2025 SWSCC Educational Meeting - January

Antioxidants 101, 201 & 301..

Simply put, antioxidants are molecules which neutralize harmful free radicals. These molecules play a vital role in our daily lives from extending the shelf life of our food and personal care products to promoting normal cellular function, capable of lowering your risk to harmful health conditions. Consumers know the buzz word “antioxidants” and search for products that contain them. This means the beauty industry has a need to enhance our formulations with antioxidants. As antioxidants possess so many different functions and come from a vast array of sources, the question becomes, “which one to choose?” Surely, you would not use the same product to prevent rancidity in your hair oil as you would to prevent wrinkle formation after a week in the sun… or would you?
Delving into the three main classes of antioxidants, this talk is designed to help you understand the benefits of antioxidants and which ones are right for your formulations. In addition, we explore the different test methods typically used to help you categorize your ingredient choices into these classes of antioxidants, giving you the assurance you have what is required to meet your overall formulation needs.

Biography

Susan Sperring is a technical director for the cosmetic ingredients division at Symrise. Prior to Symrise, she also worked at Momentive Performance Materials, where she was the North American Marketing Manager for Personal Care and Home Care and Avon Products, Inc where she was a chemist for Global Skin Care. Sue has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from State University of New York- College at Oneonta and a master’s degree in Cosmetic Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University