I’m a huge fan of exfoliating, and Your Best Face Microdermabrasion Cream ($80.00, FutureDerm.com/
Tetrapeptide-30: TEGO Pep 4-Even
When the skin undergoes stress (including UV exposure), skin cells called keratinocytes recruit pigment-producing cells called melanosomes to essentially produce melanin (skin pigment). That’s where tetrapeptide-30, also known as TEGO Pep 4-Even, comes in. Tetrapeptide-30 has been shown to prevent the activation of melanosomes, which has been shown in studies to result in a smoother skin tone and less hyperpigmentation (PersonalCareEvonik.com). Tetrapeptide-30 has also been shown to reduce the levels of inflammatory factors called cytokines in the system, including (for you science buffs out there) TNF-alpha, IL-6, and COX-8 (PersonalCareEvonik.com).
Overall, what does this mean for your skin? Manufacturer data shows that tetrapeptide-30 may reduce the appearance of existing age spots and may prevent future age spots from forming. That, for those of us who get sunspots, is a beautiful thing.
Matrixyl 3000®
Don’t go looking for Matrixyl-3000® in a list of ingredients: Matrixyl-3000® is actually a combination of palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 and palmitoyl oligopeptide.
Matrixyl 3000® has been touted as “the most potent fibroblast stimulator,” and it has been said to have notable collagen-stimulating properties (Bioorganic and Medical Chemistry Studies, 2010).
Leucidal®
Leucidal® is a probiotic-based ingredient created by the fermentation of Lactobacillus bacteria in a defined growth medium. Lactobacillus is one of the species of microorganisms used to produce fermented products such as sauerkraut and kimchi, a Korean dietary staple, from cabbage. Like many members of the lactic acid bacteria family, Lactobacillus is capable of restricting the growth of other microorganisms by acidifying its environment. However, in addition to acidifying its environment, Lactobacillus also produces novel antimicrobial peptides, also known as bacteriocins, that are capable of providing broad spectrum antimicrobial protection. (ActiveMicrotechnology.com).
There are a lot of beauty benefits to using aqueous ferment filtrates that contain by-products of fermentation, especially the lactic acid. The advantage to lactic acid is that it does not temporarily thin the skin like glycolic acid does, according to the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. This is particularly useful during the summer months, when UV rays are the strongest. Granted, glycolic acid will increase skin thickness over time, while lactic acid will not (source), but I personally choose lactic acid over glycolic acid and other agents that thin the skin – even temporarily – before flying, swimming, living and breathing in summer months, :-). I also love lactic acid because it is really hydrating. Proof of lactic acid’s humectant abilities is that one of the only prescription drugs FDA approved for dry skin, LacHydrin, has lactic acid (12%) as the main ingredient. Pretty impressive!
Leucidal® is also what I find to be the reason why products that feature it are so great at keeping acne and breakouts at bay. Preliminary in vitro studies show that 2% Leucidal® Liquid SF keeps microorganisms at bay in products, including E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus, C. albicans and A. brasiliensis. When cosmetics products were incubated with these bacterial species for two-28 day cycles, Leucidal® was able to keep microorganism growth at bay. Though there is no human-correlated data to support it, I am strongly in support of the theory that Leucidal® should also be able to keep P. acnes, the bacterial species that causes and perpetuates acne on the skin, at bay as well. A major reason to look for it in your skin care and cosmetics!
Leontopodium alpinum Edelweiss extract
When ingested, Edelweiss extract has been found to have significant anti-inflammatory properties (Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2006).
However, as all good FutureDerm readers know, food is not skin care, as the digestive tract has very different properties than the skin. In one experiment, cultures of skin cells were subjected to different stressors, including UV light, LDL lipoprotein, and a pro-inflammatory substance called LPS that is regularly used in laboratory experiments to induce inflammation. When edelweiss extract was applied to the skin, significantly less pro-inflammatory factors were released. In turn, less inflammation was noted (Mediators of Inflammation, 2012). The active portion of the extract was found also to be leontopodic acid.
The formula is supposed to be “creamy and smooth” while gliding on the skin. It is creamy and a little goes a long way, but it is also grainy. It feels like there are thousands of little sand-like particles in the formula, which is a wonderful thing, given the smaller the exfoliation bead, the denser the exfoliation experience. It is yellowish, like a mustard, in color. Regular readers will know I’m not a fan of rinsing skin care products off for at least a full minute, so I rubbed it on my face in gentle, circular motions for about a minute. I then applied a little more. I am relieved Your Best Face clearly states you can leave this on the face for up to 30 minutes before rinsing off. I was surprised at how well it performed — my skin felt silky smooth.
So fresh and clean! YBF Prep Microdermabrasion Cream really does leave your skin quite smooth. (No Photoshop necessary!)
Avoiding the eye area, apply a thin layer of Prep to clean, damp skin. Lightly massage in a circular motion. Rinse now or leave on as a mask. When rinsing, use cool water and always follow with moisturizer.
ingredients
aluminum oxide crystals, reverse osmosis water, olivem (cetearyl olivate, sorbitan olivate), meadowfoam seed oil, oliwax (hydrogenated olive oil (and) olive oil (olea europaea) (and) olive oil onsaponifiables), Pentavitin (saccharide isomerate), phytic acid, TEGO Pep 4-Even (tetrapeptide-30 (and) glycerin (and) water), edelweiss extract, vitamin B5, Relistase (glycerin (and) acetylarginyltryptophyl diphenylglycine), TEGO Pep 4-17 (Tetrapeptide-21 (and) Glycerin (and) Butylene Glycol (and) Water), allantoin, ethoxydiglycol, niacin, vitamin E (tocopheryl acetate), Leucidal (leuconostoc/radish root ferment filtrate), coenzyme Q10, Matrixyl 3000(glycerin (and) water (and) butylene glycol (and) carbomer (and) polysorbate 20 (and) palmitoyl oligopeptide (and) palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7), olive leaf extract,licorice root extract, aspen bark extract, glucuronolactone, spin trap (phenyl butyl nitrone), tetrahydrodiferyloylmethane (turmeric root extract), ferulic acid, tetradecylthioacetic acid (TTA), lipochroman-6 (dimethylmethoxy chromanol), sodium hyaluronate, vitamin B6 (coenzyme B6 as pyridoxal-5-phosphate), blood orange oil, bergamot oil (bergaptene-free/non-photosensitizing), vanilla absolute