Move over, Creme de la Mer, there’s a new powerhouse cream in luxe town: 37 Extreme Actives® ($295.00, NeimanMarcus.com) the brainchild of Harvard-trained dermatologist Dr. Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, M.D. Ph.D. Containing fifty (yes, fifty) clinically-proven antioxidants, 37 Extreme Actives® is designed for DNA defense, cellular restoration, anti-brown discoloration, anti-red discoloration, anti-wrinkle, pro-collagen, barrier fortification, damage reversal, moisturization, and anti-rough texture. (Whew!)
“Dr. Macrene’s 37 Extreme Actives® contains key ingredients that correct and repair many common skin problems,” says Hazel Wyatt, Vice President Divisional Merchandise Manager Beauty and Fragrance at Neiman Marcus, “This is a great product to use alone or with your favorite moisturizer or serum.”
I like 37 Extreme Actives®, for its two main strengths:
Strength #1: An Amazing Array of Ingredients
As would be expected in a cream with so many ingredients, some ingredients are considered to be better than others. Although 37 Extreme Actives® has well over sixty ingredients, there are ten I am extremely impressed with from substantiated research:
- 1.) Antioxidant/cell-preserver resveratrol
- 2.) Firming acetyl tetrapeptide-2;
- 3-4-5.) Two forms of brightening vitamin C with stabilizer (tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate and magnesium ascorbyl palmitate with stabilizing ferulic acid),
- 6.) Hydrating sodium hyaluronate (known to hold up to 1000 times its weight in water);
- 7.) Brightening soy;
- 8.) Calming/anti-inflammatory bisabolol;
- 9.) Antioxidant Tremella fuciformis (mushroom) extract;
- 10.) Barrier-fortifying, antioxidant-proven Helianthus annus (sunflower) extract.
Strength #2: Proven to be stable
What I Don’t Like About 37 Extreme Actives® #1: Amino acids and ATP
The theory of infusing skin care with amino acids and ATP seems to come from the fact that the body undergoes anabolic processes, constructing (and re-constructing) new proteins from the amino acids, consuming ATP in the process. However, topically applying amino acids and ATP to the skin has never been shown to have any effect on rebuilding wrinkles. Further, while ATP level decrease is one of the markers of intrinsic skin aging, it has never been shown that ATP can diffuse through the skin to increase intracellular ATP levels. As such, ATP seems to be included as an emollient only.
What I Don’t Like About 37 Extreme Actives® #2: Potentially irritating
The second thing I don’t care for about 37 Extreme Actives® is fact that so many ingredients may cause irritation. Even with soothing ingredients like bisabolol and soy, there is the possibility of a reaction, particularly for those with sensitive skin. For instance, I personally am allergic to parthenolide, the irritating agent in feverfew extract, as are many others (Paulsen et. al). Even though a method for extracting parthenolide has been developed, I have only seen this done in feverfew products by Johnson & Johnson, including Neutrogena and Aveeno brands. This is just one example of an agent in 37 Extreme Actives® that would make me reluctant to use it on more of my face than just a small patch at first.
Bottom Line
Of all of the over-$100 creams I have ever reviewed, 37 Extreme Actives® takes the cake, with an ultra-stable array of mega-effective antioxidants, hydrators, and cell stabilizers. What I want to make clear is that I do not favor the ATP and amino acids, as they are not likely to do anything when applied topically other than hydrate, nor do I think 37 Extreme Actives® is the best cream for anyone with sensitive skin, due to the large array of ingredients. (I myself am allergic to the parthenolide likely to be present in the feverfew).
Yet if I were recommending a product for a $285 splurge, I would pick 37 Extreme Actives® over almost anything else in the luxury market right now. Just don’t forget to use sunscreen; remember, no matter what else you use, about 90% of your skin aging is attributable to UV damage, and this cream does not have a broad-spectrum sunscreen.
Product Review: 7/10 (High concentration of proven effective ingredients: 3/3. Unique formulation or new technology: 3/3. Value for the money: 1/3. Sunscreen: 0/1).
DNA defense
Acetyl Tyrosine
Proline
Adenosine Triphosphate
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (delivery)
Arabidopsis thaliana extract (roxisomes)
Cellular Restore
Helianthus annus (sunflower) seed oil
Resveratrol
Adenosine Triphosphate
Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate
Arginine
Aspartic Acid
Glycine
Alanine
Serine
Valine
Proline
Threonine
Isoleucine
Histidine
Phenylalanine
Soy
Acetyl-Tyrosine
Anti-Brown Discoloration
Arginine
Aspartic Acid
Glycine
Alanine
Serine
Valine
Proline
Threonine
Isoleucine
Histidine
Phenylalanine
Ergothioneine
Soy
Acetyl-Tyrosine
Anti-Red Discoloration
Bisabolol
Coffea arabica (coffee) seed extract
Theobroma cacao (cocoa) extract
Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) leaf extract
Caffeine
Chrysanthemum parthenium (feverfew) extract
Soy
Anti-Wrinkle Appearance
Acetyl-Tetrapeptide-2
Resveratrol
Sodium Hyaluronate
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Tremella fuciformis (mushroom) Extract
Helianthus annus (sunflower) Extract
Anti-Oxidants
Ferulic Acid
Resveratrol
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Tocopherol
Helianthus annus (sunflower) extract
Santalum album (sandalwood) extract
Phellodendron amurense (bark) extract
Hordeum distichon (barley) extract
Coffea arabica (coffee) seed extract
Theobroma cacao (cocoa) extract
Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) leaf extract
Pro-Collagen
Acetyl-Tetrapeptide-2
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Sodium hyaluronate
Acetyl-Tyrosine
Barrier Fortification
Dimethicone
Glycerin
Soy Lecithin
Sodium Lactate
Sodium PCA
Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate
Squalane
Helianthus annus (sunflower extract)
Damage Reversal
Tremella fuciformis (mushroom) polysaccharide
Resveratrol
Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) leaf extract
Ferulic Acid
Acetyl Tyrosine
Proline
Adenosine Triphosphate
Emollient/Moisturizers
Dimethicone
Glycerin
Trimethylolpropane tricaprylate/tricaprate
Helianthus annus (sunflower) extract
Soy Lecithin
Santalum album (sandalwood) extract
Hordeum distichon (barley) extract
Sodium PCA
Sodium lactate
Squalane
Anti-Rough Texture
Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide (mushroom extract)
Ferulic acid
Phillodendron amurense (bark) extract
Resveratrol
Coffea arabica (coffee) seed extract
Theobroma cacao (cocoa) extract
Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) leaf extract
Helianthus annus (sunflower) extract