Peptides – the new miracle anti-ageing ingredient

Peptides are fast becoming one of the most frequently used actives in skin care ranges targeting the ageing baby boomers. Peptides can stimulate normal skin biological processes that slow down as the skin ages.

So what are these miracle ingredients?

Peptides are proteins that are naturally found in the skin. They supply precursors necessary for the building of larger more complex proteins, prostaglandins and hormones. Peptides stimulate physiological processes to occur inside the structures of the skin cell itself. The penetrate deep into the layers of skin and allow the cell to function in a more normal way.

There are a number of Peptides currently on the market. The most common being Matrixyl. Otherwise known as Palmitoyl Oligopeptide or Palmitoyl Pentapeptide. This ingredient is found in Boots No 7 Perfect and Protect and in Olay Regenerist. It is also found in Eclogite Skin Care, Environ and Mismo.

Matrixyl is a synthetic protein, made up of a fragment of collagen and palmitic acid. The palmitic acid is used to make collagen fragment more lipophilic and make it more compatible with the human skin to allow penetration. The benefit of Matrixyl over Retinol is that it is as effective as retinol but without the irritation commonly associated with retinoids. Matrixyl was shown to increase the thickness of the skin. An important factor as skin thickness decreases with ageing. The in vitro trial of Matrixyl was shown to stimulate collagen production by the fibroblasts by 350%. A remarkable result. It also was found to stimulate hyaluronic acid by 146% as well. Hyaluronic acid is responsible for moisture in the skin amongst many other things.

Sadly consumers seem to know more about these ingredients than Beauty Therapists. The most common peptide most consumers would be aware of is Agireline which was brought to the attention of consumers with Victoria Principles skin care range. Yet when visiting salons and showing the Eclogite range most therapists have no idea what peptides are or what there benefit is for the skin. In fact I would go as far as to say that if you are not stocking a range that includes peptides you are behind the times.

Does one moisturiser suit all skin types?

There are many cosmetics on the market that claim to suit all skin types.  Is such a cream possible?

 Well the answer is no.  Different skin types have different needs.  This is the reason Eclogite have done their skin care range in combination and dry skin formulas.  Treating everyone’s skin the same is asking for problems for people who suffer from acne. 

Dry skins inherently have no oil and so require more oil in there moisturiser to make up for this difference.  Combination to oily skins do product oil and so therefore will require less in a formula.  There also many ingredients such as shea butter and almond oil which if used in a dry skin product may not present a problem but if used on a combination skin will result in breakout and acne.

Skincare that suits all skin types is a bit like the Chinese tops that are one size fits all.  Unfortunately as humans there is no such thing and everyone’s skin is different in texture, secretions and sensitivity.

For individual skin care www.eclogite.com.au

Jacine

Is natural skin care better?

With the increase in the number of natural skincare companies popping up every year we could be forgiven for thinking that natural must be better.  Is this really the case though? The answer is natural is not always better.  The problem with natural products is that many natural ingredients also happen to be irritants.  People with sensitive skin would be advised to avoid most natural products.  Avocado oil which is commonly used can aggravate excema and dermatitis.  Once the avocado oil was omitted from their skincare their skin cleared up after years of suffering from this condition.

Tea tree oil and lavender oil are also commonly used.  Both of these essential oils cause phototoxicity or pigmentation.  By continually applying products with these oils in you are in fact giving yourself another skin condition to tackle at a later stage.  These ingredients are used extensively in acne products and also insect repellants. 

Citrus oils are also used in moisturisers.  These are more widely known to cause pigmentation but this does not stop cosmetic companies from putting them in.  Hey they get to sell you another product in a couple of years from the pigmentation they have caused! Tea tree oil has also been linked to breast development in boys.  Studies were conducted that showed pre-pubescent boys grew breast tissue after exposure to lotions and shampoos containing tea tree oil.  This was in children as young as 4 years of age.  The natural oils may be “gender-bending” chemicals mimicking effects of the female hormone, oestrogen, the findings suggest. The boys were otherwise normal, and lost the breast tissue within months of discontinuing use of the products. Source: www.newscientist.com The irony of this is that the majority of skincare companies touting to be natural are anything but natural.  They commonly use Sodium Lauryl Sulphate which is a major skin irritant.  In fact that is what everything else is tested against for irritancy.  Sodium Lauryl Sulphate though is derived from coconut a natural source.  Most surfactants are derived from coconut oil.  The new generation of surfactants are based on sugar.  Read the safety data sheet though and it says it is is really safe for sensitive skin.  I would like them to tell that to one client whose skin peeled for a week after using it. Almond oil and Rosehip oil are the staple oils used in natural cosmetics.  These are guaranteed to aggravate acne.  Silicones on the other hand have shown to have no sensitivity issues and do not cause acne or blackheads.  They have been shown to have excellent wound healing abilities.  Silicones though have been touted by natural companies as suffocating the skin.  Apparently they don’t allow the skin to breath.  Well last time I did anatomy and physiology I thought it was my lungs that breathed not my skin.  You can not suffocate skin.  You can clog skin by inappropriate use of ingredients.  Suffocating it means it is impermeable and given that then you should not sweat whilst you have a moisturiser on.  I can tell you that if I applied mineral oil all over my body I would still sweat.  So the fact that I am sweating means that it can’t be stopping normal skin function. 

Mineral oil is made up of hydrocarbons and is derived from petroleum is shunned by natural companies.  They then use an ingredient called C13-14 Isoparrafin.  This ingredient by the way is hydrocarbons and you guessed it derived from petroleum.  You as the consumer don’t know this though so it sounds that this product must be better.  C13-14 Isoparrafin also has a wonderful track record of causing acne even in people who don’t get it normally.  It is fabulously famous at the moment in Loreal Pure Makeup.  I have had numerous clients use this foundation recently and all complaining they are breaking out.  It is guaranteed to cause acne if you don’t already have it.

 Marketers are preying on your ignorance about ingredients.  Parabens have been given a lot of bad press and the past and they are still dubious as to their safety.  So what are they labelling them as now – hydroxybenzoates.  Average consumer would not know what this is and assumes they are buying a product that is paraben free.  This could not be further from the truth.

So the bottom line is natural is good if you can find one that does not irritate you.  But synthetic is probably safer.

Is Agireline as Effective as Botox?

Well the bottom line is no but it is a good alternative for those who don’t like the idea of injections.  Botox totally paralyses the muscle whereas Agireline destroys a protein involved in the release of a neurotransmitter that keeps the muscle tense.  Basically it decreases the wrinkle depth consideribly.  It does not remove it totally but even Botox can not do that if the wrinkle is deep, and considering Botox is $300.00 per injection then a cream at $50.00 is certainly worth looking at.  Deep wrinkles need to also be filled with an injectible or alternatively collagen needs to be stimulated to fill out the wrinkle.  This can also be done with a cream.  The trick is finding one with sufficient actives to to this.  If you are looking for one then go to www.eclogite.com.au 

Rejuvenate 1 Combination has 10% Agireline in and is only $50.00 for 50gms.  Dr Lewinn is $100.00 for 30gms and contains the same % of Active.  Which do you think you would choose? 

Yours in beauty

Jacine

Comodogenic Ingredients

I wanted to discuss something dear to my heart and that is the use of comodogenic ingredients in cosmetics.  Now for those of you who do not know what a comodogenic ingredient is, it is an ingredient that when you topically apply it to the skin it will cause blackheads and pimples to people who are prone to acne.  In saying this I have seen a dry skin clog up with use of these ingredients as well.  Why am I talking about this?Because they are in the majority of cosmetics that you purchase, including the professional ones from Beauty Salons.  Now I have had people ask why?

Most cosmetics are formulated by Chemists.  They do not necessarily have as thorough an understanding of the skin as a Therapist would have.  They know which chemicals can be put together and what combination will give an elegant feel to the cosmetic.  Hence the reason why these ingredients are used is because they enhance the sensory feel of the product.  You the consumer usually judge a product on how it feels and smells and so you purchase.

By purchasing these products you sometimes are inherently giving your skin another problem to deal with.  If you are interested in a list of ingredients to avoid go to www.eclogite.com.au and check out the education files.  You will also find products that are guaranteed safe for your skin.

Jacine