MD Skincare Hydra Pure Oil Free Moisture ($75.00, MDSkincare.com) contains the Hydra-Pure Chelating Complex®, which claims to remove harmful impurities left on the skin by tap water, and to increase the penetration of other active ingredients. It is actually those other ingredients in MD Skincare Hydra Pure Oil Free Moisture that really get to me: vitamins C and E, green tea extract, genistein, ubiquinone, palmitoyl pentapeptide-3, and soothing aloe vera.
What are chelators? Do they really benefit the skin?
Chelators are bi- or multi-dentate ligands that are capable of binding (with several different bonds) to metals. The idea of putting chelators in a skin care cream comes from chelation therapy, an established medical practice in which chelating agents like dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid (DMPS) and alpha lipoic acid (ALA), are used for treating lead poisoning and heavy metal toxicity. In independent clinical research, chelators have been shown for being effective in preventing certain metal-induced forms of contact dermatitis. It has also been suggested in several studies, including this 1994 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, that use of iron chelators is able to provide some photoprotection for UV-irradiated skin. As such, from the research, it seems not only to be novel to use chelators in skin creams, but also beneficial.
There are, however, side effects to normal chelation therapy. As of this time, however, I am unaware of any negative reports from chelators at the low concentration found in MD Skincare Hydra Pure Oil Free Moisture.
Vitamins C and E
Yes, again!!! Two days in a row I have found creams with this synergistically beneficial mixture, and I love it! The benefits are multiple (and have been stated elsewhere in this blog, so if you’ve read it before, please skim down…)
First and foremost, according to Dr. Leslie Baumann’s Cosmetic Dermatology textbook, vitamin C and vitamin E are network antioxidants that have been found to synergistically enhance the power of one another. (When one antioxidant is depleted, it can essentially “borrow” an electron from the other antioxidant to renew itself, and vice versa).
Vitamins C and E as L-ascorbic acid and tocopheryl acetate have also been reported by Djerassi et. al. to prevent the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines (cancerous nitrosamines).
Vitamin C and vitamin E have also been shown in this 1996 study, amongst others, to enhance the photoprotective effects of sunscreen, as vitamin C has been reported to enhance UVA protection, whereas vitamin E is more effective against UVB radiation.
Lastly, vitamin C has also been found to decrease hyperpigmentation, although a study in the International Journal of Dermatology found that 4% hydroquinone was more effective in treating melasma than vitamin C as L-ascorbic acid. However, a separate study, also in the International Journal of Dermatology, found that combination therapy of 4% hydroquinone (not in MD Skincare Hydra Pure Oil Free Moisture), vitamin C, vitamin E, and 10% glycolic acid was effective in treating signs of hyperpigmentation.
Genistein
Genistein, one of the isoflavones found naturally in soy, has been shown in independent research studies to exhibit both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and to stimulate the production of collagen and hyaluronic acid in human fibroblasts cultured in vitro. Altogether, this increases the firmness, elasticity, and suppleness of skin. These findings have been affirmed in this 2005 study in the journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology, which further reported that use of soy extract twice daily for two weeks reduced the number of hair follicles (dermal papillae) on the skin. It has also been reported in this 2000 study in the journal Dermatology that human trials demonstrate lightening of hyperpigmentation after use of soybean extract for two weeks.
Overall: I love it!
MD Skincare Hydra Pure Oil Free Moisture has it all: a novel technology in chelators, a plethora of established antioxidants, a hydrating texture, and soothing ingredients to boot. If only it contained sunscreen! Product rating: 8/10 (High concentration of proven ingredients: 3/3. Novel technology: 3/3. Value for the money: 2/3. Sunscreen: 0/1).
Ingredients in MD Skincare Hydra Pure Oil Free Moisture
Vitamin A, Vitamins C & E, Green Tea Extract, Phospholipids, Genistein, Aloe Vera Extract, Glycerin, Squaline, Bentonite, Ubiquinone, Dimethicone, Phospholipids, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3