So far much of my experience with Juice Beauty products has been tempered enthusiasm. They smell great and have an ingredient list worth boasting about, but not the most appealing feeling on the skin (a

little too heavy for my taste.) But! But... now I've found a product that I really enjoy putting on that I couldn't highly recommend more.

We all know that sunscreen is the most important step in a gal's anti-aging skin care routine. A while back, one woman's magazine put its significance into perspective when answering a reader's question
going something like this:

Q: Why haven't they developed, by now, an anti-aging skin care cream that really works?

A: They have; it's called sunscreen.

What I like about this product is that it is perfect for the harried, the lazy, the press-the-snooze-button-again-and-again type of lady. You see, often I ignore slathering on sun protection because I just don't have time... because the thick creams take to long to rub in and often disrupt whatever fragrance I happen to be wearing.

I keep this lotion in my bathroom and slather it on right after showering. It goes on smooth and absorbs more like a moisturizer than a sunscreen, but effectively doing both at the same time. And the green apple smell is not overpowering, just suggestively fresh. What's more, this formula has one of the most interesting ingredient line-ups that I've come across thus far—antioxidant rich... chemical-free SPF 20 sun protection... brightening, smoothing fruit acid complexes... PLUS a compelling blend of anti-aging peptides, DMAE, alpha lipoic acid, and coenzyme Q10.

A little more about this blend...

DMAE (also known as dimethyl MEA or dimethyl aminoethanol) is an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant ingredient thats been more or less getting a pretty good wrap. In concentrations of about 3% in topical formulations it has been shown to significantly increase skin firmness and to slightly reduce the appearance of wrinkles and skin inflammation. In addition, as rounded up by futurederm.com, DMAE has a number of clinically proven attributes, including increased firmness and fullness, plus a slight reduction in wrinkles and inflammation. For another spin, check out Marta's post: What is it? DMAE versus Retinol.

As written about earlier, Coenzyme Q10 is a small molecule that can relatively easily penetrate skin cells. A 1999 study by German researchers reported that long-term use of CoQ10 reduced crows feet. Idebenone is a version of CoQ10 that has a particularly low molecular weight and has performed well against cell damage from oxidative stress in a variety of trials.

Alpha lipoic acid has two important characteristics. Firstly, as a fundamental co-enzyme in several energy-producing reactions on a cellular level. And secondly, as a small but powerful antioxidant accessible to all parts of the body.

Palmitoyl tetrapeptide-3 has been shown in studies to stimulate the development of new collagen, elastin and glucosaminoglycanes (GAGs) in the skin, and is also anti-inflammatory.

Ingredients in Juice Beauty Green Apple SPF 20 Antioxidant Body Moisturizer:

active ingredient: titanium dioxide 2.5% inactive ingredients: juices of pyrus malus (apple) juice,* citrus medica limonum (lemon),* vitis vinifera (white grape)* & aloe barbadensis leaf,* saccarum officinarum,* camellia sinensis (green tea) leaf extract,* plant oils of helianthus annuus (sunflower), butyrospermum parkii (shea butter)* & simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seed,* essential fatty acids of linum usitatissimum (linseed) seed* & borago officinali (borage) seed,* honey,* cera alba (beeswax),* algae extract,* caprylic/capric triglyceride, glyceryl stearate, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, ubiquinone (coenzyme Q10), thioctic acid (alpha lipoic acid), palmitoyl tetrapeptide-3, magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (vitamin C), panthenol (vitamin B5), tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), retinyl palmitate (vitamin A), allantoin, dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE), hyaluronic acid, sodium PCA, benzyl alcohol, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin, limonene, linalool, citrus reticulata (mandarin), litsea cubeba (may chang) & cinnamomum camphora (ho wood) pure essential oils.
* certified organic by a USDA approved agency