Fresh Faced 119 Skin NEWS

New face creams aim
to deliver ingredients
normally found in
healthy, happy skin.
SkinNEWS
Fresh Faced
tesh/trunk archive
Brighter skin. Tighter skin. Fewer lines. These beauty goals are perennial—
but the ways to achieve them are new. By Judith Newman
“Açai.” It’s an exciting word, isn’t it? Chances are you’ve heard of
it, even if you’re not sure how to pronounce it. Açai! (Ah-sah-EE!)
It sounds like something Zulu warriors scream before plunging into
battle. Lately, products starring this South American palm-tree
berry have become as ubiquitous in email sales pitches as Viagra,
and almost as uplifting. “Flush pounds from your system with the
Allure/December 2009
power of açai!” shouts a typical ad. “Experience increased energy!
Look great, feel great, purify, detoxify!” This berry can apparently
do everything short of walking your dog, so it shouldn’t be surprising that it’s now being slathered on skin to tighten and smooth it.
Açai is just one of the dozens of new ingredients or technologies that are being touted as the Next! Big! Thing! for skin-care
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SkinNEWS
products. As always, manufacturers
have a way of making everything sound
science-y while not necessarily going
into detail about the actual science. So
what exactly are these innovations, and
which are worth talking about? Allure
took the buzzwords with the most buzz
and asked leading dermatologists to
evaluate the research behind them.
Açai Berry
The Claim: The extract contains
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The latest approach
to moisturizing skin is
from the inside out.
The sleep-regulating hormone
melatonin is also an antioxidant.
Expert Opinion: The Kiehl’s study
involved subjective self-assessment—and
people are naturally predisposed to see
improvement in their own skin, says Ava
Shamban, assistant clinical professor of
dermatology at UCLA. Dermatologists
at the Cosmetic Medicine and Research
Institute in Miami recently noted in the
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology that
açai should be further studied. Ellen
Marmur, chief of dermatologic and cosmetic surgery at Mount Sinai Medical
Center in New York City, calls the
extract “promising,” but for her and
other doctors to become true believers,
she says, it will take peer-reviewed studies that assess açai’s ability to penetrate
the skin and show how it performs
against other topical antioxidants.
Melatonin
The Claims: Melatonin, a hormone
that regulates sleep cycles, is also an antioxidant and allegedly a collagen booster.
When combined with other antioxidants,
melatonin has a synergistic effect, helping them penetrate the skin better. So if
your skin were a football field, melatonin
would be a massive lineman clearing a
path for the wiry running back.
Allure/December 2009
victor demarchelier
powerful antioxidants; these may help
eliminate free radicals that break down
collagen and elastin and contribute to
premature aging of the skin.
The Products: Borba Age Defying
Concentrate; DDF Mesojection Healthy
Cell Serum; Fresh Sugar Açai Age-Delay
Body Cream; Jergens Naturals Total
Nourishment Daily Moisturizer; Kiehl’s
Açai Damage-Repairing line
The Science: Think of free radicals
as a stereotypical Jewish mother. She’s
not so bad in small doses, but after a
lifetime, the cumulative effect of all
those tiny insults is enough to send you
running to the doctor. And so it is with
free radicals, the molecules produced
by sun, pollution, and smoking that
eat away at the integrity of your soul—
skin, I mean skin. Antioxidants like
açai berry, on the other hand, are the
therapist, undoing this damage.
In lab testing on human blood cells,
orally ingested açai-berry extract has
adeptly mopped up free radicals—in one
measure, its antioxidant capacity was
“by far the highest of any fruit or vegetable tested to date,” according to a 2006
study in the Journal of Agricultural and
Food Chemistry. “It’s been claimed that
the essential fatty acids in the berry may
help moisturize the skin and smooth fine
lines and wrinkles” when consumed,
notes Steven Pearlman, a former president of the American Board of Facial
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
“However, there is no consistent scientific evidence.” In a Kiehl’s study of açai’s
topical benefits, 50 women, ages 30 to
65, who rubbed on the company’s serum
daily reported looking four years younger, on average, after four weeks, because
of their skin’s smoother texture.
SkinNEWS
Skin’s suppleness
depends on
collagen growth.
The Products: Goldfaden Sleep
Enhancement Cream; Youth Corridor
Antioxidant Boost Skin Serum; Murad
Sleep Reform Serum
The Science: Many studies have
proven melatonin’s power as a topical
antioxidant, keeping free radicals from
running amok after UV exposure, which
causes skin inflammation, collagen breakdown, and wrinkles. A 1998 study in the
British Journal of Dermatology showed
that melatonin’s presence made vitamins
C and E even more effective in reducing
the inflammation that leads to aging.
“That’s really what I was interested
in,” says Gerald Imber, the creator of
Youth Corridor and a plastic surgeon in
New York City. “Vitamins C and E are
fantastic antioxidants but big molecules—
it’s been difficult to get enough absorption
into the skin. That’s where melatonin is
great. It increases absorption.”
Expert Opinion: Melatonin is definitely a powerful antioxidant that can
be absorbed by the skin. But some
dermatologists are still a bit dubious.
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Because of its role in sleep regulation,
will rubbing it on the skin cause drowsiness? (“We’ve done numerous assays to
deal with this very issue, and there is not
enough melatonin absorbed to have that
effect,” Imber says.) And, notes Jeanine
Downie, assistant attending physician
at Moutainside and Overlook Hospitals
in Montclair, New Jersey, “In my experience melatonin can be irritating in
people with dry or sensitive skin.”
Activin
The Claim: When skin is injured, this
protein cues collagen growth to promote
wound healing. And because aging skin
is also damaged, the protein can do similar repair, thereby reducing wrinkles.
The Products: Avon’s Anew
Reversalist line
The Science: In independent studies,
mice that were genetically altered to be
deficient in activin could not adequately
heal when injured, whereas mice bred
to produce activin freely could handily
lay down new collagen on injury sites.
Avon saw an opportunity to reduce
wrinkles in people, rather than wounds
in mice, but simply putting activin in
a cream wasn’t an option—it’s far too
large a molecule to penetrate the skin.
So “we screened hundreds of compounds and tested them on the cellular
level to find ingredients that would stimulate the body’s natural production of
activin within skin cells,” says Anthony
Gonzalez, senior manager of global
research and development at Avon.
The winning ingredient, activinol, isn’t
activin per se, but so-called purified fractions (read: the good bits) from several
Asian plants—it’s the cosmetic equivalent of a stage mother, shooing activin
into the limelight and helping it perfect
its tap dance. With twice-daily use, fine
wrinkles improved up to 25 percent,
according to an Avon study.
Expert Opinion: Pearlman and
Shamban feel good about this. “It’s an
interesting idea, and activin is an exciting molecule,” says Shamban. “If it helps
boost collagen production, which is so
Allure/December 2009
john akehurst/trunk archive
“I really think they’ve got something here,” a
dermatologist says of the skin-firming products.
crucial to the skin’s structure, it could
help” skin look firmer and smoother.
Serpin b3
Inhibitor
The Claim: One effect of UV exposure is
production of a protein in skin cells called
serpin B3, which causes dryness and
roughness. But Shiseido has patented a
synthetic amino acid dubbed Skingenecell
1P that suppresses this production, leading to more moisturized skin.
The ProductS: Shiseido’s Future
Solution LX line
The Science: Serpin B3 has been
found in large quantities in people with
dry and sun-damaged skin—and when
skin cells are exposed to UV rays in the
lab, the inflamed cells that die off contain
a lot of this protein. Researchers have
also discovered a correlation between
the amount of serpin B3 in the body
and the skin’s sensitivity to stresses—so
they believe serpin B3 does something
to weaken the skin barrier. If the outer
layer of skin is fragile and rough, it
can’t hold in moisture well, and the
result is lizard skin. But! Reduce the
levels of this pesky protein, and skin
becomes more moist and smooth.
Expert Opinion: “This is a very interesting approach,” says Shamban. “Most
companies are adding proteins or lipids
that our bodies produce already, to supplement our natural moisture content.
This is a new compound Shiseido has created that fights a damaging substance in
our body so that it addresses the decrease
in moisture from the inside out. It’s able
to restore normal moisture levels.”
Snap-8
The Claim: This ingredient is a milder,
injection-free alternative to Botox,
according to Snap-8’s manufacturer,
Lipotec. It prevents muscle contraction,
and hence helps prevent fine lines and
wrinkles, particularly around the eyes.
The Products: Elizabeth Arden
Ceramide Plump Perfect Cream; Kinerase
C8 Peptide Intensive Treatment; Peter
Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Cream; Skin
2 Skin Forehead & Crow’s-Feet Cream
The Science: Whether they’re control126
ling a leg or an eyebrow, muscles move
this way: An electrical impulse is sent
down a motor neuron via a neurochemical called acetylcholine, which signals the
muscle to contract. No acetylcholine, no
contraction. What Botox does, in fact,
is interrupt the release of acetylcholine.
This is also the role of argireline, the
active ingredient in many skin creams
that claim to work like Botox.
Snap-8 is chemically similar to argireline but about 30 percent more effective,
according to Lipotec. The company
tested a 10 percent Snap-8 solution,
applied twice daily, around the eyes of
17 women, and after 28 days there was
a reduction in wrinkle depth of about
35 percent on average, and as much as
63 percent in some cases.
Expert Opinion: Snap-8 creams won’t
give you all the beneficial smoothing of
Botox, says Shamban, who would like to
see more studies on the ingredient. But
the products do seem to have a gradual
relaxing effect. Bonus: They don’t cost
thousands of dollars or involve needles.
Tensin
The Claim: This protein in skin helps
connect and anchor cells, but its production drops as we age. If a product
can restore the body’s tensin, skin will
appear firmer and more youthful.
The ProductS: Chanel’s Précision
Ultra Correction Lift line
The Science: Researchers at the
Dana Farber Cancer Institute have demonstrated the role of tensin in holding
cell structures together—kind of like cellular Legos. Consulting with Harvard,
Chanel researchers theorized that tensin
is important in keeping skin firm. Their
study found that genetically altered cells
that were unable to recognize tensin did
not cohere well. Fibroblasts—the cells
that make collagen, which is vital to skin
firmness as well as smoothness—went
limp and gooey. The scientists eventually identified a plant compound, Elemi
PFA, that they say stimulates our stores
of tensin, and put it in their products.
Expert Opinion: Chanel’s “cool
little experiment” could contribute to
skin firmness, though it’s too early to
tell whether “in a very small or very sig-
Outside the
Bottle
Some new treatments that go beyond
creams but not as far as surgery have
been attracting doctors’ notice.
1. Home Laser Machine
The first personal laser approved by
the FDA to smooth fine lines around
the eyes is being launched by
Palomar Medical Technologies. The
yet-to-be-named device—
a smaller, less powerful version of a
professional fractional laser—emits
light that stimulates the growth of
new skin cells. Each daily treatment
takes about three minutes and is
said to feel like light pinpricks on the
skin. Results generally start to
appear in two weeks and last as long
as you continue using the laser.
2. Collagen Booster
A series of Sculptra injections
gradually plumps facial skin for up to
two years. Approved for cosmetic use
last July, Sculptra contains tiny
particles of poly-L-lactic acid (which is
used in absorbable sutures) suspended
in crushed cellulose. It’s intended not
to fill wrinkles but to add tissue in the
temples and cheeks where bone and
fat are depleted with age. Besides
bruising and redness from the
injection, it can cause lumps in some
patients, which some argue are allergic
reactions, says Arnold Klein, professor
of dermatology at UCLA. Sometimes
these lumps resolve on their own, but
there’s a growing chorus of doctors
and patients citing nodules that must
be surgically removed.
3. More Wrinkle Relaxers
Like Botox, the newer botulinum-toxin
formulation Dysport smooths frown
lines for three to four months—
but Dysport takes effect in just one to
three days, versus three to five for
Botox. Even more exciting is the rub-on
wrinkle relaxer Revance, a botulinumtoxin gel that is proving to work safely
in trials and could be available within a
couple of years. —JOAN KRON
Allure/December 2009
opposite page: tesh/trunk archive
SkinNEWS
gutter credit
After 28 days of use
of one cream, lines around
the eyes decreased by
as much as 63 percent.
Strengthening the
skin barrier may result
in softer texture.
Allure/Month 2009
5
SkinNEWS
Genomic
Technology
The Claim: Besides activin, serpin B3,
and tensin, there are countless other
influential skin proteins—and genomic
technology is the name of a new technique used to identify and deploy them.
Here’s the idea: Youthful skin contains
various proteins whose levels decrease
over time. By identifying the genes
responsible for creating these proteins
and figuring out how the proteins work,
scientists can formulate ingredients to
influence those genes—preventing or
reversing sun damage, minimizing wrinkles...essentially, time-traveling back to
the dewiness of youth.
The Products: Estée Lauder
Advanced Night Repair Synchronized
Recovery Complex; Lancôme Génifique
Youth Activating Concentrate; Olay’s
Professional Pro-X line
The Science: The mapping of the
human genome is hugely exciting, but
that just tells us where genes are located
on DNA strands. The next step is figuring
128
Modit adio commy nim
am digniamet lamcore
dunt lute facilissi.
Antioxidant
Arsenal
“Antioxidants have different properties,
and some are more effective for
certain skin problems than others,”
says dermatologist David H. McDaniel.
• Wrinkles McDaniel cites vitamin C,
vitamin E, coenzyme Q10, idebenone,
and retinol for their smoothing abilities.
These ingredients either help build
collagen (such as the retinol in
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle
Cream) or boost energy in damaged
skin cells that helps revitalize them (the
coenzyme Q10 in Nivea Visage Q10 Plus
Wrinkle Control Lotion SPF 15).
• Dryness and roughness Highly
emollient compounds include kinetin
(in Kinerase Cream) and vitamin E (in
The Body Shop Vitamin E Facial Oil).
• Sensitive skin and acne Both
conditions derive anti-inflammatory
benefits from green tea (in Topix’s
Replenix CF Serum) and CoffeeBerry
extract (in RevaléSkin Night Cream).
• Dark spots Botanical skin
lighteners include vitamin C, licorice
root, mulberry, and bearberry (all in
NeoCeuticals Skin Brightening Gel).
Instead of destroying pigment cells, as
hydroquinone does, they inhibit enzyme
activity involved in pigment formation.
• Sun damage Phloretin, ferulic
acid, and CoffeeBerry extract help
prevent photoaging and “have been
shown to reduce the DNA damage
that produces some skin cancers,”
McDaniel says. SkinCeuticals Phloretin
CF contains phloretin and ferulic acid.
out what they do and
how to manipulate
them. It’s the difference between
reading all the
notes in Beethoven’s
Fifth and actually
playing them.
Companies like Procter
& Gamble, which makes
Olay, are starting to do
gene chip testing, an
ingenious method of
laying out genes on tiny
ceramic chips to search for genetic
patterns. Research into age-related
variations in the skin’s moisture
barrier, for example, led to the development of the Pro-X line, which Olay’s
clinical study found was as effective
in reducing wrinkles as a prescription
retinoid cream after eight weeks of use.
(Longer-term comparisons may differ,
since retinoids take full effect over several months.) Estée Lauder’s Advanced
Night Repair claims to synchronize socalled clock genes, which help the skin
repair itself at night. And Lancôme’s
Génifique is designed to stimulate the
synthesis of two proteins that are plentiful in young skin, but not in aging skin;
Lancôme’s analysis showed desirable
changes in these proteins in just under
two months of twice-daily application.
Expert Opinion: We’re still in the
beginning stages of utilizing genomic
technology, but dermatologists agree:
It is the future of skin care. “Genomics
will make us able to design better products to counteract aging,” says Zoe
Draelos, consulting professor of dermatology at Duke University School of
Medicine in Durham, North Carolina,
who tests ingredients for cosmetics
companies. Franks says this avenue
of research is “fascinating. Of course,
companies can’t make any claims
about changing anything but the very
outermost layer of the epidermis—if a
product changes the dermis, and thus
truly plays with the mechanism of the
cells, then it’s a drug” and can be sold
only by prescription. “Yet it’s possible
there really are changes being made.
The company just can’t say so.” u
Allure/December 2009
funky food london/paul williams/alamy
nificant way,” notes
David H. McDaniel,
assistant pro­
fessor of
clinical dermatology
and plastic surgery at
Eastern Virginia
Medical School in Norfolk.
Whether the compound will
have the same effect on the
skin that it does on cells in
a lab “is always the $64,000
question,” says Linda K.
Franks, assistant clinical professor
of dermatology at New York University
School of Medicine. Still, she says, “I
really think they’ve got something here.”
She cites a 2007 study, published in
Archives of Dermatology, “that proved
Restylane injections stimulated collagen, because the Restylane stretched the
fibroblasts, giving them more structure.
If tensin turns out to help fibroblasts
stay structured, it seems it will also help
produce new collagen.”
Açai-berry extract
is being added
to products as a
skin smoother.