Use It Up

I am often asked about the shelf-life of skin care products.  There are two answers to this question.  In the case of products with “reactive” ingredients such as retinols, ascorbic acid, alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids, product is old if it has been manufactured more than 8 to 12 months before being used by the client.  This problem occurs because active ingredients undergo auto0oxidation to varying degrees in any formulation.  Stability is defined as maintaining 50% of biologic activity.

The second case involves products with non-reactive ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, minerals and many essential oils.  The general rule of thumb is that unopened containers have a shelf-life of two years while opened product should be discarded after two years.  If in doubt, toss.

Periocular Wrinkling

If you are concerned about wrinkles around your eyes, then consider the recently-conducted clinical study by Episciences, Inc.  In a blinded, controlled clinical trial, two dual-action cosmeceutical products (Epionce Lite Lytic and Lytic Lotions) produced a statistically significant visible reduction in periocular wrinkles of 48.3% over a period of 8 weeks.  The Epionce products consist of blends of unique botanical extracts that have keratolytic (exfoliating) effects and prevent the release and activation of proinflammatory factors (leading to wrinkles).

Without the addition of soy, alpha hydroxy acids, retinoids, teas, vitamins or traditional antioxidants….ingredients found in many anti-aging products…both the Lite Lytic and Lytic Lotions are a new addition to the anti-aging armamentarium.  Formulated with non-irritating botanicals, these two products are suitable for even the most sensitive skin.

Ccontact Peels To The People for more information or samples of these and other fine Epionce products.

 

Check Out Personal Care Truth

I invite you to visit www.personalcaretruth.com for information from a cosmetic chemists perspective.  There’s an extremely wide range of non-technical (and some technical) info. on ingredients, skin care legislation, packaging, and so forth.  For example, I did not know that a bill that’s been submitted to the House entitled the “Safe Cosmetics Act”  is actually punitive to skin care product manufacturers.  For more details, read “5 Ways the Safe Cosmetics Act Will Harm Consumers”.  You can even sign a petition to show your opposition to this bill.  We all want safe cosmetics but this unnecessary legislation only further complicates/hinders the acquisition and delivery of already heavily regulated consumer products.

Sun Protection Trends

There are two growing trends in sun protection formulations.  The first is to include multifunction ingredients that offer additional benefits  to the client, such as antioxidants and anti-aging botanicals.    The second is to improve the aesthetics of the product, making it pleasant enough that the client will use it on a daily basis.

New formulations are lighter weight and more easily absorbed.  Case in point:  Epionce’s Active Shield SPF 30 and Ultimate Shield SPF 50 include higher percentages of cosmetically-elegant zinc oxide (9.2% and 10.1% respectively) as well as antioxidants and botanical acids and extracts.  Both are most appropriate for normal to dry skin types and are rapidly absorbed.

Electric Stimulation

Today I quote and/or paraphrase from a recent article by Leslie Baumann, M.D. in Skin & Allergy News, March 2010, p. 23 entitled “Electric Stimulation”.    After a brief discussion of the benefits of increasing collagen and elastin to decrease the effects of aging, Dr. Baumann eventually gets around to electric stimulation to stimulate wound healing (aka aging skin).

“I am intrigued with the idea of an electromimetic current being used to stimulate fibroblasts.  The notion of harnessing the natural electric currents of skin cells to increase collagen and elastin production is fascinating for several reasons, not the least of which is elimination of the issue of penetration of active ingredients.  A charge generated on the cells in the top layer will likely propagate to neighboring cells.  An enhancement of cell-to-cell communication would seem likely to extend to the lower layers, allowing the cells deeper in the dermins to ‘get the message'”.

She’s talking about microcurrent, as well as ingredients such as zinc and copper that harness electrical currents to stimulate fibroblasts into synthesizing collagen and elastin.   For those of us who see the results of microcurrent stimulation for anti-aging, this is old news.  And yet it’s gratifying that a dermatologist gets it and is curious.

Epionce Update

Yes, it’s coming!!!  Epionce has added a new “lightening” agent to their wonderful arsenal of skin care products.  If you are disturbed by brown spots or uneven pigment on your skin, whether it’s on your face, hands, neck, chest or other body areas, then this is the way to go to lighten/fade these spots or patches.   Not available until late spring, this is your heads-up.

Esoteric Information

I enjoy reading about new “age-defying” ingredients.  One of the best sources I’ve found is this website:   www.cosmeticsandtoilteries.com.  You can find the latest patents, product releases, skin care controversies, and just about anything you want about the world of cosmetics, skin care products, bath care products, and so forth. 

Check it out!

Next Generation of AHAs

New to the Peels To The People anti-aging arsenal comes Age-Limit, a new generation of alphahydroxy acids (AHAs).  In the 1990s, AHAs were the most remarkable skin treatments ever developed for aging or problem skin.  But they had one big drawback:  irritation.

Age-Limit solves this problem with the AHAminoPlex molecule – a complex of glycolic acid and a naturally derived amino acid to ensure maximum acid delivery without penetrating skin’s zone of irritation.  This patented technology, developed by Drs. Yu and Van Scott, the pioneers of AHA skin therapy, is the next generation of AHAs.

This safe and effective new product is available now!  Coupled with periodic chemical peels, results are phenomenal.

Skin Science from Procter & Gamble

I came across this article on gene expression research from Procter & Gamble’s skin science website:  www.pgbeautygroomingscience.com.  P & G’s site has many excellent  and readable synopsis of research results on skin health and aging.  Below is verbatim from this site.  The photos of young vs. old skin are not available to view unless you go directly to P & G’s site.

Gene Expression Research Reveals Causes of Wrinkles, Age Spots

In the past, scientists studying aging skin have looked at various skin properties – thickness, color, moisture barrier, proteins, and internal cell structures. Today, P&G Beauty scientists are studying the differences between young and aged skin at the most fundamental level possible – gene expression. “The expression of your genetic code as it reacts to environmental change controls all the metabolic processes necessary for good skin health and function,” says P&G Beauty geneticist Dr. Jay Tiesman, PhD. “Now we understand which genes become either disabled or overactive as your skin gets older, resulting in the physiological changes we see as wrinkles and age spots.”

Young vs. Old, Protected vs. Exposed

Research analyzed skin samples collected from ten young and ten aged female subjects (18-20 and 60-67 years). Scientists collected skin biopsies of buttocks to test intrinsically aged skin and biopsies of forearms for extrinsically aged skin. The buttock and forearm biopsies were selected because of their relative exposure, or lack thereof, to environmental elements that may impact aging. Additionally, Affymetrix gene chip technology was used to examine the gene expression differences in the samples to reveal the underlying biological mechanisms responsible for the appearance of skin aging. The study allowed scientists to identify pathways that are active in young skin but inactive in old skin, as well as those that are overly active in older skin.

Young and old skin biopsies

Sun Exposure Alters Skin Immune Function

One provocative finding was that aging associated with environmental factors, such as UV, not only accelerated the changes in natural aging genes as expected, but also turned on other gene responses. For example, the study demonstrates the magnitude of altered immune and inflammatory gene expression resulting from the photodamage process. This is important as recent scientific literature shows that UV-altered immune response in skin can increase susceptibility to skin cancer.

Driving Future Skin Anti-Aging Advances

This research is expected to drive breakthrough advances in both prevention and treatment of the signs of aging skin over the coming decades. By understanding how the expression of specific genes are modulated by the aging process, scientists now have the means to develop treatments to modify those processes that age skin considerably. “In the future, certain processes such as inflammation, proteolysis, lipid biosynthesis, or cellular differentiation, known to be involved in the breakdown of skin as it ages, may be able to be regulated,” speculates Dr. Michael Robinson, Principal Scientist, P&G Global Biotechnology, lead author on the study.

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P&G Beauty & Grooming

 

Skin Care Predictions 2010

I find it interesting to read what the “experts” say about skin care in the coming year.  These predictions are global in nature rather than specific to brands, colors, and so forth.   Sources are noted; most are market research firms either in the U.S. or the U.K.

1.  “Mood Beauty”:  there will be an increasing use of scents to promote well-being and induce sleep, for example.  Source:  Mintel International Group Ltd.

2.  “New Natural”: claims like “free from” and “sustainable” will appear in products that simulatneously contain synthetic actives like peptides, hyaluronic acid, ceramides and collagen.  Source:  Mintel International Group Ltd.

3.  “Waste Not”: consumers are adopting a “waste not, want not” mentality regarding skin care products.  They must be simple to use and make their skin better.  Souce:  S. Shelton, Shelton Group.

4.  “Skin Care: The Next Fast Food”: the consumer push-back that began with tobacco and more recently has focused on fast foods will soon be aimed at leading cosmetic companies and faux organic/natural lines.  Once social networks are mobilized against chemical “baddies”, personal care manufacturers need to be ready for the consumers’ rejections and offer natural and efficacious alternatives.  C. Swanson, Tonique, Utalkmarketing.com.

Personally I’m pleased that my own skin care line as well as the Epionce brand can back up their efficacy with clinical studies by third parties.  Their “scents” are botanical rather than synthetic, their packaging is minimal, and they have not been tested on animals.   I do believe that the skin care that I offer is already trend-setting.