It’s a birthday for The Skin Sisters — so what better reason to break out the bubbly and refreshing white wine for these warmer days? We’ll tell you – because a product found in the skin of grapes has been shown to help not only your skin, but also your heart!

Resveratrol is a polyphenol that is found in the skin of grapes. Polyphenols are micronutrients found in a variety of plants, which act as antioxidants. These polyphenols play a significant role in slowing the progression of diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. They also are super helpful in acting as a probiotic and increasing the amount of good bacteria in your gut. In red wine especially, the process of fermentation makes the resveratrol super concentrated, which increases its anti-cancer properties!

So what happens if resveratrol is used on the skin? Research is still limited but early studies are super exciting! When used topically resveratrol, has been shown to help prevent the development of skin cancer by blocking UV rays. Other, more recent, studies have shown that resveratrol use topically resulted in increased firmness and elasticity of the skin, as well as diminished signs of skin aging.  Ultrasounds performed on study subjects who used topical resveratrol revealed more collagen than those of the same cohort who did not use the product.

The key takeaway here? That glass of bubbly or wine you’re sippin’ on may actually be working for your benefit!

One of our favorite brands, Caudalie, has an entire line dedicated to products with resveratrol – their product offering can be found here.

Other great products with resveratrol can be found at philosophy and SkinCeuticals

The Skin Sisters want to caution about drinking to excess. Alcohol has been shown to increase rosacea, dry out the skin and cause acne – in addition to the numerous other health and safety reasons for which we recommend you not drink excessively!