Ingredients
September 10th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Vitamin E provides oil-soluble antioxidant capacity It can protect your cell membranes and break chain reactions Takes care of your lipids and lipoproteins Gives some protection from the sun (because UV damages through oxidative stress) Defends you from ozone, a pollutant What vitamin E can’t do: Can’t provide antioxidant power in the water phase, like the cytosol. It can be your enemy in malaria because it will protect the parasite from oxygen Can’t prevent sunburn (because nothing can prevent sunburn completely) What are the symptoms of Vitamin E insufficiency? They are many and nasty but infrequent unless there is a problem of absorption. The need for vitamin E was detected…
August 3rd, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Whether you are 13 or 31 you still have to think long-term: your skin will be the barrier to protect you from the environment for the rest of your life (which I hope it will be long and happy). Because you have to think long term, you have to be careful when you buy an anti-acne product. Why? Because many companies don’t think long term about your skin when they formulate their products. Many companies only think of making money fast and their interests are unlikely to fit with yours. What should be your objective? To control acne without damaging your skin or aging it prematurely. And yet, many ingredients…
August 2nd, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
I am very glad we have antibiotics and antivirals and vaccines. I would not have liked to live in medieval England when the Saxons (and Merlin?) were concocting remedies for various ills. In a 10th-century Anglo-Saxon medical text called Bald’s Leechbook you will find a remedy for eye styes, an infection of the oil gland in the eyelid. Bald’s eyesalve was made of cow’s bile, wine, garlic, and onions, and was meant to cure styes. Did it work? And, if it did, why and how? It works, as a group of scientists found when they made the salve with garlic, onions, white wine (from the area) and bovine bile salts.…
July 25th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Let’s not get confused: You have hyaluronic acid in your skin. You can apply a hyaluronic acid gel on your skin. The reasons why your own hyaluronic acid is so important to the health of your skin do not apply to the hyaluronic acid gel you can apply to your skin. How to preserve and augment the hyaluronic acid in your skin 1. Use actives that promote endogenous hyaluronic acid synthesis like epidermal growth factor 2. Avoid ingredients that can lead to a break down of hyaluronic acid in your skin like copper (salts, peptides, whatever). 3. Avoid the sun and wear sunscreen. UV radiation leads to the loss pf…
July 19th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Retinoids a.k.a. Vitamin A, and that’s why retinoids are an important part of nutrition, for our whole body including our skin. Vitamin A has been recognized as such since 1920, and it is required for vision, skin health, immune function, bone metabolism and, notably. embryonic development (that’s why excess vitamin A can affect embryonic development). The carotenes alpha, beta, and gamma can be transformed into vitamin A within our body. Why so many? For retinoids to work they must bind to the retinoid receptor in the nuclear membrane. Slightly different molecules can do that and all will have Vitamin A activity. But not all retinoids are the same. Some chemicals…
June 27th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
As we age, crucial DNA mutations accumulate in our cells, and the mechanisms that regulate cell division fail. Out of control cell division plays havoc with our bodies: it’s called cancer. As the general population ages, the incidence of cancer increases. Science had progressed enormously in the understanding and treatment of cancer, and some amazingly sophisticated therapies do exist forme some specific types of cancer. For many other types of cancer, a big part of the treatment involves removing and killing cancerous cells. Thus, surgery to remove cancerous tumors is often followed by radiation therapy. In addition to dealing with sutures still healing, the patients (us) have to contend with…
June 20th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The product containing this extract will have a calming, and antibacterial effect. Why? Reason 1 gallic acid (antibacterial, anti-acne) Reason 2 isoquercitrin, a flavonoid with antiviral activity Reason 3 kaempferol, a flavonol with phytoestrogen activity Reason 4 quercetin. Among its capabilities: free radical scavenging, interferes with inducible nitric oxide synthase activity, and inhibits TNF-alpha release, anti-itch. Reason 5 quercitrin, a flavonoid that contains rhamnose Why? Because the benefits of any plant extract for your skin depend on the chemicals the extract contains! Boring? No! Think of the complicated, beautiful chemistry the plant does to be able to obtain these chemicals! They may work as UV filters for the plant that…
May 24th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Answer: Not just the name “ascorbyl” “ascorbate” Vitamin C is a chemical, its chemical name is L-Ascorbic Acid. We find out that something is a vitamin WHEN it is missing. No vitamin, no health. In particular, deficiency of Vitamin C results in scurvy, and the name “Ascorbic Acid” is derived from the Latin word for scurvy (scorbutus), a nasty illness whose (easy) fix, citrus fruit, eluded pirates and sailors until 1753. Why is L-Ascorbic Acid a vitamin? Most animals can make their own vitamin C, but humans can’t, because somewhere along evolution we lost a crucial enzyme, L-gulonolactone oxidase, required for the synthesis of L-Ascorbic Acid. This made L-ascorbic…
April 11th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Here it is: Essential 2020 Booster 4ml Ingredients Fragrance (Eucalyptus citriodora (Lemon Eucalyptus) Leaf Oil (and) Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Oil (and) Citrus limon (Lemon) Peel Oil (and) Lavandula hybrida (Lavandin) Flower Oil (and) Eugenia caryophyllata (Clove) Stem Oil (and) Backhousia citriodora (Lemon Myrtle) Leaf Oil (and) Origanum majorana (Marjoram) Leaf Oil (and) Origanum vulgare (Oregano) Leaf Oil (and) Cymbopogon martinii (Lemongrass) Leaf Oil (and) Salvia officinalis (Dalmation Sage) Leaf Oil), Punica Granatum (Pomegranate) Seed Oil, Tocotrienols, Tocopherols, Astaxanthin, Lycopene, Xanthophyll, Thioctic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Minthostachys Verticillata (Peperina) Extract. You can also read about these essential oils here Skin Actives Essential 2020 Booster is a blend of 13 essential oils that…
March 27th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
WARNINGS about essential oils Avoid exposure to UV (sun) as some of the chemicals these essential oils can be photoreactive. Chemicals in this blend are knows allergens. Discontinue usage if irritation is observed. Use only in dilute form and only in topical products. Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme Remember me to one who lives there For once she was a true love of mine From Scarborough Fair/Canticle by Simon and Garfunkel What are essential oils? They are not essential for our body (the way that essential fatty acids are). They are called “essential” because the contain the “essence” of the smell of…
February 9th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The collagen in your skin is a treasure you must take good care of. Collagen on your skin? It could help. Collagen in pills? Not at all. Let’s look at collagen and what it does for your skin. From my book: What is collagen? Collagen is a protein, its very complex fibers (see figure) give the skin resistance to strain and traction. Collagen constitutes about 70% of skin mass, but total collagen decreases about 1% per year. It may look like a small decline, but as such a major component of the skin it will affect skin volume and its physical properties. Also, aging changes collagen structure. What was an…
February 2nd, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The answer is very complicated, so I hope you will you will bear with me. But first, why is the “how” important? Because if we know how estrogen supports the skin, then maybe we can help alleviate the damage we can see in the mirror when estrogen goes down. Estrogen does a lot for our bodies, including the skin and scalp. Estrogen deficiency (like in menopause, natural, or surgical or chemical) leads to ageing and delayed skin repair. Many women go through early menopause, or have to contend with the effects of removal of the ovaries, or deal with estrogen suppressants (to control the growth of a tumor that responds…
January 25th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Figure: Portulaca oleracea, common name purslane. I don’t know much about Pliny the Elder, but he said something to the effects that :Nature distributed medicine everywhere”. This is true, but what it means is that many plants contain chemicals that have medicinal effects on humans. This does not mean that every plant contains chemicals that are beneficial chemicals, in fact many have poisonous chemicals and others have no medical effects at all. And certainly, some plants may have beneficial effects for one or another human organ, but not for our skin. Pliny the Elder said that purslane, Portulaca oleraceae, could be used as an amulet to expel all evil. This…
January 25th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
First, as always, INCI, the list of ingredients that tells you what’s in there. Progeline is a trade name for an ingredient that contains glycerin, water, dextran (a polysaccharide used in artificial tears) plus a fluorinated peptide, trifluoroacetyl-tripeptide-2. The INCI for this ingredient: it is a solution of dextran (thickener), glycerin (humectant), a tripeptide L-Valine, N-(2,2,2-trifluoroacetyl)-L-valyl-L-tyrosyl- (a synthetic, fluorinated peptide), and water. The order of concentrations is more likely to be: water, glycerin, dextran, and tripeptide, with a preservative in there, somewhere, because otherwise, the mix would have to be kept frozen to prevent bugs eating the glycerol within a couple of days. And then, as usual, “claims”. The people…
January 19th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
I am here, writing this post while drinking my morning coffee, so I can’t pretend to be impartial. How safe is it? Very: it is used to stimulate breathing in premature babies. What can it do for your skin? Figure. Caffeine. The dry data The purine alkaloid caffeine is a major component of many beverages such as coffee and tea. Caffeine and its metabolites theobromine and xanthine have been shown to have antioxidant properties. Benefits Caffeine decreases the risk of skin cancer promoted by UV irradiation, apparently by slowing down repair of DNA mutations caused by UV making it more precise and preventing mutations that may lead to cancer.…
January 18th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
We get attracted to plant extracts for many reasons. Besides advertising, there are cultural influences (what did your grandmother use when you were sick?), the attraction of the exotic (if it is Korean, it must be better), and even the common name of the plant (dragon’s blood, anybody?). As a scientist, I have to be more careful with how I choose plant extracts as an ingredient for our Skin Actives products. Yes, I look at plants that were used for centuries by different peoples. I read the publications that deal with the ethnological use of the plant extracts, but that is only the beginning. Maybe the ancient people who used…
January 18th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The flowers of Helichrysum italicum are so tempting for marketing. Immortelle (in French), everlasting (in English), siempreviva (in Spanish). Words are powerful, and together with our brains, always looking for magic in a world that does not offer it, is a great combination that can be used to sell you, the potential customer, anything. It seems obvious that the essential oil of this flower has nothing to do with extending human life, it is just that the clusters of yellow flowers retain their color after picking and are used in dry flower arrangements. Another name for this pant is “curry plant” but you could not sell a product with that…
January 1st, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Answer: We understand the seriousness of the problem and we face it differently. The key concept is that the skin is alive and quite capable of doing its job, until it isn’t. What has changed? The skin ages, or is damaged, or the environment changes and overwhelms the defenses. Our answer: we replenish the skin’s natural defenses, by carefully following the established antioxidant system already at work in our skin. We don’t innovate in the sense that we don’t build from scratch, we only refresh, “top-up” the natural order. We can achieve this because we understand how the skin functions: its anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology. Amazing scientific advances…
December 24th, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
This is a good example of skin care ingredients that are adopted too quickly. The silly argument: it is natural (so is vitamin A!) as if natural chemicals couldn’t hurt us. Nature is not out there for our skin benefit, and the sooner you learn this lesson, the sooner you will stop hurting your skin with irritating and allergenic natural chemicals (balsam of Peru anybody?). The equivalent in synthetic drugs is thalidomide. And I don’t want to accuse bakuchiol of being a tragic ingredient because there is no indication that it is. But look at what bakuchiol is said to be: a replacement for retinoids without side effects. Somehow, it…
December 22nd, 2019 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
My favorite plants have little to do with skin care. Carnations, gladioli, jasmine (the one in Argentina is actually Gardenia jasminoides) because they remind me of my mother. From my later life, the orange flower (neroli) is my favorite because it remind me of Andalusia and good times spent with my dear friends. When it comes to active ingredients that are great for the skin, there are so many! I will give you a few examples. EGCG from tea (Camellia sinensis), antioxidant and chemopreventive, fucoidan from brown algae, antiviral, antioxidants and promotes collagen synthesis. I could go on for hours (or days). Plants don’t make these chemicals for our benefit…