cocktails three antioxidants—resveratrol, vitamin E, and flavonoid-rich baicalin—to kick-start recovery. In Mad Hippie Vitamin A Serum, coffee berry and alpha lipoic acid intensify skin-plumping retinyl retinoate (a derivative of vitamin A). Glytone Antioxidant Anti-Aging Night Cream shores up collagen reserves with a blend of antioxidant red tea, peptides, and glycolic acid. And Shiseido Ibuki Beauty Sleeping Mask suspends vitamins C and E in a hydrating gel with a violet scent that has all the freshness of springtime.

 

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