An Anti-Aging Serum from the Drugstore that Tones Skin Better than Expensive Brands
It’s a known fact in dermatology that antioxidants are crucial for your morning routine. They play a vital role in shielding your skin from environmental factors like pollution and UV rays, preventing damage caused by free radicals. L’Oréal is challenging the norm with its latest product, Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight Serum ($33), suggesting that antioxidants could be just as beneficial for your evening skincare regimen.
Morning and evening skincare routines serve different purposes. During the day, your focus should be on protection, hence the necessity of antioxidants. Rocio Rivera, Ph.D., L’Oréal Paris VP of Scientific Communications, explains, “During the day, your skin is busy defending itself against harmful elements such as the sun, pollution, and stress. Antioxidants, when applied under your SPF, help shield the skin from daytime damage.”
Conversely, nighttime skincare is all about repair. Rivera notes, “At night, the skin shifts into repair mode as millions of cells work to renew and reverse the day’s damage. The same antioxidants are employed in a different manner during this period.” When you sleep, your skin’s circadian rhythm signals cellular rejuvenation.
Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City, states, “Traditionally, we view antioxidants as protective agents to be used in the morning with sunscreen to prevent free radical damage. However, they also act as a maintenance crew for our skin, neutralizing free radicals for hours following exposure to the sun.” By reducing inflammation, antioxidants can stimulate healthy skin cell turnover and collagen production, effectively reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
If you’re familiar with how retinol, a top nighttime skincare ingredient for skin repair, operates, you may understand this cell turnover activation. Dr. Rocio explains that antioxidants function differently. “Antioxidants use a separate mechanism of action compared to retinol, which also aids in cell turnover stimulation, to repair the damage caused by external and internal aggressors. Both play distinct roles, and when used together, their synergy is more impactful than when used individually.”
The Midnight Serum formula combines two daytime skincare staples—hyaluronic acid and antioxidants—in a way that promotes cell renewal while you sleep. Hyaluronic acid attracts moisture to the skin, while the antioxidant recovery complex derived from bitter orange, containing vitamin E, enhances the skin’s moisture barrier and locks in hydration. Dr. Zeichner notes, “The formula is gentle and moisturizing, utilizing hyaluronic acid, making it suitable for all skin types. It can be layered with your regular night cream.”
Priced at $33 per bottle, this intelligent serum competes with some of the best anti-aging treatments available. According to the brand, it has proven to be more effective than the leading luxury night serum in the United States (priced at $75) in reducing fine lines and wrinkles. It seems that antioxidants have indeed earned their place as a twice-daily skincare ingredient.
