Blueberries might be small, but they pack a powerful punch. Like other botanicals, they’re filled with some of Earth’s strongest antioxidants, giving them a unique (and often overlooked) benefit: skincare.
Here at Juice Beauty, we’re all about juice — blueberries included. These unassuming fruits contain high-quality natural compounds that make them skincare’s best-kept secret ingredient. But not anymore.
Today, we’re going to let you in on the secret and break down what exactly blueberries can do for your skin.
What Is Blueberry Extract for Skin?
The blueberry fruit is a dark blue, almost purple berry grown in North America. Like other fruits (including blackberries, cranberries, and green apples), blueberries are packed full of antioxidants, making them a powerful superfood. Wild blueberries, especially lowbush wild blueberries, are one of the strongest bioactive ingredients out there.
Though you might think of blueberries as a sweet treat, don’t overlook the topical benefits of this fruit. Blueberry extract separates the organic compounds from the fruit’s flesh, which can then be infused into various natural skincare products. Different from the sugary fruit extract in candies or jellies, blueberry extract is all about bioactives.
What Are Antioxidants?
If you read the ingredient label on your skincare products, you know antioxidants are one of the leading ingredients in many different serums, creams, and lotions.
So, why do so many products prioritize these compounds?
Antioxidants are a type of chemical compound inside your body that supports your health at the cellular level. Why? Because they help support your cells during exposure to free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable oxygen atoms that can break apart cell membranes and disrupt their function. However, antioxidants can support your wellness during exposure to these damaging atoms, maintaining equilibrium and protecting your cells.
You need antioxidants everywhere in your body, but they’re especially vital to your skin. Free radical buildup in the top layers of your skin can lead to irritation, dull skin, and even premature aging. Without enough antioxidants, you leave your skin vulnerable to a world of both cosmetic and health concerns.
What Antioxidants Are in Blueberries?
Many foods contain antioxidants, but not every source is the same. Different ingredients have different antioxidant capacities.
This term of measurement describes the amount of free radicals an antioxidant can subdue — and the antioxidant capacity of blueberries is very high. While a cup of artichokes (a vegetable known for its antioxidant properties) contains close to 8,000 total antioxidants, a cup of wild blueberries has over 13,000.
The high antioxidant capacity of blueberries is due to the various sources of antioxidants within the fruit.
Some of these sources include:
- Vitamins C and K
- Phytochemicals and flavonoids, specifically anthocyanins
- Resveratrol (though in a smaller amount)
3 Blueberry Extract Benefits for Skin
Though blueberries are only in season from April to September, when it comes to your complexion, the blueberry benefits for skin are year-round. Their antioxidant properties produce three big benefits for your skin.
1. Boosts Hydration
The first benefit of blueberries for your skin is their power as moisturizers. Wild blueberries themselves are nearly 85% water — but this isn’t what makes them so hydrating for your skin. Scientifically speaking, it all comes down to antioxidants.
Remember how antioxidants fight off the free radicals that would otherwise damage your skin cells? Well, it’s not only skin cells those free radicals are after. They can also damage your skin’s lipid barrier.
Your lipid barrier — also known as your skin’s moisture barrier — regulates what goes in and what comes out of the skin. This includes water.
If free radicals compromise your lipid barrier, it can contribute to water loss, leaving your skin dry. By keeping your moisture barrier strong and free of damage, antioxidants work to boost hydration in the skin.
2. Brightens Skin
The second main benefit of blueberries has to do with the surface of your skin. That’s right, we’re talking about the brightening effect of blueberry on your complexion.
Blueberries contain a type of antioxidant called ellagic acid, which is known for its soothing properties. This powerful polyphenol targets redness in the skin by supporting cell health during exposure to free radicals, but it takes it a step further to target the appearance of dark spots, too.
Ellagic acid may help combat the look of pigmentation issues by interacting with tyrosinase, the enzyme that regulates melanin production in the skin.
Thus, blueberries can help brighten the appearance of your complexion and fade the look of spots.
3. Reduces the Appearance of Fine Lines and Wrinkles
The third way blueberry extract benefits your skin is by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Wrinkles are the most common age-related side effects on your skin. While there’s no shame in having skin lined with life, nobody wants to struggle with premature wrinkles before it’s their time. That’s where blueberries come in.
These small fruits can smooth out wrinkles by promoting two key proteins in the skin: collagen and elastin. Collagen is responsible for keeping your skin strong, not saggy, and elastin is what gives your skin that youthful bounce. For older adults, your skin makes less and less of these proteins on its own — which is why antioxidants are so important for older skin.
Antioxidants like vitamin C can support your skin’s natural ability to create collagen, helping to replace the proteins lost to age. By keeping collagen and elastin levels in your skin high, blueberry extract can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
How To Add Blueberries to Your Skincare Routine
You’ve heard just how powerful blueberries are when it comes to soothing, smoothing, and brightening the skin.
Now, you’re probably wondering: How can I get these benefits for my skin?
You can add blueberry antioxidants to your skincare routine in several ways. Our Signal Peptides™ collection targets tired skin and supports hydrated, firm skin through the power of wild blueberries and other rich plants:
- Signal Peptides Firming Serum works to restore your skin’s youthful glow through a blueberry-driven hydration boost. In clinical trials, 97% of participants reported smoother skin after using this serum, and 91% reported firmer skin.
- Signal Peptides Firming Eye Balm is richly moisturizing, strengthening the delicate skin around your eyes for a brighter and firmer skin look,
- Signal Peptides Firming Balm & Mask transforms dry skin with intense hydration, either as a daytime face mask or a nighttime sleeping mask.
Superpower Your Skincare With Superoxides
Both at the breakfast table and in your skincare routine, you should start the day with juice.
The antioxidants found in blueberries make them one of the best ingredients for your skin. Unlike other synthetic chemicals that people promote as skincare ingredients, blueberry juice comes straight from the Earth, making it a rich resource for your skin. From healing acne to hydrating your moisture barrier, these small fruits pack a big punch.
Sources:
Blueberry Supplementation and Skin Health | National Library of Medicine
Free Radicals, Antioxidants in Disease and Health | National Library of Medicine
Antioxidant Capacity - an overview | ScienceDirect
Blueberries Full of Antioxidants | University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Blueberries, raw | U.S. Department of Agriculture
Glutathione supports lipid abundance in vivo | National Library of Medicine
Ellagic Acid: What It Is, How It Works, and Food Sources | Healthline
Collagen: What It Is, Types, Function & Benefits | Cleveland Clinic
Vitamin C and Skin Health | Oregon State University Linus Pauling Institute