Can adding CoEnzyme Q10 to your skincare REALLY reverse signs of aging?

It's true, the benefits of the active ingredients found in our Phil Pharma Lotions are pretty amazing - when paired with our device, results are astounding. This simple, easy to use duo packs a punch - but there is a LOT of science behind it, and I love taking the opportunity to simplfy it for you. So in the next few blogs, I'll break these active ingredients down piece by piece so you can learn what makes up our magic mist! 

This week - it's all about CoEnzyme Q10 - a powerful antioxidant vitamin which naturally occurs in your body. So why do we need it in skincare? 

The vitamin CoQ10 ("Vitamin Q") has been around for a long time, and it has a lot of fans - over a vast range of uses. Known to be great for heart health, it’s recently gotten popular in skincare. 

“I take CoQ10 every day. In fact, it’s one of my personal go-to vitamins,” says Kristin Schierenbeck, a certified nutrition specialist for NBTY . “As we get older our CoQ10 levels decrease, so taking a CoQ10 supplement is really helpful at fighting all of the toxic free radicals we are bombarded with every day, like smoke and pollution, that damage our cells.”

It all sounds great, but our goal is to break down the "why" we need this in skincare for you. Taking the lead from StyleCaster.com, I wanted to share the information from some of their experts to get the skinny:

Anti-aging: “As a naturally occurring, fat-soluble antioxidant, CoQ10 plays a functional role in fighting cell-damaging free radicals within the body. CoQ10 is a wonderful addition to any individual’s healthy aging program,” says Kristin Schierenbeck, a certified nutrition specialist, who explains Coenzyme Q-10 is naturally found on the skin’s surface where it functions as an antioxidant, to further support the healthy aging process. Studies have shown that endogenous CoQ10 levels unfortunately decrease with age and the use of statin medications, making it even more important to supplement with this essential nutrient.

“We start to lose CoQ10 as we approach our thirties, which is why we must take its ability to keep us beautiful (by counteracting free-radicals) seriously!” says Jolie Martin – corrective skincare expert at SKINNEY Medspa “CoQ10 is packed full of very powerful antioxidants. It can stop the loss of collagen and elastin in its tracks and even reverse aging."

Eliminating the visible signs of aging: Anti-aging is great in theory, but we want to know about the stuff that matters – and even in our twenties, there’s signs of aging that we’re looking to eliminate. According to Karen Behnke, CEO and Founding Partner of Juice Beauty, “This natural anti-oxidant helps diminish the appearance of fine lines, has rejuvenating effects (it helps reduce the breakdown of elastin and collagen, plus it’s antioxidant rich), helps reduce free radical damage that may contribute to the appearance of aging, and helps protect skin from sun damage.”

“CoQ10 not only makes the skin look younger, it also resets the biologic clock,” says  J. Michael Taylor, M.D., M.P.H., a retired dermatologist from Maine and creator of  Ocean Elements science-based skincare inspired by the ocean.  It is a potent antioxidant, quenching the damaging free radicals created by ultraviolet light that are the major factor causing photoaging, as it regenerates new (therefore younger) cells. “This is especially true of the dermal collagen. In 1999 German scientists demonstrated that “crow’s feet” were significantly improved after using topical CoQ10 for three months,” says Dr. Taylor.