What is CoQ10 in skincare?
Coenzyme Q10, also called ubiquinone, is a fat-soluble compound found in the mitochondria of every cell. It has two jobs: it carries electrons in the process that generates cellular energy, and it acts as an antioxidant protecting cell membranes from oxidation.
Skin levels of CoQ10 fall steadily with age and are further depleted by UV exposure, which is the rationale for replacing it topically.
What skin concerns does CoQ10 treat?
It targets the energy side of skin ageing – tired, dull, thinning skin with reduced cell activity – alongside fine lines and loss of firmness.
Topical application has been shown to raise CoQ10 levels in the skin and increase its antioxidant capacity, and laboratory work links it to reduced UVB-induced wrinkle formation. It is well tolerated, including on sensitive skin.
What ingredients are best paired with CoQ10?
Stack it with other antioxidants for a wider defence: vitamin C, vitamin E, ferulic acid, resveratrol and green tea all cover different free-radical species.
It pairs safely with retinoids, peptides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, making it easy to slot into an existing anti-ageing routine. As with all antioxidants, it supports sunscreen rather than substituting for it. Take our Skin Quiz.
What are acne scars?
Acne scars are permanent changes in skin texture left behind after inflammatory acne damages the dermis. They fall into two families: atrophic scars, which sit below the surface as ice-pick, boxcar or rolling depressions, and hypertrophic or keloid scars, which sit raised above it.
What most people call scarring is often post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation or erythema – flat brown or red marks with no texture change. Those fade on their own; true atrophic scars do not.
What causes acne scars?
Scarring happens when inflammation reaches deep enough to destroy collagen and the repair process either lays down too little (atrophic) or too much (hypertrophic). Deep nodular and cystic lesions carry the highest risk.
Delaying treatment, picking or squeezing, and prolonged inflammation all increase the odds. Genetics play a large part in who scars and how, which is why two people with identical acne can heal very differently.
What ingredients are best for acne scars?
For flat marks, ingredients that speed turnover and calm pigment work well: retinoids, vitamin C, niacinamide, azelaic acid, alpha arbutin and AHAs, with daily SPF to stop marks darkening again.
For true textural scarring, topicals can soften but not erase – retinoids and peptides help remodel collagen over months, while in-clinic options like microneedling, resurfacing and subcision do the heavy lifting. Preventing new inflammation is the highest-value step. Take our Skin Quiz.
