Ingredients
April 15th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The question should be: how did you choose your favorite ingredient? If the answer is “everybody was talking about X” then you probably chose wrong. Ingredients that “everybody was talking about” included the following: a toxic plant extract (yes, believe me), idebenone (a CoQ10 analog that was allergenic for some people), media discarded from laboratory cell cultures, a copper salt that decreases hyaluronic acid synthesis, myriad non-biological synthetic peptides with unknown effects, a strong oxidant (benzoyl peroxide), plant stem cells, etc. This list includes ingredients that will do nothing for your skin and others that will damage and age it. Please remember that what makes people talk about something is…
April 2nd, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What do we know about niacinamide? Lots. Figure. Niacinamide. Other names: nicotinamide, 3-pyridinecarboxamide, nicotinic acid amide, vitamin PP, nicotinic amide, vitamin B3 From my glossary: Vitamin, skin brightener Niacinamide (vitamin B3) benefits skin color and decreases melanin synthesis (important for hyperpigmentation); decreases inflammation, itching (pruritus) and UV-induced skin cancers, and prevents immunosuppression by UV irradiation. By increasing NADPH, the donor of reducing power in cell biosynthesis, niacinamide will increase synthesis of collagen, involucrin, filaggrin, and keratin. Niacinamide is one of the components of NADPH (reduced niacinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) the coenzyme that provides the reducing power required to build new molecules in the human body. Niacinamide and niacin are not…
April 1st, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
It’s an interesting story. Allow me to tell to you. Once upon a time, cosmetics were cosmetics. Cold creams, makeup, etc. But one enterprising doctor discovered the usefulness of science as an advertising tool and, perhaps, a useful nutritional ingredient to sneak into makeup (“sneak” because the FDA doesn’t like that certain “cosmetics” can change skin physiology). And, voila, with the addition of alpha-lipoic acid to skincare products, cosmeceuticals were born, It’s a useful story. Having found that alpha-lipoic acid was easy to introduce in skincare products, the flood of science into the skincare industry was open. Some additions were helpful, others not so much. What can I tell you…
February 26th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Not my answer but still the best: They charge a lot, so you have been hearing about them because they spend money on PR and advertising. Apart from the peptides, the ingredients look good, headlined by X or Y (niacinaide, magnesium ascorbyl phsophate, any of hundreds of ingredients). The peptides are off the shelf synthetic peptides (very cheap now) so there is no new science in the products, just renaming a few peptides that can be purchased by anyone. XXX just puts random peptides into cell lines (in culture) and sees if anything pops out in the test tube. Totally removed from real life. They then put the peptides in…
February 16th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
From my glossary, The Chemicals Life Makes” (you can find it here) Silymarin Antioxidant, chemopreventive Silymarin, a heterogenous extract of Silybum marianum (milk thistle) may be as effective as RetinA without the irritation. Silymarin has multiple beneficial effects on the skin, protecting it from a variety of environmental agents. Research has shown that silymarin reduces the effects of toxins on epidermal cells; as an antioxidant, it prevents the oxidative damage to DNA caused by UV radiation, and it protects against chemically induced skin tumors in mice. Recent research looked at the mechanism by which silymarin prevents skin cancer and it seems that it normalizes the function of a “deranged” cell…
February 6th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Figure. Collagen structure Why are proteins so complicated? Because they have to be. Think about it: every protein has a different function. Think of all the enzymes required to convert sugar into carbon dioxide, water, and energy. And everything in our bodies (and in plants, bacteria, your cat) is just as complicated. This is why it is hard to improve on a biological process but easy to mess it up. Any time you feel like messing about with your body, stop and think how complicated it is. Do you know enough to mess with it? I can tell you: you DON’T! Anyway, going back to proteins, Some facts, here and…
January 20th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Yes. But don’t expect a miracle. And be careful how much you add. Natural chemical, energy production. Synonyms: R-α-Lipoic acid (alpha-lipoic acid); Thioctic acid; 6,8-Dithiooctanoic acid Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is good and essential for cell function, but not essential in the nutritional sense because our bodies make it. Older skin may be hungry for this very important antioxidant and cofactor. Lipoic acid, a naturally occurring dithiol complex, is the prosthetic (i.e. non-proteic) group of several enzymes, including the transacetylase part of of the enzyme complex that catalyzes the decarboxylation of pyruvate so that the remaining 2-carbon group can enter the Krebs cycle. ALA also acts as a powerful micronutrient with…
January 5th, 2021 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Fatty acids, like all other ingredients, are what their chemistry says. Chemistry says Cell membranes are crucial to cell life (and health), and fatty acids are crucial to cell membrane structure. Deficiency in essential fatty acids shows as dermatitis. In general, fatty acids are central to the use of energy in the skin and are required to make new skin and maintain function and health. A fatty acid (example: palmitic acid) has a carboxylic acid attached to a long hydrocarbon chain. We, humans, use fatty acids as a significant source of energy during metabolism and as a starting point for the synthesis of phospholipids, the main category of lipid molecules…
December 27th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
The promise: IPeptide™ attenuates the exaggerated inflammatory response of the alarmin, IL-33. It prevents damage induced by sleep deprivation, presents melatonin-like properties against glycation & peroxidation, and reinforces the first line of immune defense. It is time to start biohacking your sleep to improve fatigue signs, dark circles, eyebags, and enjoy a cooling effect. There is so much wrong with this statement. Let counts the ways. Here is the actual composition of that skincare ingredient. INCI Name:Water (and) Glycerin (and) Caprylyl Glycol (and) Acetyl Hexapeptide-8. Much of the following is written in “scientific jargon”. Don’t panic, the take-home message is clear enough. In the INCI nomenclature, there are about 80…
December 8th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Numbers make statements look more “attractive”, and advertisers use this psychological tool to manipulate people into buying junk. What does it mean by “50x more effective than other forms of Vitamin C”? Nothing. But that 50X catches your attention long enough for you to pay $140 for 30 mL of nothing serum. Numbers are no good unless there is a precise description of how they were obtained. Numbers are no good unless you can trust the source. And yet, the advertised chemical, tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (THD ascorbate) is likely to have 0 (zero!) vitamin C activity. How do you measure vitamin C activity? Scurvy is caused by vitamin C deficiency and…
November 30th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
But first, what is it? With a hint of poetry, I would say that SAS sea kelp bioferment brings you the beauty of algae of all colors, from the gigantic sea kelp that makes up the sea kelp forests to the microscopic unicellular algae, from the brown of the fucoxanthin to the coral of the astaxanthin, polysaccharides, and carotenoids. What will you find in our sea kelp bioferment Coral? Seakelp (Lactobacillus/Kelp Ferment Filtrate) Bioferment, Porphyridium Polysaccharide, Fucoxanthin, Astaxanthin. How to use it Sea Kelp Coral by itself will help with an itchy scalp. Sea Kelp Coral can be used as a hair conditioner, it will make your hair feel “softer”…
November 27th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Oil is a viscous liquid at ambient temperatures and is both hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils, literally “fat loving”). Oils have a high carbon and hydrogen content; most are unsaturated lipids that are liquid at room temperature. Because they are non-polar, oils do not easily adhere to other substances, making them useful as lubricants, so oils are applied to hair to give it a lustrous look, to prevent tangles and roughness. Don’t get confused: essential oils are not oils! The word “oil” comes from the word for olive; in fact, common oils are all derived from living beings, plants mostly. Even what we…
November 10th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
KGF is a signal molecule, it will tell the keratinocytes in your skin to divide and synthesize macromolecules and make your skin stronger. It will encourage your scalp to grow hair, and your eye brows and eyelashes to be stronger, thicker and increase in density. How can you use it as an ingredient to make your skincare better? How? Add it to a cream, a serum, sea kelp bioferment, almost to anything. Exception: KGF is a protein and as most proteins, it does not like extremes of pH (acids, alkali) or alcohols like ethanol and isopropanol. Where? It will help your nails! It will help your scalp and hair! It…
November 5th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Once upon a time apocynin wasn’t a secret. Apocynin was first described by a German pharmacologist, and in 1883 and was first isolated by Horace Finnemore. In fact, in the 1900s, the root of Canadian hemp, rich in apocynin, was used for its known effectiveness against edema and heart problems. But we tend to forget good things and re-discover them, and that’s OK. In the meantime, scientists elucidate the mechanism of action of the herbal medicine and that’s fantastic because it means we can purify the active chemical and don’t have to worry about possible side effects by other chemicals present in the original plant material. What do we know…
October 31st, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
We make vitamin D and we may need vitamin D supplementation. Why? By definition, a vitamin is something we, humans, need to acquire because we can’t make it, but we can produce vitamin D. Why, then, vitamin D supplementation? Because to be able to make vitamin D we need two things: 7-dehydrocholesterol and expose our skin to UVB radiation. Vitamin D: not only for the bones Vitamin D has a significant role in calcium homeostasis and metabolism and is crucial for bone formation. Vitamin D influences the bones, but also intestines, immune and cardiovascular systems, pancreas, muscles, brain, and the control of cell cycles. And the skin. Vitamin D synthesis…
October 25th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Our skin has so many jobs! One of them is to defend us from pathogens, and the skin has the means (and cells!) to do this. What is the innate immune response? Is the one ready to fight even before our body has actually encountered the new enemy and will help to equip for the adaptive response. It is clear that if we depended solely on antibodies formed days or weeks after the encounter of a brand new pathogen, we could not survive long: the new virus or bacteria would invade, reproduce and kill before the first antibodies were even formed! Just like plants, invertebrates, and other living organisms, we…
October 20th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
If you go for aggressive retinoids, like RetinA, you will need to make up for a disrupted skin barrier, with occlusive ingredients like petrolatum or mineral oil. For all other retinoids that do not visibly disrupt the skin barrier, think about what the cell needs to follow the instructions given by the retinoid. Nutrition like that provided by SAS collagen serum and Every Lipid Serum will help you get the best results out of retinoids. What does a retinoid do? Go and divide! After retinoic acid enters the cell, it binds to specific nuclear receptors. These “activated” nuclear receptors, in turn, bind to specific regulatory sequences (called retinoic acid response…
October 18th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
These are terms used in the CBD industry: isolate, oil, full-spectrum, broad spectrum Why we chose CBD isolate? It is the ingredient to use if you want CBD “pure and simple”. It is actually almost pure (>99%) and simple, in the sense that there are no contaminants with unknown chemistry and properties. This is the natural chemical that binds to the skin cannabinoid receptors. FYI: Full-spectrum: contains THC — the psychoactive component of cannabis. Skin Actives does NOT use this, we are not in the psychoactive business plus there are regulatory issues involved. Broad-spectrum is a mix of chemicals, some of them identified (like hints of THC) and others not.…
October 9th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Why? Because our products support your hair, lash and eyebrows and don’t disrupt endogenous regulation. Look at the ingredient list and don’t get scared! Why so long? Most of the ingredients are nutrients, like amino acids, vitamins (Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine HCl, Riboflavin, Thiamine HCl), essential minerals e.g. Disodium Selenite, Stannous Chloride, Zinc Sulfate), plus lots of antioxidants, both plant-derived (Tocotrienols, Tocopherols, Astaxanthin, Lycopene, Xanthophyll, R-Alpha Lipoic Acid, Beta-Carotene) and antioxidant proteins (catalase, thioredoxin, etc.) that ensure your scalp is well-defended from pollutants. What else? Supplements to your own growth factor, like keratinocyte growth factor, plus essential fatty acids (rosehip and pomegranate seed oils). Anything else? Yes, a few ingredients with…
October 9th, 2020 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Anybody who wants to ensure the fast healing. I explained in my blog , and book, why more (of anything!) is not always better. For example, high concentrations of copper, complexed with a peptide or as a salt, will inhibit collagen synthesis. In other cases, more of a particular ingredient will not be deleterious but will not benefit you either; it will, however, be a waste of money. Let’s be clear: the EGF concentration in Skin Actives “normal” products is sufficient. In fact, Skin Actives products containing growth factors have been helping SAS customers for more than 15 years. But, if you are in a situation where you want to…