Posts Tagged ‘Fatty acids’
February 1st, 2017 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
Squalane Oil, the serum base in the new Oil Serum For Beginners Kit, is extracted from olive fruit, not from shark liver. This light oil is full of beneficial actives especially suited for the skin; among them are oleuropein, hydroxytyrosol, caffeic acid, catechin, and rutin. Loss of skin lipids results in an increased water loss and increased penetration of harmful compounds, especially for people living in big cities. Continuous use of squalane oil should alleviate skin dryness. Why Squalane? Lipids are an important part of our skin chemistry, they are necessary for the skin to do its job of limiting water loss from the body. Lipids also work by blocking…
September 23rd, 2016 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What are ceramides? Ceramides consist of a long-chain or sphingoid base linked to a fatty acid via an amide bond. Figure: Sphingosine. Figure: ceramide, with sphingosine bound to a fatty acid via an amide. Ceramides are present at low concentration in plants and animals, so there isn’t a good source of natural ceramides for use in the industry. Extraction of a rare chemical from a plant requires laborious processes and the resulting ingredient are terribly expensive. Another source of ceramides, the central nervous system, is not suitable for epidemiological reasons. For this reason, the ceramides used in skin care are synthetic. Confusing Terminology The chemical nomenclature for ceramides is simple enough:…
January 8th, 2016 by Dr. Hannah Sivak
What is a fatty acid? A fatty acid (example: palmitic acid) has a carboxylic acid attached to a long hydrocarbon chain. Why are fatty acids so important? Fatty acids are used as a major source of energy during metabolism and as a starting point for the synthesis of phospholipids, the main category of lipid molecules used to construct biological membranes (generally composed of two fatty acids linked through glycerol phosphate to one of a variety of polar groups). Why are the differences in chemical structure so important? The chemical structure makes the function possible. Stearic acid cannot do what linoleic acid can. Fatty acids can differ in number of carbon…