Dial Up Your Antioxidant Therapy to Protect Skin from Summer Sun Damage

Melanin is the skin’s natural shield designed to protect cells from damage, and UV is its prime trigger. The more UV exposure skin receives, the more melanin it produces. The excess pigment production is part of a reactive chain of events set off by oxidative stress.

Don't let the summer sun leave its mark. The best antioxidants for hyperpigmentation work to counter oxidative stress and free-radical damage, helping support a more even, luminous-looking complexion.   Add these superstar ingredients to your regimen, and remember, antioxidants work best alongside a daily broad-spectrum sunscreen, not in place of one.

(RP)™ Retinoid is a potent antioxidant that helps visibly even the look of pigmentation in two important ways. It helps minimize the appearance of excess surface pigment for a more even-looking tone. It also aids epidermal renewal by accelerating cell turnover, so surface pigment is shed more quickly and skin looks brighter and clearer. REt (RP)™ Retinoid also helps improve the look of the skin's structure, smoothing and compacting the surface of the epidermis for a more refined, even-looking complexion.

REt (RP)™ Retinoid is often paired with alpha-hydroxy brighteners to maximize visible results. Exfol-A (REt (RP)™ Retinoid, lactic acid, kojic acid, niacinamide, glycolic acid) and Exfol-A Forté (REt (RP)™ Retinoid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, citric acid, kojic acid, lactic acid, niacinamide) take advantage of this synergistic effect. New to retinoids? Start with level-one Derm-A-Gel and work your way up.

This superhero antioxidant interacts with copper ions at the tyrosinase active site, reducing the oxidative steps involved in melanin formation and inhibiting melanogenesis. It also boosts the body’s store of glutathione, a super-antioxidant that helps regulate tyrosinase activity. Vitamin C is known for helping defend skin against free-radical damage from environmental stressors like UVB (the shorter wavelengths responsible for sunburns) and UVA (the wavelengths that penetrate deep into the dermis, contributing to the visible signs of aging in collagen and elastin).

Make Pure C + E therapy your daily defense against the free-radical assault that can bring on the look of dark spots and discoloration. The brightening and firming formula also includes lactic acid for gentle exfoliation and niacinamide, which suppresses melanin synthesis, reduces inflammation, and bolsters the skin barrier.

This gentle alpha-hydroxy acid helps reduce the look of pigment in several ways. It helps limit the appearance of excess pigment as it forms. It encourages pigment to shed faster from the surface of skin through exfoliation. And because of its larger molecular structure, it's absorbed more slowly into the skin, helping avoid the irritation that can trigger a melanin response. Mandelic acid is especially good for sensitive skin or dark skin tones.

Vivant formulator pioneered the use of mandelic acid in skin care. We have a complete line of clinically-tested mandelic acid products, including cleansers, toners, and corrective serums. Shop Vivant’s Clinical Mandelic Acid products.

Numerous studies have shown that the topical application of green tea polyphenols helps neutralize the free radicals generated by UV exposure and environmental stress. Additionally, green tea extracts have been shown to help visibly brighten and even the look of skin tone.

Vivant's Green Tea Cleanser is loaded with bioactive polyphenols, vitamins E and C, and antioxidant micronutrients to give skin a daily antioxidant boost.

This vitamin B derivative is a powerful antioxidant that improves the look of the skin's texture and tone. Niacinamide helps visibly even tone by disrupting the transfer of pigment between melanocytes and surrounding skin cells. Niacinamide is an all-around advocate for healthy-looking skin, boosting ceramide production, contributing to healthy cell function, and helping calm the look of redness.

You’ll find niacinamide in many of Vivant’s formulas, including most of our serums, our Daily Repair Pads, Skin Nourishing Toner, and Totaloe Calming and Hydrating Gel.

Bioactive phenolic compounds—flavonoids, tannins, polyphenols—are plant metabolites supercharged with antioxidant properties. Some of the highest concentrations are found in sources like green tea extract, grape pomace extract, rosehip oil, kiwi extract, mandelic acid, sea algae extract, aloe, and witch hazel.

For a heavy dose of phenolic protective goodness, try Vivant’s Skin Nourishing Toner. It’s an antioxidant cocktail of gently exfoliating acids and healing and hydrating botanicals, including mandelic acid, rosehip oil, green tea extract, kiwi fruit extract, grape pomace extract, witch hazel, and niacinamide.