When people talk about antioxidants in skincare, vitamin C tends to receive most of the attention.
It’s an ingredient almost everyone has heard of, but it isn’t one that suits every person. Throughout my work as a dermatologist, I’ve seen many patients struggle with vitamin C products that sting, irritate their skin or simply don’t fit comfortably into their routine.
When I created Dream Cream, I wanted to take a different approach.
Rather than including an ingredient because it was familiar or popular, I looked for antioxidants that could provide strong protection while remaining suitable for sensitive, hormonal and changing skin.
That is why I chose astaxanthin and lycopene.
Why antioxidants matter for our skin
Our skin is exposed to environmental stress every day. Ultraviolet radiation, pollution and inflammation can all contribute to the production of free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that can damage important structures within the skin, including collagen and elastin. Over time, this damage can contribute to pigmentation, changes in texture, reduced firmness and the development of fine lines.
Antioxidants help by neutralising free radicals before they can cause further damage.
I think of them as an important part of supporting the skin’s long-term health. They cannot replace sunscreen, and they do not undo every effect of sun exposure, but they can provide another layer of support within a well-formulated skincare routine.
The key is choosing antioxidants that work well together and that people can use consistently without upsetting their skin.
What is astaxanthin?
Astaxanthin is a naturally occurring red-orange pigment produced by certain types of microalgae. It belongs to a family of antioxidants known as carotenoids.
You may not hear about astaxanthin as often as vitamin C, but it is an ingredient I find particularly interesting. It provides powerful antioxidant support and helps protect the skin from oxidative stress caused by everyday environmental exposure.
In skincare, astaxanthin can help support a brighter and more even-looking complexion. It also helps address the visible effects of sun damage and supports the structures that keep the skin looking firm and resilient.
One of the main reasons I chose it for Dream Cream was its ability to offer these benefits while still fitting into a formula intended for sensitive skin.
I wanted Dream Cream to be useful for people experiencing pigmentation, redness, fine lines or hormonal changes without making their skin feel irritated or overwhelmed.
Astaxanthin gave me a way to provide strong antioxidant support without relying on vitamin C.
What is lycopene?
Lycopene is another member of the carotenoid family. It is the antioxidant pigment responsible for the rich red colour of tomatoes and other red or pink fruits.
Like astaxanthin, lycopene helps defend the skin from free-radical damage. What particularly interested me, however, was its ability to help protect collagen and elastin from a process known as glycation.
Glycation occurs when excess sugars bind to proteins within the body. In the skin, this can affect collagen and elastin—the proteins that help give our skin its firmness, structure and elasticity.
As these proteins become damaged, the skin may gradually appear less firm and changes in texture and fine lines can become more noticeable.
Lycopene provides antioxidant and anti-glycation support, helping protect these important proteins. It can also assist with the appearance of unwanted pigmentation and uneven skin tone.
This made it a natural fit for Dream Cream, particularly because the formula was created to support skin through the ageing process rather than focusing only on surface-level hydration.
Why I use them together
When formulating Dream Cream, I didn’t want to rely on one hero ingredient to do everything.
Skin ageing is influenced by several different processes, including sun exposure, inflammation, oxidative stress, glycation and the gradual loss of collagen. That is why Dream Cream contains a network of antioxidants rather than just one.
Astaxanthin and lycopene are combined with green tea, resveratrol and L-carnosine. Each has its own role, but together they provide broader protection against the different types of stress our skin experiences.
Astaxanthin provides powerful antioxidant support and helps address the visible effects of environmental damage. Lycopene helps protect collagen and elastin from oxidative stress and glycation. Green tea and resveratrol offer additional antioxidant and calming benefits, while L-carnosine provides further anti-glycation support.
It is the combination that matters.
A long ingredient list means very little if the ingredients have not been selected to work together. My goal was to create a balanced formula in which each ingredient supported the others and contributed to the overall health and appearance of the skin.
The reason Dream Cream is peachy-orange
One of the first things people notice when they use Dream Cream is its colour.
The formula has a natural peachy-orange tone, which comes from astaxanthin and lycopene. No artificial colour has been added to make Dream Cream look this way.
I actually love that you can see the ingredients coming through in the finished formula. The colour is simply part of using these naturally pigmented antioxidants at purposeful levels.
Because the colour comes from the formula itself, slight variation may occur. This does not change how the product works.
Supporting skin through different stages of life
I created Dream Cream for people experiencing several concerns at the same time, which is particularly common during periods of hormonal change.
During pregnancy, perimenopause and menopause, skin can become more sensitive and unpredictable. Pigmentation may become more noticeable, hydration levels can change and the skin may not tolerate the same active ingredients it once did.
Ageing skin is also dealing with the accumulated effects of sun exposure, inflammation, glycation and collagen loss.
This is where ingredients such as astaxanthin and lycopene are so valuable. They allow us to support the skin’s brightness, firmness and resilience without treating it as though it needs to be aggressively corrected.
Dream Cream is suitable for all skin types, including sensitive and hormonal skin. It is also pregnancy and breastfeeding safe, which was an important consideration for me from the beginning.
Part of a complete formula
Astaxanthin and lycopene are important ingredients in Dream Cream, but they are not the entire story.
They work alongside DNA repair enzymes, bakuchiol, 5% niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and liquorice root extract to target multiple concerns within one treatment cream.
Together, these ingredients help support the appearance of fine lines, pigmentation, sun damage, congestion, dehydration and uneven texture while strengthening the skin barrier.
This is why I describe Dream Cream as an all-in-one treatment cream rather than a moisturiser. It was formulated to replace multiple serums and active treatments, giving the skin comprehensive support in one step.
Why I keep coming back to these ingredients
There will always be another trending skincare ingredient. As a dermatologist, I’m far more interested in whether an ingredient has a genuine purpose, whether it works well within the complete formula and whether people can use it consistently.
Astaxanthin and lycopene met each of those requirements.
They provide strong antioxidant protection, support the proteins responsible for skin firmness and help address concerns such as pigmentation and visible sun damage. Most importantly, they allowed me to create a treatment that remains gentle and considered.
That was always the goal with Dream Cream: not to include more for the sake of it, but to bring together the right ingredients in one formula that genuinely works hard for the skin.
Dr Katherine Armour
Dermatologist and Founder of Bespoke Skin Technology