Five lucky readers will receive a full-size Sustainable Youth product (an $80 value), just for commenting below!  From all comments received on this entry on FutureDerm.com, one winner will be chosen at random at midnight EST on Monday, April 20, 2009.  So keep on entering!

Active Ingredient:  Alasta™

Sustainable Youth Technologies products promise to deliver increased skin elasticity and firmness within 3 months of use.  The active ingredient in the products is Alasta™, an ingredient that is derived from the rind of the aloe plant.  The line currently offers Alasta™ in both oral supplements and topical treatments.  The research behind Alasta™, while limited in number, is sound:  In two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies conducted by an independent laboratory, Alasta™ improved skin elasticity and firmness up to 61 percent in only 12 weeks of use when taken orally and up to 72 percent in only 8 weeks of use when used topically.  To assess skin elasticity and firmness after oral supplementation, Cutometer instrumentation was used to measure and estimate several variables, including elastic, viscoelastic and purely viscous behavior of the skin. In the topical application study, skin firmness (elasticity) scores were obtained using the Pinch Test method.

Confusing Point about NF-kB

The only point I find about Sustainable Youth research confusing is the fact that the company boasts that Alasta™ has been shown to upregulate (activate) NF-kB-directed activity.  While it is true that NF-kB increases the activity of immune cells (macrophages), NF-kB activity is usually downregulated (inhibited) by most anti-aging ingredients and products.  For instance, glycolic acid was found to downregulate (inhibit) NF-kB activity in UV-stimulated mouse skin (published in Molecular Carcinogenesis), and this review in Ageing Research Reviews suggests that downregulating NF-kB activity decreases inflammation in the skin.  As such, it may be of interest to Sustainable Youth to demonstrate exactly how the upregulation of NF-kB decreases aging of the skin, as current research suggests the opposite.   

Natural, Sustainable, and Renewable

While there certainly are a number of treatments out there for increasing and/or maintaining skin firmness (ranging from retinoids, glycolic acid, certain peptides, mmpi’s, xylose, amongst others), Sustainable Youth offers the increasingly popular benefits of being all-natural and conserving resources in its skin care production.  Although more than 1,000 aloe plants are needed to produce a mere 32 ounces of Alasta™ from the aloe vera plant rind, Sustainable Youth maintains that it is a “sustainable and renewable” technology, as no part of the plant is wasted. The company maintains that the inner leaf of the aloe vera plant is used for gel, while the skins are recycled as fertilizer or whole-leaf aloe products.

Overall Opinions and Giveaway

Although I am a bit confused by the companies’ claims regarding NF-kB, the fact that the active ingredient in Sustainable Youth Technologies’ products increase skin firmness and elasticity is firmly backed by two independent, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical studies.   With that said, if you are interested in trying a Sustainable Youth Technologies product (an $80 value), comment below!  From all comments received on this entry on FutureDerm.com, one winner will be chosen at random at midnight EST on Monday, April 20, 2009. 

Product Rating:  7.0/10.  (High concentration of proven ingredients: 2.5/3, -0.5 for confusing NFkB claim.  New technology or unique/effective formulation:  3/3.  Value for the money: 2.5/3, rather expensive, but at the same time, the cost covers the fact that the product technology is sustainable and renewable.  Sunscreen: 0/1). 

Ingredients in Sustainable Youth Technologies Serum

Alasta™, Rice Extract, Green, White and Rooibos Tea Extracts