Astaxanthin: 2021’s “It” ingredient in beauty and wellness.

Astaxanthin is a member of the xanthophyll carotenoid family. It is the main carotenoid found in red algae and aquatic animals and is a powerful antioxidant that works within the body to scavenge free radical damage.

The most common natural source for Astaxanthin is the algae “Hematococcus Pluvialis,” which krill, crustaceans, salmon, and flamingos feed on (hence their vibrant pink and red hues). It starts as green microalgae that accumulate a high content of astaxanthin under stressful conditions such as high salinity, nitrogen deficiency, high temperatures, and light. Astaxanthin produced by H. Pluvialis is a significant source of sustainable and nutrient-dense food for both humans and animals around the world.

Not sold yet? The folks at Byrdie agree:

https://www.byrdie.com/astaxanthin-for-skin

Proven benefits of Astaxanthin:

1. Protects the skin from harmful UV rays: Free radical damage comes in many different forms; light damage, tobacco, air pollution, and stress. All of these irritants can cause premature aging in our skin. Give your body a boost of anti-aging protection with antioxidants like Astaxanthin. Carotenoids in particular are efficient in protecting your skin from sun damage.
2. Natural anti-inflammatory mechanism: Several studies have demonstrated the role of astaxanthin supplementation in relieving inflammatory reactions. Although normal inflammatory reactions occur when the body reacts to injury, abnormal or prolonged stimulation of the body’s inflammatory response can be damaging. This happens daily because we are constantly exposed to pollutants and other environmental stresses. Astaxanthin decreases the production of pro-inflammatory cellular signals by preventing the activation of NF-kB. This molecule is central to the inflammation control mechanism. This helps to limit chronic inflammatory reactions throughout the body and improves the efficiency of the immune system.
3. Astaxanthin has a relative free radical absorption capacity (ORAC) far superior to other carotenoids: Astaxanthin has greater effectiveness as an antioxidant than lycopene, beta-carotene, lutein, tocotrienols. In laboratory tests, astaxanthin has demonstrated superior singlet oxygen (very damaging free radical) deactivating power than any other popular antioxidant. This study has indeed shown that natural astaxanthin is 500 times more effective than Vitamin E, 800 times more effective than CoQ-10, and 6,000 times more effective than Vitamin C!

 

What does all this mean for your skin? Astaxanthin will help to prevent sunburn, heal sun and environmental damage, prevent breakouts, and firm wrinkles.

 

THE RESULTS ARE IN FOR OUR FORMULA:

 

REFERENCES:

(Image from: Yang et al., Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Different Astaxanthin Isomers and the Roles of Lipid Transporters in the cellular transport of Astaxanthin isomers in Caco-2 cell monolayers)

Black H.S. 1998. Interception radicale par les caroténoïdes et effets sur la cancérogenèse par UV. Nutrition and Cancer. 31(3):212-217