NEW SKIN ROCKS | THE ANTIOXIDANT SERUM

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Today we're talking about a new launch by Skin Rocks, the Antioxidant Serum* | £70. In a market with many antioxidant options, we're going to talk about why it's good to have this kind of product in your routine, what's in this particular product, how it works and whether I think this formulation is worth the price tag... 

Let's start with explaining what an antioxidant is, how they work and why you might want to consider incorporating them into your routine. Antioxidants neutralise free radical damage which can cause premature ageing in the skin. Free radicals are present in our environment and you're probably getting a fair amount of them if you live in the city like me. Free radicals are unstable as they have unpaired electrons, whereas antioxidants neutralise them because they're stable enough to donate a spare electron. In the long term, I do think antioxidants are a fundamental preventative part of a well-ageing routine, plus they work in synergy with your sunscreen so both products are as effective as possible for your skin. They do provide a noticeable glow boost after application and you should see improvements in skin quality within weeks of use, but the real benefits are more long term, which is why I find antioxidants pretty difficult to review! This is where clinical trials and the research behind the product can come in handy (more on that later...)

This is definitely a product I was waiting for Caroline Hirons to launch with Skin Rocks! The range focuses on skincare essentials featuring gentle but hardworking actives and aims to simplify skincare by not offering a dozen iterations of the same sort of thing. The Antioxidant is very much in keeping with this mission, combining a number of different antioxidants into a single powerhouse formula rather than offering multiple different standalone antioxidant ingredients, thereby taking a lot of the guesswork out. The ingredients and texture mean it will be suitable for any skin type. 

So, what's in here? This formula contains Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate as a derivative of Vitamin C. Vitamin C is the most famous antioxidant on the market but there are a huge range of options out there. Pure form Vitamin C is Ascorbic Acid, and it's notoriously unstable! Whilst a certain brand has figured out the golden rules of making it more stable, less irritating and maximally effective; this formula is patented and costs £150 (eye-watering, if you thought the Antioxidant seemed pricey!) There are alternatives on the market that tweak this formula slightly so as not to fall foul of the patent, but they're not as well-proven and a lot of mass market brands don't even attempt it because they'd simply be unable to ensure the product is in the customer's hands before the Vitamin C has oxidised and been rendered useless. Therefore we fall back to derivatives of Vitamin C, which are more stable and less potentially irritating, but aren't as established for their protective well-ageing benefits or for boosting collagen production (which depletes as we age). THDA (the derivative found in the Antioxidant) is an oil soluble form of Vitamin C, meaning it can more easily pass through the lipid barrier to be absorbed by your skin and it has an almost neutral pH (Ascorbic Acid, as the name suggests, requires a low pH), meaning it's less likely to cause irritation. It's also highly stable.

This Vitamin C derivative is bolstered by a number of other ingredients to boost its antioxidant and well-ageing potential. There's also Acetyl Zingerone within this formulation, which is a new one to me. This ingredient is derived from ginger and seems to work effectively against a variety of free radicals that your skin may encounter as well as against damage from visible light (though obviously it's no replacement for sunscreen). It also seems to have anti-inflammatory benefits, which is going to be great for skin that's prone to sensitivity. There's also green tea extract and Vitamin E to help further boost the antioxidant potential of the overall formula. Another interesting ingredient here is the  acetyl tetrapeptide-2. Peptides are short-chain amino acids that help with skin hydration and can even boost collagen production in the skin. Specific peptides also have their own unique properties and the benefit of this one is that it can brighten, boost the skin's natural defences and ability to regenerate. There are also obviously less active ingredients in here too and the glycerin (a water magnet ingredient) really helps this to feel hydrating on the skin.

In terms of this serum and my experience of using it; this has a light lotion-like texture that melts in effortlessly with that glycerin base. It feels instantly hydrating and it definitely has kept my skin looking healthy, radiant and glowing over the past several weeks I've been using this for. It does feel like I'm having some very good skin days at the moment and things are looking fresher, more even and more radiant, and this is the new addition to my routine that I have to credit for that. When it comes to the long-term benefits... it's obviously hard to say! There are some very promising clinicals on this formula but they are understandably based on around about the same amount of time I've personally been using this product for. There are some really compelling ingredients in here for me that elevate it far beyond your standard Vitamin C serum. Is it worth the price? Well, that really depends on your budget; there are much less efficacious products on the market at a much higher price that this. However, conversely, there are also cheaper products on the market that are still going to do a really good job for your skin. If I wasn't testing and trialling new products, I think I would personally make the investment on this because it hydrates, it contains a peptide and it has the antioxidant power, which make it a great AM all-rounder. However, no skincare product is life-changing enough to be worth financially stretching yourself far beyond your means, so I don't recommend it if £70 is just too much for you.

Have you tried this formula or anything else from Skin Rocks?

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