Apple skins protect your skin from the sun. Before picturing yourself with apple peels on your face, though, you should know that these fruits protect you from the inside out. According to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Botany, the phenols in the skin of certain types of apples may deliver a hefty dose of UVB protection. Granny Smith and Braeburn apples contain quercetin in their skins to protect the fruit against UVB radiation.
The theory is that quercetin has the same sunlight-protecting effect on your skin. And because it protects against this radiation, quercetin is also known to prevent damage caused by the wrinkle-inducing free radicals your skin produces during sun exposure.
So the next time you plan to spend time in the sun, bring a few apples along as your new must-have beach accessory. Apples’ wrinkle-fighting ability diminishes during storage. After one hundred days, apple skin looses a small amount of its phenolic compounds. Thus, it is best to store apples in the refrigerator and to eat as many as possible while the fruit is fresh.
