Living ingredient passport
유비퀴논 · 전성분
A lipid-soluble antioxidant and cellular energy carrier reported to replenish age-depleted skin levels of coenzyme Q10, reduce oxidative stress, and support mitochondrial energy production in skin cells when applied topically or taken as a dietary supplement.
Also called Coenzyme Q10 · CoQ10 · Ubidecarenone
This ingredient page is still early. We're actively researching before it's ready to stand fully on its own — check back as more sections are verified.
Four lines, each compressed from the section it links to. Every line carries the sources of the claim it compresses.
Skin Q10 Replenishment and Antioxidant Effect
See the evidenceserum or moisturizer step · day and night
See how to use it12 weeks: Improved dermis density, reduced periorbital wrinkle appearance, and improved skin smoothness, per the cited oral supplement trial.
Source5
See the timelineWhere it sits in the seven-step ladder, and the record's own fields for the habit.
day and night
Filled steps are where Coenzyme Q10 commonly appears. No product is recommended.
Everything here comes from the sources below. None of it is a product recommendation.
The record's own timeline. Each step keeps the source of the study it came from.
Improved dermis density, reduced periorbital wrinkle appearance, and improved skin smoothness, per the cited oral supplement trial.
Source5
Everything the record says about suitability, consolidated. Pause-first comes first.
Before you start
Light-sensitive and heat-sensitive; best formulated with stabilizing carriers and stored away from direct light.
signs of aging
photoaged skin · dull or fatigued-looking skin
serum or moisturizer step
Not medical advice · ask your own clinician
Pregnancy. A 2011 dermatology review of skin-care product safety in pregnancy names hydroquinone (high systemic absorption) and tretinoin (evidence controversial) as the actives of concern, and states that most other topical skin-care products act locally and produce minimal systemic absorption; coenzyme Q10 is not named among the flagged concerns 6. This is general topical-product reasoning rather than an ingredient-specific safety trial. If you are pregnant, ask your doctor before use.
Breastfeeding. Topical application is applied locally with minimal expected systemic absorption; no ingredient-specific breastfeeding safety trial was located. As a general precaution common to topical actives, avoid applying directly to the breast or nipple area, since incidental transfer to a nursing infant has not been studied for this ingredient. If you are breastfeeding, ask your doctor before use.
| Common, and it usually settles |
|---|
| reported well tolerated across its cited trials, with no irritation noted |
Research in progress — check back soon. How we verify
Research in progress — check back soon. How we verify
One card per claim. Concentration, form, population and limitation sit with it, always visible.
Topical application of coenzyme Q10-containing formulas significantly increased Q10 levels in the epidermis, including in deeper layers, and provided antioxidant effects, reducing free radicals and increasing antioxidant capacity in stressed skin.1
Topical coenzyme Q10 penetrated into the viable epidermis, reduced markers of oxidation, and was associated with a reduction in wrinkle depth. It also reduced UVA-mediated oxidative stress markers in keratinocytes and suppressed UVA-induced collagenase expression in dermal fibroblasts.2
Aging skin shows age-dependent declines in mitochondrial function and shifts toward non-mitochondrial energy metabolism. Topical coenzyme Q10 was associated with improved mitochondrial function in skin. Separately, coenzyme Q10 accelerated regeneration of cellular ATP levels and preserved mitochondrial membrane potential in irradiated human skin fibroblasts.3,4
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of an oral water-soluble coenzyme Q10 and collagen supplement found improved dermis density, reduced periorbital wrinkle area, reduced total wrinkle score, and improved skin smoothness after 12 weeks, compared to placebo. Skin hydration, dermis thickness, transepidermal water loss, and viscoelasticity did not change significantly.5
A source cited for a coenzyme Q10 fibroblast/mitochondrial senescence claim could not be found under its claimed title, journal, or year -- no matching publication exists.
Several specific figures in the source packet's own claim descriptions (a '27% reduction in wrinkle depth', '6-month' duration, '20 subjects' for one topical trial) are not stated in that trial's own published abstract.
The packet's own claim for the water-soluble coenzyme Q10 plus collagen trial asserted a topical delivery route and a significant elasticity improvement; the real trial is an ORAL supplement, and its own abstract states elasticity/viscoelasticity changes were NOT statistically significant.
No resolved CIR/CosIng regulatory document id was found or confirmed this cycle for coenzyme Q10's cosmetic-ingredient status, despite the packet's own confident regulatory claims.
Acts as an electron carrier in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, supporting cellular ATP production.
What that rests on: ex-vivo and in-vivo human study
Reported to scavenge reactive oxygen species and reduce UV-induced oxidative stress in skin cells.
What that rests on: in-vivo and ex-vivo skin study
| Attribute | Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone) |
|---|---|
| What it is | The oxidized (ubiquinone) form of coenzyme Q10, the standard cosmetic-grade form. |
| Official INCI | UBIQUINONE |
| Where it comes from | Produced synthetically or via microbial fermentation |
| How it is made | Purified to a crystalline powder for incorporation into lipid-based cosmetic formulations. |
Topical Q10 treatment significantly increased Q10 levels in the epidermis (including deeper layers), augmented cellular energy metabolism in keratinocytes, and reduced free radicals while increasing antioxidant capacity in stressed skin.
Where it falls shortSponsored by the product manufacturer.
Source1
Topical CoQ10 penetrated the viable epidermis, reduced oxidation, and was associated with reduced wrinkle depth; suppressed UVA-mediated oxidative stress in keratinocytes and UVA-induced collagenase expression in dermal fibroblasts.
Where it falls shortSponsored by the product manufacturer; does not state a specific percentage wrinkle-depth reduction, sample size, or duration in its own abstract.
Source2
Aging skin shows a functional shift toward anaerobic (non-mitochondrial) energy metabolism; coenzyme Q10 positively influenced age-affected cellular metabolism, and topical application rapidly improved mitochondrial function in skin in vivo.
Where it falls shortSponsored by the product manufacturer. The packet's own claimed title added 'and creatine,' not present in the real title.
Source3
Coenzyme Q10 accelerated regeneration of cellular ATP levels, decreased mitochondrial dysfunction, and preserved mitochondrial membrane potential in irradiated human skin fibroblasts, primarily through its antioxidative function.
Where it falls shortIn-vitro cellular study, not a clinical trial.
Source4
In 34 healthy women aged 40-65 over 12 weeks, the supplement improved dermis density, reduced periorbital wrinkle area and total wrinkle score, and improved skin smoothness compared to placebo. Skin hydration, dermis thickness, TEWL, and viscoelasticity were not significantly changed.
Where it falls shortTests an oral supplement combining coenzyme Q10 with collagen peptides -- does not isolate coenzyme Q10's own contribution, and is not a topical application.
Source5
A source cited for a coenzyme Q10 fibroblast/mitochondrial senescence claim could not be found under its claimed title, journal, or year -- no matching publication exists.
Replaced with a genuine, closely related study by the same research group on coenzyme Q10 restoring mitochondrial function and ATP regeneration in irradiated human skin fibroblasts.
NeedsNone -- corrected directly this cycle with a genuine substitute finding.
Several specific figures in the source packet's own claim descriptions (a '27% reduction in wrinkle depth', '6-month' duration, '20 subjects' for one topical trial) are not stated in that trial's own published abstract.
Only the qualitative, confirmed finding is used; unconfirmed specific figures are not asserted.
NeedsThe trial's full published results, if a more granular figure is needed.
The packet's own claim for the water-soluble coenzyme Q10 plus collagen trial asserted a topical delivery route and a significant elasticity improvement; the real trial is an ORAL supplement, and its own abstract states elasticity/viscoelasticity changes were NOT statistically significant.
Delivery route corrected to oral; the elasticity outcome is not asserted.
NeedsNone -- corrected directly against the real abstract this cycle.
No resolved CIR/CosIng regulatory document id was found or confirmed this cycle for coenzyme Q10's cosmetic-ingredient status, despite the packet's own confident regulatory claims.
Both regulatory rows render with an explicit 'unsourced' disclosure rather than a resolved citation.
NeedsThe specific CIR Expert Panel report and EU CosIng database entry ids for ubiquinone.