Pictured: L’Oréal Skin Genesis ($21.25, Amazon.com) and Lancôme Absôlue Night Cream ($135.00, Macy’s)
The new patented ingredient from L’Oréal, the company that owns Lancôme and L’Oréal, is Pro-XylaneTM, which aims to reduce lines and wrinkles by boosting the production of glycoaminoglycans (GAGs) within the skin. According to the October 2007 issue of Allure magazine, L’Oréal scientists found that when Pro-XylaneTM (the company’s name for xylose, a sugar molecule derived from the beech wood plant) was applied to the skin in the concentrations found in both Skin Genesis and Absolue Premium Bx, the skin held more moisture, stimulated collagen production, and generated the production of new GAGs within the skin.
According to Dr. Leslie Baumann, author of Cosmetic Dermatology and the Director of the Division of Cosmetic Dermatology at the University of Miami, glycoaminoglycans (GAGs) are polysaccharide chains composed of repeating disaccharide units linked to a core protein. Found primarily in the dermis of the skin, the major purpose of GAGs is to defend against water loss, as they bind large quantities of water, up to 1000 times their volume. For this reason, GAGs are also known as “natural moisturizing factors,” or NMFs (for more, see here). Most studies show that GAGs, such as hyaluronic acid and dermatan sulfate (the two GAGs most common in the dermis), decrease with age; however, some studies, such as that by Pearce et. al cited by Baumann, found no change in the amount of GAGs in aged skin. If in fact the majority of research is correct and GAGs decrease in aged skin, then certain changes in aged skin may be attributed to GAG loss, such as decreased elasticity, decreased turgidity, and wrinkling.
The research found in Skin Genesis and Absôlue Premium Bx is truly novel because it stimulates the skin to produce more GAGs. Although topical application of hyaluronic acid to the skin has been shown to moisturize the skin effectively, stimulating aged skin to mimic younger skin with the production of GAGs is a new advancement, as Dr. Debra Jaliman states in the October 2007 Allure magazine: “The research is amazing. It proves that these products produce long-term results by boosting the skin’s production of GAGs, which are crucial in fighting aging.”
It will be interesting to see future research into how long Skin Genesis and Absolue Premium Bx stimulate GAG production with the skin after application (the company recommends daily application under sunscreen), and where the stimulated GAG production increases within the skin, as a higher concentration of GAGs in young skin tends to be found at the periphery of collagen and elastin fibers and at the interface of these types of fibers, according to Baumann in Cosmetic Dermatology. At any rate, the product looks promising, and should stimulate the skin to give itself the moisturizing benefits of treatment with topical hyaluronic acid (or other natural moisturizing factor/GAGs). In fact, an additional ingredient in L’Oréal Skin Genesis is hyaluronic acid, so even before your skin starts to make more GAGs, you will reap the hydrating benefits.
So what is the difference between L’Oréal Skin Genesis and Lancome Absôlue Premium Bx? Besides the price (L’Oréal Skin Genesis moisturizer is $21.25 on Amazon.com, while Lancome Absôlue Premium Bx night cream is $135.00 from Macy’s), according to Allure, L’Oréal Skin Genesis seems to be geared toward younger women, while with Lancome Absôlue Premium Bx seems to want to attract a more mature audience. However, either formula would benefit a woman of any age: L’Oréal Skin Genesis contains ultra-hydrating hyaluronic acid, and Lancome Absôlue Premium Bx contains ingredients to increase skin elasticity and radiance for older women, such as yam, soy, sea algae, and barley.
Although the product does not contain very potent antioxidants (i.e., green tea, idebenone, vitamin C, vitamin E, etc.), retinoids, or peptides, if you are currently using these ingredients in your skincare regimé and simply want to boost your skin’s natural moisture levels, then either L’Oréal Skin Genesis and Lancome Absôlue Premium Bx are an excellent way to do it. A free sample of L’Oréal Skin Genesis is available from the company website for a limited time here.