Ubiquinone: The Antioxidant Powerhouse Your Skin Deserves

ubiquinone
By Charlene Bollinger January 22, 2022

Ubiquinone is also (and perhaps more popularly) known as coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10. Applied to skin, it can have antioxidant benefits due to its energizing effect on factors in skin that tend to slow down with age and cumulative sun exposure.

The hunt for firm skin is fervent, and it’s one of the most sought-out side effects when looking for a good skincare product. Many ingredients claim to increase cell turnover rate and improve skin’s elasticity, but as of late, we’ve been noticing a certain name popping up more and more when it comes to our skin’s firmness: CoQ10. 

But CoQ10 is nothing new. It’s been a hero ingredient in Japanese beauty for years. So, what exactly is it? Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble substance found in almost every tissue in your body. Your body naturally produces a lot of it.

As an antioxidant, Coenzyme Q10 can go around mopping up reactive free radicals before they muck up your cells. Free radicals are generated in normal cell processes and by environmental stressors (UV, pollution), and when they react with parts of your body they’re not meant to, the damage can accumulate and show up as signs of aging.

In aerobic cellular respiration, Coenzyme Q10 is vital in aerobic energy production within the mitochondria of your cells. Your body produces around 95% of its energy this way. “Aerobic” in this context doesn’t just mean walking and exercising, but all of the microscopic oxygen-consuming processes that go on inside your body that you don’t notice.

Coenzyme Q10 was discovered in 1957 and since then, its use has been researched extensively in the areas of cancer and heart disease. Coenzyme Q10’s been mainly found to act as an antioxidant. It’s believed to be involved in preventing both chronological aging (loss of firmness in skin as you get older) and photoaging (wrinkling and drying of skin from excessive sun exposure). Applying coenzyme Q10 on the skin was found to increase antioxidant levels and decrease free radicals in a clinical trial.

It’s also expected that, like other antioxidants, coenzyme Q10 could help prevent the inflammation and wrinkling caused by the radicals formed in your skin after sun exposure. Cultured human skin cells treated with coenzyme Q10 suffered less damage when exposed to UVA and UVB light, and coenzyme Q10 prevented UVA-induced antioxidant decrease in elderly people’s skin.

As you get older, the levels of coenzyme Q10 in your body decreases, with peak levels occurring in your early 20s. It also decreases when you’re stressed or sick. It’s thought that this could lead to sagging skin, wrinkles and loss of firmness and elasticity.

So logically, you could potentially undo this by supplementing your skin with a coenzyme Q10-containing skincare product. And like most other antioxidants, it looks like it mostly acts on the upper layers (epidermis) rather than the deeper layers (dermis), with 10 times as much coenzyme Q10 found in the epidermis.

There aren’t many studies on topical coenzyme Q10 and aging skin, but a couple of trials found that topical 1% and 0.3% coenzyme Q10 cream reduced wrinkles. However, both of these studies were performed over a long period (5-6 months), so coenzyme Q10 may not be ideal for quick results.

While naturally occurring CoQ10 can be digested for energy, it can do a number of things in skincare products too. In terms of skincare, it’s usually in toners, moisturizers, and under-eye creams, helping to even skin tone and reduce the appearance of fine lines.Here are a few examples:

Energizes Cell Activity: “This energy is needed to repair damage and make sure the skin cells are healthy,” says Bullock. “Active skin cells get rid of toxins easily and can make better use of nutrients. When your skin ages, all these processes slow down, causing dull and sallow, wrinkled skin.” CoQ10 can keep your cells active and energized, helping your cells rid themselves of toxins.

Reduces Sun Damage: “The skin is damaged by exposure to the sun’s UV rays, which provides a source of free radicals, which can be damaging to the cells’ DNA,” says Pickens. “The potent antioxidant function of CoQ10 helps it to protect the skin at the molecular level from the damaging effects of the sun and from damage by free radicals.” As Thomas explains, it works by “decreasing the collagen degradation of skin and interdicting the damage caused by photo-aging.”

Evens Skin Tone: CoQ10 works to block tyrosinase, which helps with the production of melanin, which means that CoQ10 can help fade and prevent dark spots.1

Stimulate collagen and elastin production: “CoQ10 supports the body’s ability to produce collagen and elastin,” says Bullock.

Replenishes Skin Cells: More energized skin cells mean healthier skin cells. Adding CoQ10 to your skincare may allow your cells to better utilize other nutrients, leading to healthier skin overall.

Helps Reduce Damage of Free Radicals: Since CoQ10 aids in cell activity, it also means that your cells can be more efficient in flushing out toxins like free radicals and healing the damage they cause.

Helps Soothe Skin: While toxins are being flushed out, your skin is silently thanking you. CoQ10 works to help your cells remove what’s irritating cells and your skin.

This ingredient helps your body produce collagen and elastin, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines. That’s why we use it in our CHARLÍS Breath of Life Oxygen Face Serum. This outstanding serum gives your skin the “breath of life” it needs and deserves!

Other superstar ingredients include:

APPLE STEM CELL: Studies show that apple stem cells boost production of human stem cells, protect the cell from stress, and decrease wrinkles.

ORGANIC CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FLOWER EXTRACT: Calendula Extract prevents aging in two different ways: It promotes skin tightness, which reduces day-to-day damage, and it also increases hydration within the skin, which is one of the main ways to prevent signs of aging.

ORGANIC CITRUS PARADISI PEEL OIL: Extracted from the peel of the grapefruit, this oil contains naturally occurring alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) that help promote smoother, younger looking skin by increasing the rate of cell renewal. It also contains astringent and tightening properties, and due to potent antibacterial and antimicrobial effects, it’s the perfect ingredient to treat and protect acne-prone skin.

ORYZA SATIVA BRAN EXTRACT: Oryza sativa (rice) bran extract helps to soften skin. It is a rich source of over 100 antioxidant compounds, including vitamin E, ferulic acid, and oryzanol. The bran also contains moisturizing polysaccharides, omega-3 fatty acids, and micronutrients like calcium, selenium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.

 

Beauty is more than skin deep. We want you to love your skin, and the CHARLÍS line of luxury skin care products will help you feel confident in your healthy, beautiful, radiant skin. For information on how to order the best skin care products on the market, please visit https://charlis.beauty/.

Ubiquinone is also (and perhaps more popularly) known as coenzyme Q10 or CoQ10. Applied to skin, it can have antioxidant benefits due to its energizing effect on factors in skin that tend to slow down with age and cumulative sun exposure.

The hunt for firm skin is fervent, and it’s one of the most sought-out side effects when looking for a good skincare product. Many ingredients claim to increase cell turnover rate and improve skin’s elasticity, but as of late, we’ve been noticing a certain name popping up more and more when it comes to our skin’s firmness: CoQ10. 

But CoQ10 is nothing new. It’s been a hero ingredient in Japanese beauty for years. So, what exactly is it? Coenzyme Q10 is a fat-soluble substance found in almost every tissue in your body. Your body naturally produces a lot of it.

As an antioxidant, Coenzyme Q10 can go around mopping up reactive free radicals before they muck up your cells. Free radicals are generated in normal cell processes and by environmental stressors (UV, pollution), and when they react with parts of your body they’re not meant to, the damage can accumulate and show up as signs of aging.

In aerobic cellular respiration, Coenzyme Q10 is vital in aerobic energy production within the mitochondria of your cells. Your body produces around 95% of its energy this way. “Aerobic” in this context doesn’t just mean walking and exercising, but all of the microscopic oxygen-consuming processes that go on inside your body that you don’t notice.

Coenzyme Q10 was discovered in 1957 and since then, its use has been researched extensively in the areas of cancer and heart disease. Coenzyme Q10’s been mainly found to act as an antioxidant. It’s believed to be involved in preventing both chronological aging (loss of firmness in skin as you get older) and photoaging (wrinkling and drying of skin from excessive sun exposure). Applying coenzyme Q10 on the skin was found to increase antioxidant levels and decrease free radicals in a clinical trial.

It’s also expected that, like other antioxidants, coenzyme Q10 could help prevent the inflammation and wrinkling caused by the radicals formed in your skin after sun exposure. Cultured human skin cells treated with coenzyme Q10 suffered less damage when exposed to UVA and UVB light, and coenzyme Q10 prevented UVA-induced antioxidant decrease in elderly people’s skin.

As you get older, the levels of coenzyme Q10 in your body decreases, with peak levels occurring in your early 20s. It also decreases when you’re stressed or sick. It’s thought that this could lead to sagging skin, wrinkles and loss of firmness and elasticity.

So logically, you could potentially undo this by supplementing your skin with a coenzyme Q10-containing skincare product. And like most other antioxidants, it looks like it mostly acts on the upper layers (epidermis) rather than the deeper layers (dermis), with 10 times as much coenzyme Q10 found in the epidermis.

There aren’t many studies on topical coenzyme Q10 and aging skin, but a couple of trials found that topical 1% and 0.3% coenzyme Q10 cream reduced wrinkles. However, both of these studies were performed over a long period (5-6 months), so coenzyme Q10 may not be ideal for quick results.

While naturally occurring CoQ10 can be digested for energy, it can do a number of things in skincare products too. In terms of skincare, it’s usually in toners, moisturizers, and under-eye creams, helping to even skin tone and reduce the appearance of fine lines.Here are a few examples:

Energizes Cell Activity: “This energy is needed to repair damage and make sure the skin cells are healthy,” says Bullock. “Active skin cells get rid of toxins easily and can make better use of nutrients. When your skin ages, all these processes slow down, causing dull and sallow, wrinkled skin.” CoQ10 can keep your cells active and energized, helping your cells rid themselves of toxins.

Reduces Sun Damage: “The skin is damaged by exposure to the sun’s UV rays, which provides a source of free radicals, which can be damaging to the cells’ DNA,” says Pickens. “The potent antioxidant function of CoQ10 helps it to protect the skin at the molecular level from the damaging effects of the sun and from damage by free radicals.” As Thomas explains, it works by “decreasing the collagen degradation of skin and interdicting the damage caused by photo-aging.”

Evens Skin Tone: CoQ10 works to block tyrosinase, which helps with the production of melanin, which means that CoQ10 can help fade and prevent dark spots.1

Stimulate collagen and elastin production: “CoQ10 supports the body’s ability to produce collagen and elastin,” says Bullock.

Replenishes Skin Cells: More energized skin cells mean healthier skin cells. Adding CoQ10 to your skincare may allow your cells to better utilize other nutrients, leading to healthier skin overall.

Helps Reduce Damage of Free Radicals: Since CoQ10 aids in cell activity, it also means that your cells can be more efficient in flushing out toxins like free radicals and healing the damage they cause.

Helps Soothe Skin: While toxins are being flushed out, your skin is silently thanking you. CoQ10 works to help your cells remove what’s irritating cells and your skin.

This ingredient helps your body produce collagen and elastin, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines. That’s why we use it in our CHARLÍS Breath of Life Oxygen Face Serum. This outstanding serum gives your skin the “breath of life” it needs and deserves!

Other superstar ingredients include:

APPLE STEM CELL: Studies show that apple stem cells boost production of human stem cells, protect the cell from stress, and decrease wrinkles.

ORGANIC CALENDULA OFFICINALIS FLOWER EXTRACT: Calendula Extract prevents aging in two different ways: It promotes skin tightness, which reduces day-to-day damage, and it also increases hydration within the skin, which is one of the main ways to prevent signs of aging.

ORGANIC CITRUS PARADISI PEEL OIL: Extracted from the peel of the grapefruit, this oil contains naturally occurring alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) that help promote smoother, younger looking skin by increasing the rate of cell renewal. It also contains astringent and tightening properties, and due to potent antibacterial and antimicrobial effects, it’s the perfect ingredient to treat and protect acne-prone skin.

ORYZA SATIVA BRAN EXTRACT: Oryza sativa (rice) bran extract helps to soften skin. It is a rich source of over 100 antioxidant compounds, including vitamin E, ferulic acid, and oryzanol. The bran also contains moisturizing polysaccharides, omega-3 fatty acids, and micronutrients like calcium, selenium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc.

 

Beauty is more than skin deep. We want you to love your skin, and the CHARLÍS line of luxury skin care products will help you feel confident in your healthy, beautiful, radiant skin. For information on how to order the best skin care products on the market, please visit https://charlis.beauty/.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *