Can we give skin a lifeline?

Think we all know that no skin care product can protect our skin 100 percent, but what are the things we could do to give our skin a lifeline?

Antioxidants has been the magic word in the last few years in both the health and beauty industry. From cancer to heart disease and immunological disorders to skin damage, in fact, it has become the new savior everyone is looking towards for answers to these problems, right?

Shall we say that it is just a new buzz word to sell more tablets and more creams? The answer is definitely “No”. Research findings have proven that antioxidant does play a role on our body and skin (perhaps on mind body spirit and soul!).

Oxidation or the loss of an electron will produce reactive substances known as free radicals that can cause oxidative stress or damage to our cells. Think of an iron bar rusting or an apple browning when exposed to air. Antioxidants are the rescuers capable of stabilizing free radicals before they can cause harm and they are acting just like a buffer.

While our body can defend itself to some degree against oxidative stress, it becomes less capable as we grow older. And with the increasing pollution around us, the thinning of the ozone layer and the lower quality of our food, we now need outside antioxidant help more than ever. We can indeed get some antioxidant help by eating food rich in antioxidants, such as vitamins, minerals, carotenoids and polyphenols. For this purpose, many can be identified by their colors, i.e. the deep red of cherries; the orange of carrots; the yellow of mangoes; and the blue-purple of grapes.

But the problem is, if we are looking to improve our skin condition, research indicates that the transfer rate of ingested antioxidants to the skin is only one percent. Nevertheless, beauty brands such as Clinique are responding to this problem through its new Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer. This topically applied version will target four of the most prevalent free radicals, i.e. singlet oxygen, hydroxyl, superoxide and peroxide. These free radicals are the first to appear when there are environmental aggressors that make them the most dangerous.

Clinique’s comes with the power of eight rapid and delayed release antioxidants which put up a strong fight against these free radicals that not only damage our skin quickly, but have the influence of a delayed effect and might damage our skin later.

Another feature about Clinique’s Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer is it uses an unusual "catalytic" antioxidant called Eukarion 134 to happily recycles itself, what this means is that, the antioxidant protection we get is kind of continuous. Therefore, damage is fast mopped up before it visually appears on our skin. In short, it throws our skin a lifeline and gives us a continuous insurance towards a better body, mind and spirit and soul!

What Debbie D’ Aquino, global Vice President of Clinique Product Development for Treatment shares on Clinique's Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer at the time of the product launched was as follows:

"Clinique isn't hope in a jar but products that deliver visible differences to the skin. It protects our skin from what is mostly invisible to the naked eye, i.e. the daily cumulative damage cause by exposure to skin oxidizing free radicals. By using a new and unique to Clinique A/08 Antioxidant Complex, which was designed by combing eight rapid and delayed action antioxidants, we are sure it can combat the daily assaults on our skin that cause damage and make our skin look older than its time.

We logically think of the sun first but there are other less obvious ways the environment can damage our skin like air and water pollution in the form of smoke, smog, dust and germs and it's the daily accumulation of these assaults that lead to skin issues such as lack of moisture, rough texture and looking and feeling less supple. That's why a daily moisturiser like Clinique's Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer can help protect, replenish, nourish and keep our skin strong and healthy is what we envision."

Clinique's Products Reference

• Clinique Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer ( Dry Combination Skin ) 50ml/1.7oz
• Clinique Continuous Rescue Antioxidant Moisturizer ( Combination Oily to Oily Skin ) 50ml/1.7oz