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Eyeing the Fountain of Youth
By Vicky
Uhland
 Laugh
lines and sagging jowls may be
natural, but they're not the
American beauty ideal. Many
natural skin care manufacturers
lament this vanity; one says,
only half jokingly, "I wanted to
do a line called Face It, where
people just accept the aging
process. But no one would let me
do that."
Aging baby boomers and even
30-something Gen Xers want dewy,
youthful skin, and naturals skin
care companies are just as quick
as their mainstream counterparts
to try to accommodate these
customers by making facial
moisturizers that help reverse,
or at least retard, the aging
process. Naturals customers are
increasingly demanding
effective, chemical-free
anti-aging facial moisturizers,
and retailers who mistakenly
believe their customers are more
likely than department store
shoppers to accept the natural
signs of aging may develop a few
frown lines of their own when
they see skin care sales
decrease.
But in the age of Botox, can an
anti-aging facial moisturizer
made from natural or organic
ingredients erase those forehead
wrinkles and crow's feet? Can an
herbal remedy minimize age
spots? Can anything other than
plastic surgery combat neck
wattles?
Sure, say natural skin care
manufacturers. Recent scientific
advances provide substances that
help the skin naturally retain
its elasticity, wrinkle less,
avoid discoloration and maintain
a smooth texture, they say.
Here's a look at some of the
ingredients they're using to
lure modern-day Ponce de Leons
to the naturals retailer's
health and beauty aisle.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants occur naturally in
the body and inhibit the
absorption of free radicals.
Free radicals attach to cells
and injure their membranes. If
collagen and elastin cells are
damaged, the skin loses
elasticity and wrinkles more
easily. As people age, the body
creates more free radicals,
necessitating more antioxidants.
Adding antioxidants to skin
creams is a relatively new idea,
and they're the boost that gives
moisturizers their anti-aging
properties.
"You can have all the hydration
in the world to help make your
skin look plumper and smoother,
but you need to do something to
help repair the skin from
within," says Patrick McRae,
product developer for San
Francisco-based Zia Natural Skin
Care.
Vitamins C, E and A are common
antioxidants, as are the
carotenoids beta-carotene,
lycopene and lutein. Antioxidant
minerals include selenium, zinc,
copper and iron. Enzymes,
including coenzyme Q10 and alpha
lipoic acid, also work as
antioxidants.
Alpha lipoic acid is not only an
antioxidant enzyme, "it's a
booster that heals or
re-energizes other antioxidants
to keep them active for a longer
period of time and prevent them
from breaking down so quickly,"
McRae says. Alpha lipoic acid is
an unusual antioxidant because
it's water- and fat-soluble.
"You need both, because the
inside of the cell is mostly
water and the outside cell
membrane is fat," says Steve
Strassler, president of Reviva
Labs in Haddonfield, N.J.
Flavonoids, the compounds that
give plants their color, are
also antioxidants. The
flavonoids in green tea are
powerful antioxidants, but Susan
Griffin-Black, chief executive
of Corte Madera, Calif.-based
Essential Oils, says her company
has found a tea that's an even
more effective antioxidant—rooibos
red tea. Originally grown in
South Africa, rooibos contains
iron, potassium, copper, zinc
and calcium, along with natural
alpha-hydroxy acids, she says.
EO will feature red tea in its
EO Skin Care line, scheduled to
debut in February.
"Studies conducted at the
Institute for Science of Aging
in Japan revealed that red tea
contains super oxide dismutase,
a powerhouse antioxidant that
attacks free radicals and limits
their damaging effects,"
Griffin-Black says.
EO Skin Care also will contain
gentian, linden, sage and
coconut oil antioxidants. Boscia,
a Japan-based skin care company,
also uses little-known
antioxidants, including jojoba
leaf and wine yeast.
At Better Botanicals in Herndon,
Va., co-founder Shafi Saxena
swears by the dandelion
antioxidants in the company's
Dandelion Moisturizer. "This
powerful herb is an antioxidant,
detoxifier, estrogen mimic and
rich source of essential fatty
acids," she says. Dandelion
contains vitamins A, B, C and D,
as well as potassium, iron,
calcium, magnesium, phosphorous,
zinc, copper, cobalt and boron,
she says. "The [U.S. Department
of Agriculture] ranks dandelion
as a top-ranking vegetable in
overall nutritional value:
nature's richest source of beta
carotene and the third richest
source of vitamin A of all
foods, after cod liver oil and
beef liver."
Sunscreens
"If you don't have sunscreen,
you undermine the work of an
anti-aging product," says Zia's
McRae. Many daytime anti-aging
moisturizers contain sunscreen.
Look for the more natural
ingredients that fight both UVA
and UVB rays, including octyl
methoxycinnamate, which is made
from cinnamon; and octyl
salicylcate, which includes
salicylic acid.
Sunscreens can prevent skin
discoloration from too much sun
exposure. Lycopene and artichoke
also strengthen the skin's
defense to sun. "Artichoke makes
skin more resilient to sun
damage, neutralizes free
radicals and prevents damage
from spreading to neighboring
cells," McRae says.
Peony root and licorice help
erase sun damage and marks left
by acne breakouts, says Summer
Lalande, Boscia's marketing and
retail coordinator.
Moisturizers
Antioxidants and sunscreen help
prevent aging, while
moisturizers help disguise it.
"There's not too much you can do
to change your skin once it's
damaged, but you can change its
appearance—plump up wrinkles,
add collagen," says Angela
Campbell, an esthetician with
Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy in
Portland, Ore.
There are two types of facial
moisturizers: daytime and
nighttime. Reviva's Strassler
says daytime moisturizers are
designed to stay on the skin's
surface to form or reinforce the
natural protective film,
preventing moisture loss. They
also protect against outside
pollutants and bacteria and give
skin a fresher, dewier
appearance. Night creams are
formulated to absorb into the
skin, providing more
nourishment.
Water and oils are natural
moisturizers and are frequently
the chief ingredients in
anti-aging products. For
customers with oily or
blemish-prone skin, McRae
recommends moisturizers with
water or gel bases, including
aloe vera. Avoid heavy oils such
as safflower and sunflower.
Vitamin C does double duty as an
antioxidant and blemish fighter,
Lalande says. Peppermint, lemon,
licorice, hops, rosemary, horse
chestnut, rose chamomile and
lemon sage are oil- or
blemish-reducing ingredients
that also have moisturizing
properties.
The buzz words in natural
moisturizing ingredients include
sodium PCA, also known as NAPCA,
which helps retain water in
cells; and hyaluronic acid,
which is made from the substance
that surrounds plant and animal
cells. Hyaluronic acid is a
natural hydrator, says Karen
Gotto, director of operations
for Earth Science skin care. "It
works like a lubricant and makes
skin feel nice and smooth. It
retains a lot of water and keeps
it there, hydrating your skin."
Firming Ingredients And
Circulation Enhancers
Pharmaca's Campbell notes that
skin care follows fads, and
today's hot anti-aging trend is
outlined in The Perricone
Prescription (HarperResource,
2002), written by Nicholas V.
Perricone, M.D. The
"prescription" involves a
combination of the antioxidant
alpha lipoic acid and
dimethylaminoethanol, or DMAE.
DMAE, which is found in seafood,
is a "face-lift in a jar," says
Reviva's Strassler. "Research by
Johnson & Johnson shows it helps
with skin firmness and muscle
tone." DMAE strengthens and
stabilizes cells' plasma
membranes for a more defined
skin tone and youthful
appearance, he says.
Reviva's anti-aging moisturizers
also contain an extract of soy
extracellular matrix. "European
clinical research shows that soy
extracellular matrix has potent
cell-stimulating effects that
result in skin-firming action
and improved elasticity,"
Strassler says. Soy ECM has
isoflavones, glycoproteins,
proteoglycans, carbohydrate
polymers and mucopolysaccharides.
"They are [similar to the
nutrients that get lost] from
sun damage, natural skin aging
or, in women, loss of estrogen,"
he says.
Estrogen is essential for normal
skin thickness, texture and
tone. "With decreased estrogen
and the resulting loss of normal
circulation function, the
capillaries do not deliver the
proper nutrients, water and
oxygen [to the bottom layer of
the skin]. So instead of being
round, puffy and full of water,
the new cells become irregular.
This leads to the appearance we
associate with aging skin,"
Strassler says.
Boscia's ingredient entry into
the youthful complexion
sweepstakes is palmitoyl
pentapeptide, found in the
company's Restorative Amino-3P
Firming Treatment. Lalande calls
the peptide "the latest
superstar in anti-aging
technology. It is a combined
amino acid that improves the
skin's elasticity and
accelerates cell renewal."
Better Botanicals opts for
tried-and-true
circulation-enhancing oils and
herbs to help keep the skin
young. "Our skin starts to dry
out as we age; our circulation
starts to slow, reducing
adequate levels of nourishment
to our skin cells," Saxena says.
Rosemary, thyme and cinnamon
help counterbalance that and
boost circulation, she says.
Vicky Uhland is a Denver-based
writer and editor. She may be
reached at vuhland@mindspring.com.
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