Ingredient Spotlight: Astaxanthin
Heralded as one of the world’s most potent antioxidants by nutritionists, astaxanthin is generating quite the buzz in the beauty and wellness industry. With incredible health benefits including radiant skin, athletic endurance, heart health and protection from pain and chronic disease, it’s no surprise this antioxidant is making its way into skincare products and supplements. While there’s never going to be a single magic health bullet, astaxanthin comes pretty close.
Found deep in the oceans, in microalgae, astaxanthin is considered one of the strongest antioxidants in nature, rich in a specific group of more than 600 antioxidants known as carotenoids. The carotenoid astaxanthin is a deep-red pigment marine life feasts on. Wild salmon, prawns, lobster and small crustaceans owe their pink colouring to this powerhouse antioxidant, as do flamingos.
What does it do?
Astaxanthin is considered one of the most powerful antioxidants in nature, due to its ability to scavenge free radicals in the body. Free radicals are produced by UV rays, pollution, stress, smoking and poor nutrition. Without antioxidants in the body, free radicals can accumulate and cause long-term damage to our health. Free radical damage is involved in many conditions and diseases such as cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration of the eye.
These disruptive free radicals are also a major contributor to ageing of the skin - destroying and slowing down the natural production of collagen and depleting precious hyaluronic acid, leaving skin looking and feeling tired and prone to fine lines wrinkles.
We all know how damaging the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays can be. Sun exposure is the leading cause of photoaging – premature signs of ageing that include wrinkles, dark spots and uneven texture. An anti-ageing study on astaxanthin showed it can visibly improve the skin’s condition by reducing the appearance of wrinkles and age spots, and nourishing dry skin if taken consistently for eight weeks. Other studies show astaxanthin is one of the most powerful antioxidants, believed to be 6,000 times stronger than vitamin C.
How does it affect the eyes and brain?
As well as its ability to promote visible longevity, another benefit of astaxanthin is its unique molecular structure that can cross the blood brain (and blood-eye barrier) where it can exert its protective anti-inflammatory effects to both brain and eye health.
Research has shown that Astaxanthin can improve learning, memory and minimise neuronal damage in the brain suggesting its therapeutic potential for the prevention or co-treatment of dementia, Alzheimers and Parkinsons Disease.
Astaxanthin
As the body doesn’t make astaxanthin, supplementation is key. It can be found in the diet – primarily from crab, prawns and wild salmon – but you’d need to eat a lot to get adequate amounts.
We've worked hard to source highly potent, organic and high quality astaxanthin, providing a strong 7mg daily dose, helping to maintain the structural integrity of the skin, reduce inflammation, detoxify the body from environmental factors and help minimise physical and physiological changes we often see with ageing.
To obtain a similar amount from diet alone would require you to eat 165g of wild salmon every day. Eating salmon in these amounts isn’t a viable option for many of us, especially if you’re vegetarian, vegan or don’t like fish. With an impressive amount of this hero antioxidant in each dose, our new formula has you covered and packs a punch with just one daily capsule taken with a meal.