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Is Glabridin Really Better than Hydroquinone at Skin Lightening?: An Interview with Jules Zecchino

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Jules Zecchino is the former chief scientist at Estée Lauder. He stands behind Erasa XEP30, a new lotion he promises will eliminate wrinkles by more than 70 percent in 14 days. Erasa is part of Zecchino’s Skyler Brand Ventures, a “beauty incubator,” he claims, that hopes to launch many brands and products — but for less money and time.

Research behind the product?

I’ve been on top of the anti-aging prestige skin care products for about 30 years. One of the first to develop products with retinol, peptides, AHAs, and other technologies in this field. I always keep an eye on what pharmaceuticals are doing.

About two and a half years ago, a pharmaceutical company posted an article about a topical form of their Botox product that promised to alleviate fine lines and wrinkles. If they can do something by taking their injectable and putting it into a topical, maybe we can do something with that technology as well. Similar to how after Retin-A went to Renova, retinol and other retinoids started to come out with their own microencapsulation technologies. We started to look for molecules for deep frown lines that could have implications for a topical application.

What did you find?

XEP-30 is a biomimetic peptide that has muscle relaxing effect.
We like biomimetics because we think it is going to be a new field. Everyone looks for natural products, but natural products deplete the environment. If we had to capture snails and milk them of their venom, we would completely deplete their species off of the coast of Australia. But if we can build their molecule and exactly duplicate it, we have the best from nature and its evolutionary secrets, but we get the best of both worlds. That’s biomimetics.

Active-Ingredients

When did you know you were onto something promising?

About a year into when we started our research, we found that we had something that worked in improving the appearance of signs of aging. Everyone that was using the product was saying that their skin was looking better than ever.

There are some competitors out there with the original, older version called XEP-18, but we didn’t think it worked well enough. So we worked with the supplier to create XEP-30, exclusively for us, to get these neuropeptides enhanced to a greater efficacy. No one else but Erasa XEP-30 may use this more efficacious version.

There are a lot of products in the $426B beauty industry that claim to be new, exciting, different, or to have the most research behind them. How exactly is this product different?

No one has the molecule that we have. It works at a superior level. We also combined it with multiple actives that give a multitude of anti-aging effects. We wanted to mimic the experience of going to a dermatologist. A derm will inject fillers like Botox and Sculptura to fill in lines and plump the skin. They inject hydrocortisone to fix red spots, use lasers to remove brown spots, and prescribe RetinA and Tri-Luma for overall anti-aging.

So we developed our product with four neuro-peptides, including our exclusive XEP-30 to relax expression lines over time. We added optical fillers that immediately hide lines and wrinkles by deflecting light away from the skin. We used an exclusive whey protein to stimulate collagen, 97% pure galabridin for anti-inflammatory and dark spot correction, and glucosamine to firm and smooth the surface of the skin. Since we currently only have one product in our line, we focused on trying to get the most out of it, and included ingredients that help the appearance of sagging, age spots, and dark circles. It is the best anti-aging product I have ever seen.

With all due respect, that sounds like a million press releases I get everyday. We have an audience that loves science at FutureDerm and you are an acclaimed scientist; please tell us more about what exactly makes this product different from that perspective.

We have taken the molecule and we have concentrated it well beyond what XEP-18 can deliver. That in and of itself makes it more potent and different. We also have a patent-pending on our delivery system. We have other exclusive materials, like collagen-stimulating whey protein and the skin lightening purified glabridin — more expensive than XEP-30 at $18,000 per kilo — which itself is responsible for the removing and fading of the dark spots and circles around the eyes.

It also includes glucosamine, which is the world’s greatest skin smoothing and firming material. Glucosamine naturally sheds and exfoliates the surface of the skin, gently making it smoother firmer. Glucosamine has a side benefit of also being a tyrosinase inhibitor, which helps lighten skin too.

In the peer-reviewed journal research, there seems to be far more research on alpha hydroxy acids and skin lightening.

Dr. Gene Van Scott, the father of alpha hydroxy acids, and the man that has urged the use and benefits of AHA’s has moved from alpha hydroxy acids to glucosamine because he thought it worked better in everyday products. If you are in the derm’s office getting a 70% or 30% glycolic acid peel, these will work better and faster. But for home use, glucosamine is not irritating and works just as well as the 10% glycolic that is the highest level allowed in cosmetics. He formed Neostrata. Glucosamine works.

Why not hydroquinone?

It doesn’t work as well. There is also a lot of research on how it is a cancer promoter, causes white spots, and irritates the skin. People didn’t take it off of the market in Asia because there weren’t problems over there. It is also limited here. In cosmetics we are only allowed to use 2% which only gives limited activity at that level.

I disagree. We have dozens of interviews with dermatologists on FutureDerm who say hydroquinone is safe.

Then we can agree to disagree. As a chemist, I will say that it hasn’t been banned in the EU and Asia for no reason. The derms recommend it because they folly the FDA’s recommendation, which, in hydroquinone’s case has been shaky.

Fair enough! Tell me more about ERASA.

Erasa XEP-30 is the ultimate technical achievement for a cosmetic. It applies all the technology the industry has learned for better, younger skin and combines that with the latest advance in neuro-peptides; XEP-30. The best proof is in the clinical tests that were performed by an esteemed third party and are available on our website. Erasa XEP-30 will transform your skin from the moment you start using it. The unique polymers and delivery system immediately softens and smooths. The soft focus particles instantly hide imperfections while the actives work hard to yield unprecedented results in just two to three weeks.

Other products in the pipeline?

One of the key products to help to lock in these benefits will be an SPF product with moisturizer. We have been working diligently to create a new SPF 30 moisturizing product with firming benefits as well. Since our first product had more than one benefit, we thought we should also continue that with the moisturizer.  Users with especially dry skin might need an extra amount of emolliency. We also wanted to provide a high level SPF. We don’t think that SPF 15 is not enough to really protect the skin adequately. There is not an aesthetically nice SPF 30 out there. Going after that, we hope to have it on the marketplace by February. Will also be releasing an eye product in the same time period. The eye product does not contain SPF.
Galabridin is the number one age spot lightening material for about 30 years. It is a derivative from licorice and is sold in a 30-40% concentrated dark brown extract. When you put it into a product, it turns the product brown and black and ugly. A friend of mine looked at this problem a few years ago and realized the problem wasn’t the galabridn but the purification. When he purified the material to 97% it became white and had even higher level of activity. I believe this is the most active age spot eliminator on the market today. It is powerful and extremely safe, because galabridin is also a potent anti-inflammatory agent too.

Thank you, Dr. Zecchino.

Editor’s Note: You can try the product he refers to throughout this interview as ERASA XEP-30 Extreme Line Lifting and Rejuvenation Concentrate. A new, exclusive, patented neuropeptide complex, ERASA XEP-30 Extreme Line Lifting and Rejuvenation Concentrate includes not one, not two, but four  neuropeptides that are capable of producing results comparable to injections without the “frozen face”. In a 14-day trial, ERASA XEP-30 performed with amazing results across multiple measures. Independent testing reported, on average, a measurable 64% reduction in the appearance of wrinkles, with the top quartile seeing more than 90% reduction. For more, visit ERASASkincare.com.
Erasa

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