Idebenone – One Potent Little Particle

Idebenone is another  highly potent active that targets DNA repair via its anti-oxidant activity. Chemically it is a super charged Coenzyme Q10 (which is also known as ubiquinone)  that works on cellular mitochondria to revitalise the skin.  It is able to do this because it is has a shorter carbon chain on its side which means it has a higher water solubility than ubiquinone making it more bioavailable (as long as you can get it through the stratum corneum.  Idebenone is manufactured by Basic Research and many other generic drug active manufacturers such as Japanese company  Kaneka.  BASF pulled out of the market in 2008 after a lack of demand for their high-bioavailable nano version.

This Q10 derivative was originally created to avoid the downsides that natural Q10 has.  Natural Q10 turns toxic to cellular functions when they are working anerobically  as it produces a free radical. The Idebenone doesn’t do this and so is thought to be a safer and more potent alternative although the visible differences between the two are negligible.

Idebenone can be found in a wide range of skin care brands including Priori, Prevage (which was launched by Allergen, the makers of Botox in 2005)  and Sovage while Ubiquinone is a key ingredient in the Nivea skin care range.