Red, White, and Beautiful: The Skin Care Benefits of Blueberries

July 04, 2018
By: Jessie Quinn | skincare.com by L'Oréal

Skin care starts from the inside, out, so making sure you’re munching on fruits and veggies as part of a well-balanced diet, is a must! At Skincare.com there are many skin care superfoods that we love, but this July we’re definitely reaching for in-season blueberries, thanks to their sweet flavor and their beauty benefits! “Blueberries are the pint-sized hero of superfoods,” says Beauty Botanist, Jennifer Hirsch. “[They are] packed with vitamins A, C, and K, fiber, and an array of antioxidants. When it comes to beauty inside out, they rival acai berries—and are easier to find on supermarket shelves.” It’s true. Blueberries may be small, but when it comes to benefits these little berries are mighty.

“Cultivated blueberries, like you’d find in your local market, have up to 9,019 antioxidants in 250ml,” Hirsch explains, so adding them to a smoothie, parfait, or simply eating them on their own is a great way to incorporate antioxidants into your diet. When used in skin care, antioxidants are known to help with the early signs of skin aging and to aid in protecting the skin from environmental aggressors like free radicals. 

 

Blueberries are the pint-sized hero of superfoods. They are packed with vitamins A, C, and K, fiber, and an array of antioxidants.

On top of their impressive antioxidant levels, Hirsch tells us that blueberries contain a concentration of salicylates. “This is the salt of salicylic acid—the powerhouse behind skin blemish treatments, with an established reputation for lifting away dead skin cells from skin’s surface that can clog pores.” 

One way to incorporate blueberries into your skin care routine—that is, aside from eating them—is through do-it-yourself skin care products like homemade face masks. Try blending blueberries with yogurt and manuka honey, for a hydrating, antioxidant-rich face mask.