The Hangover-Free Way to Add Wine to Your Beauty Routine

Combine wine o’clock and beauty and what do we get?  No, not a spa day gone wrong. Skin care products with wine as a hero ingredient are on the rise. Wine lovers are likely familiar with the reported health benefits of their glass of red, and these attributes extend to beauty when it comes to complexions.

Wine and Resveratrol

Red wine contains an antioxidant-rich trifecta of resveratrol, tannins and flavonoids, according to Teresa Norvell, founder of Intoxicating Beauty, a clean beauty company using organic or all-natural wine, sake, hops and spirits. The potent antioxidants are types of polyphenols, naturally occurring micronutrients in plants. All three come from fermented grape skins and are brilliant for combating free radicals, brightening, keeping skin youthful and elastic and restoring collagen. Furthermore, red wine has natural antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties, which can work for acne and hyperpigmentation. Kerry Benjamin, founder of StackedSkincare, recommends wine skin care for all skin types. Red wine is a hero for fighting the signs of aging because of its high resveratrol and antioxidant content, but the lesser-mentioned white wine is good for oily and congested skin, says Norvell.

Drinking Wine Versus Wine Skin Care

Thinking about rubbing the last few drops from a wine bottle on your skin? Hold up. Benjamin says that applying wine topically doesn’t result in the same skin care benefits as wine beauty products. In the case of the latter, resveratrol is extracted from the skin of grapes, then put into topical solutions for the specific benefit of skin. So save that bottle for consumption and use proper wine skin care products to see results. Just as you can’t rub your wine on your face to reap the benefits, you can’t depend on drinking wine to translate to any skin benefits. Wine is a bit of a paradox — it is beneficial when wine extract skin care products are applied topically, but drinking too much wine can have negative effects for skin. Norvell promotes drinking responsibly and staying hydrated with water; too much wine can dehydrate skin and lead to puffiness and dark circles. Excess imbibing can even exacerbate eczema and rosacea. “Applying wine topically in skin care products is a great way for people to reap the skin care benefits of wine without having to consume it daily or at all … ” says Norvell. “And [wine skin care] is hangover-free!” You have skin experts’ permission to have wine in the a.m. and p.m. in the name of better skin with these 12 wine skin care products. Cheers! See more

[ Next: Who Knew? Fermented Ingredients Also Do Amazing Things for Your Skin Care ]