W

February 16, 2023

Your skin is a very impressive, resilient thing. It creates its own collagen, hyaluronic acid, squalene, ceramides, fatty acids—yes, all those things we love to apply to the epidermis via skin care products. However, there can be value in applying these back on the skin: The hard truth is that we slowly lose our natural supply of all of these nutrients as we age. 

Well one underrated nutrient your body makes naturally is the antioxidant coenzyme Q10. Yes, your skin makes its own antioxidants1 to help fight off free radicals, support the barrier function, and relieve inflammation. And one of the most important that it produces is CoQ10, as it plays a vital role in cellular energy; just like other parts of our skin barrier makeup, it also declines with age.

The co-enzyme is a fat-soluble compound that’s found in all your cells, skin cells included! It has a few functions in the body, including its role as an antioxidant. Antioxidants, as we’ve discussed, support the skin by neutralizing free radicals and help stave off damage. They are one of the most important things you can use in skin care to prevent premature aging (this is why almost every skin care expert will encourage you to find yourself an antioxidant serum.) And CoQ10 is distinct in the fact that it also protects against lipid peroxidation2, a process by which free radicals damage cell membranes.

However, that’s not its only role—in fact, it’s other function is perhaps even more critical for youthful, thriving skin. Cells need the co-enzyme to produce energy3. Here’s how: it’s used in the mitochondria, or the “powerhouse” of the cell, where it transports electrons along energy-producing pathways. The energy produced by these pathways is then used for normal cellular functions. Essentially: Your skin cells cannot do their jobs without CoQ10—it’s a fundamental part of healthy skin. 

As we noted, CoQ10 decreases with age, and with it mitochondrial activity and energy formation3 declines as well. Essentially, with time our cells become less capable of doing the things that keep skin thriving—such as producing collagen, elastin, keratin, and more—so it will sag, appear dull, and show other signs of aging. 

However, research shows that applying it topically as part of a formulation significantly improved levels found in skin cells3—while also boosting the skin’s free radical-fighting abilities.