Free Radicals and Antioxidants

Using Retinoic Acid, Rosehip, Seabuckthorn, and Calendula to fight Free-Radical damage

There is a lot of "hype" in the skin care industry about "antioxidants," particularly vitamin C. Vitamin C is an organic acid that occurs naturally in many plants. It can be isolated chemically and supplied as a white powder for use in cosmetics. However, this form of vitamin C may be adultered. Vitamin E is also a big "buzz"word in the skin care industry. Vitamin E has been found to protect the body (including the skin) from uncontrolled oxidation and free radical damage. However, like many natural substances, vitamin E can be synthesized in a laboratory. This synthetic vitamin E may not have much antioxidant activity and therefore, may not be beneficial to the skin.

The third antioxidant vitamin is Vitamin A, commonly called retinol in so-called "anti-aging" products. Retinoic acid, the acid of vitamin A is classified as a drug (Retin A) and is used to treat acne and aging skin. However, when isolated and used alone, this acid can cause allergic reactions and redness. Used properly and in its pure and natural state, vitamin A is essential for maintaining soft, plump, healthy skin. Vitamin A deficiency reduces the mucopolysaccharides in the skin, which profoundly accelerates the skin's aging process so maintaining the proper level of vitamin A is extremely important to prevent premature aging.

As you can see, vitamins A,C & E are crucial to healthy skin. However, one must be careful when purchasing skin care products that the vitamins used are in their pure and natural state. Many cremes simply cannot be using natural-state vitamins because their price is too low. Natural vitamins A, C & E are very expensive but you surely get what you pay for.

One way to ensure that the vitamins in a skin care product are pure and potent is to look for the ingredient, seabuckthorn extract. This fabulous extract (another gift in nature) is a highly concentrated source of all three vitamins A, C & E. The vitamins found in this extraordinary berry are in their "created" state... perfect and complete. The only drawback of seabuckthorn extract is its price.

Few, if any skin care products contain seabuckthorn extract for their vitamin source because of its high price. However, at The Myrtle Leaf, we use seabuckthorn extract in ALL of our "high-end" products for maturing skin. Where quality is concerned, price is not an issue at The Myrtle Leaf. Even where we choose not to use seabuckthorn extract, we seek out and use only "natural-state" vitamins with powerful antioxidant properties.

We are committed to using varying sources of vitamins A, C & E to offer high quality all natural products at different prices. But, you can rest assured that the antioxidants in The Myrtle Leaf products are pure and natural and will profoundly improve the texture and tone of your skin.

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