Combination Approaches Drive Cosmeceutical Regimens

Natural skincare ingredients are always trending, noted Patricia K. Farris, MD, in her presentation at the 2021 Music City SCALE Symposium for Cosmetic Advances and Laser Education, held in Nashville, Tennessee. What’s making news now: using these ingredients in multifaceted formulations designed to perform in concert.¹

After 12 weeks, patients experienced an average 8% reduction in pigmented spots and statistically significant improvements in skin firmness vs baseline.² Farris attributed these improvements to the skin lighteners, retinol, and peptides in Advanced Retinol Restorer.

Diamond nanoparticles in Precious Elixir Infusion Diamond (U.SK Under Skin), another part of the nightly study regimen, carry pentapeptide-35. This peptide, a sirtuin-1 analogue, acts similar to resveratrol, Farris noted.

The study’s morning regimen included Precious Elixir Infusion Pearl & Caviar (U.SK Under Skin). Although pearl- and caviar-based skin care may sound like marketing hype, she said, these ingredients provide genuine benefits. Pearl powder has a long history as a rejuvenating ingredient in Chinese medicine,³ providing tyrosinase inhibition (for skin lightening), antioxidant effects, and metal chelation. “It’s also a very good moisturizer,” Farris said. Caviar extract provides proteins, vitamins (A, B2, B6, B12, niacin, pantothenic acid, and folic acid), essential fatty acids, and minerals.

Also included in the study’s morning regimen: Advanced Defense Booster (U.SK Under Skin). Its key ingredients include ferulic acid, olive leaf extract, maslinic acid, trace minerals, and peptides. The complete regimen improved smoothness and dryness by 60% and 82%, respectively, vs baseline, according to Farris.

ANTIOXIDANTS SUCCEED ON MULTIPLE LEVELS
Besides protecting against sun damage, Farris said, certain antioxidants, like vitamin C, also boost collagen and lighten hyperpigmentation. Vitamin E provides antioxidant synergy with vitamin C. L-ascorbic acid needs to be formulated at a low pH, she noted, so adding peptides to vitamins C and E presents a formulation challenge. Accordingly, EverActive C&E + Peptide (AlumierMD) sequesters l-ascorbic acid crystals into a compartment that empties into the serum when the cap is pressed down.

“It’s an innovative way to keep the peptides and vitamin C separate until you mix the formulation,” she said. “It’s a 3-month supply broken down into 3 smaller 30-day supply units.”

In a 2-month, open-label trial, 71% of patients showed statistically significant improvement in wrinkling (8%-9%) over baseline (P < .05).4 Additionally, 68% of patients had significant improvement in periorbital isotropy, a measure of palmitoyl tripeptide-38’s impact on the dermal matrix, at 1 month.

Along with addressing complex skin care issues, Farris said, multi-ingredient formulations satisfy patients’ desire for simple regimens. “I’ve always been of that philosophy,” she said. “If you give people too complicated a regimen, their [adherence] goes down significantly.”

An effective regimen could be as easy as 1 morning product and 1 evening product (excluding cleansers and toners) or, Farris noted, “as complicated as 2 or 3 products that might be layered together.” She said that in her experience, the sweet spot is 2 or fewer morning and 2 or fewer evening products: “The simpler the regimen, the better.”

Disclosures

Farris has been a speaker, investigator, or adviser for Alastin, CeraVe, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health, La Roche Posay, NeoStrata, SkinCeuticals, and U.SK Under Skin.

References

Farris PK. Next generation cosmeceuticals. Presented at: Music City SCALE Sym- posium for Cosmetic and Laser Education; August 18-22, 2021; Nashville, TN.

Farris P, Draelos ZD, Felipe de Oliveira Stehling L. Novel facial treatment regi- men improves aging skin appearance. J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(3):274-278. doi:10.36849/JDD.5791

Shao DZ, Wang CK, Hwang HJ, Hung CH, Chen YW. Comparison of hydration, tyrosinase resistance, and antioxidant activation in three kinds of pearl powders. J Cosmet Sci. 2010;61:133-145.

Lintner K, Gerstein F, Solish N. A serum containing vitamins C&E and a matrix-repair tripeptide reduces facial signs of aging as evidenced by Primos analysis and frequently repeated autoperception. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2020;19(12):3262- 3269. doi:10.1111/jocd.13770