Some things trail sophistication after their name. Harley-Davidson. Or X (insert your favorite brand here). Or Ubiquinone, aka Coenzyme Q10 skincare. It’s all about the CoQ10 benefits. An excellent male grooming product should quietly say “science,” not gush about tropical flowers.
Nothing says “serious technology” like “ubiquinone or ubiquinol.” That’s one of the reasons why it recently became a staple of cosmeceuticals. Also, ubiquinone sort of works. And so the race for the claim of being the best CoQ10 cream with the most CoQ10 benefits began.
The science behind using coenzyme Q10 is as follows. Firstly, the excessive oxidation of skin proteins and membranes by UV and environmental pollutants causes skin damage. Secondly, skin loses elasticity and sags, wrinkles form. You look worse for wear even if you spent the night before at home and not riding your Harley Davidson, the wind, and petrol fumes buffeting your skin.
CoQ10 benefits
In human cells, ubiquinone works as an antioxidant. It mops excess of the radicals that create oxidative damage. And it restores the antioxidative properties of vitamin E, another popular skin product ingredient. It’s a pity that the magic ubiquinone production declines with age.
The modern city, the habitat of the sophisticated man, is full of pollutants that produce radicals. The radicals cause oxidative skin damage. But if we supply the skin with the ubiquinone’s excess, it will intercept the radicals. Thus preventing the damage.
Is there any downside to taking CoQ10?
However, the skin is not like a car body that can only be coated from outside. Skin is a living organ that is built and maintained from the inside of the organism. Ubiquinone is not soluble in water, so there is always a question if it penetrated the deeper skin layers.
The problem with the cosmetics industry that it is usually big on claims and shy about the hard data beyond “93% of our customers would recommend our product”. It’ proved to be challenging to find data confirming the “Ubiquinone theory.” But we like the challenge.
Health benefits of CoQ10
An article by a large group of authors from a German institution (usually trustworthy even if they do work for the cosmetics industry). They studied the effect of ubiquinone application on the actual skin of real people. The article confirms that the application of ubiquinone-containing “formulas” has slightly (but significantly) increased the quinone levels on the skin’s surface.
Even better, the ubiquinone level has also increased in the deeper layers of the epidermis.
The article also shows the importance of skin product correct formulation. And thus also reap the CoQ10 benefits. A cream containing 348 µM ubiquinone had increased the coenzyme Q10 concentration only in outer skin layers. Only the more concentrated serum (870 µM) had punched through to the deep layers.
The message is that ubiquinone is good for you in general, and its concentration can be increased via skincare products. But do not use any old cream that says “Q10” on the tin. Look for the maximum concentration and modern delivery systems with the smallest droplets size to maximize ubiquinone effect on your skin. Something that makes a real contender for the best cream to deliver CoQ10 benefits for men. Others simply making noise.
Sources:
1) https://iubmb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/biof.1239
2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26648450/
Since you did arrive down here reading and obviously care about your skin, you might like to learn more.
Curious about effects of skin bleaching? Then check this out: Why A Skin Bleaching Job Might Turn You Dark
