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A key to innovation is staying informed on new products in the personal care and cosmetics marketplace. As a veteran personal care formulator, I find that some of the most interesting discoveries I’ve made have come from looking at the ingredient labels of existing products. Most of us don’t have time to browse the aisles of Target or peruse Macy’s cosmetic counters, so I’ve done the work for you.

Based on an extensive Internet search and technical review, I propose the top-rated anti-aging skin care product is Lifecel All-in-One Anti Aging Cream produced by South Beach Skincare ($189 retail). I read reviews and checked ratings published on several online sources, including Skincareresearch.com (9.5/10 rating with 400 users), Jen’s skin care reviews (5/5 rating), Torvey.net (9.5/10 rating), Bestratedantiaging.com (5/5 rating), Wrinklecreamadvice.com (5/5 rating), Wrinklezone.com, Emilyreid.com (10/10 rating) and Bestwrinklecremereviews.com. Additionally, it is the top selling anti-aging product on Amazon.com.

Ingredients

Water, Capylic/Capric Triglycerides, Ethoxydiglycol, Stearyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Peg-100 Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate, Diisopropyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Peg-40 Stearate, Oxide Reductases, Soy Peptides, Cyclomethicone, Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Extract, Deanol, Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic Acid, Copper Gluconate, Magnesium Aspartate, Zinc Gluconate, Acetyl Hexapeptide-3, Idebenone, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Fumed Silica, Silicone Dioxide, Propylene Glycol, Imidazolidinyl Urea

Technical overview

• The active system is well thought out based on available technical and supplier literature. There may be synergy combining Deanol (also called Dimethylaminoethanol or DMAE) with Argireline by Lipotec(Acetyl Hexapeptide-3)  and Ascorbyl Palmitate with Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic Acid (also called Lipoic acid).
• The manufacturer claims an immediate soft focus wrinkle blurring effect. The formulation contains silicon dioxide, which could have this effect. However, it is in the formulation at <1%. Magnesium Aluminum Silicate would contribute as well. I believe, however, that there are better soft focus choices.
• I would make a few changes to the formulation such as using a more robust preservative system, including skin barrier building ingredients like Niacinamide, and including a good moisturizing humectant or emollient.
• A couple other things to note: Ethoxydiglycol is probably used as a penetration enhancer and Deanol is probably neutralized by Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic Acid.

Actives (with Technical Rationale)

• Oxide reductases, Soy Peptides, and Hydrolyzed Rice Bran Extract are probably the materials sold as Regu-Age PF by DSM (Glycine Soja [Soybean] Protein, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Superoxide Dismutase). Supplier data claims that a cream containing 5% Regu-Age PF  reduced eye puffiness by 32% after 8 weeks, dark circles by 35% and skin texture by 42%.
• Antioxidants – Ascorbyl Palmitate (claimed to work synergistically with Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic Acid), Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic Acid, Idebenone- is a low MW synthetic analog of coenzyme Q claimed to be a potent antioxidant and reduce wrinkles.
• Deanol, an analog of the B vitamin choline and a precursor of acetylcholine, is claimed to help prevent and correct the loss of skin elasticity, help to firm, tone, and tighten skin’s appearance. Growing evidence suggests acetylcholine is a ubiquitous cytokine-like molecule that regulates basic cellular processes such as proliferation, differentiation and locomotion. A 3% Deanol facial gel applied daily for 16 weeks was shown to reduce the look of forehead lines and periorbital fine wrinkles, as well as visibly restore lip shape and fullness while improving the overall appearance of aging skin. US patent 5554647 (Perricone, 9/10/96) claims the use of Deanol to treat skin damage and sagging.
• Argireline is a peptide that relaxes facial muscles that cause wrinkles through neurotransmitters that keep the signal protein catecholamine from triggering muscle contraction. A cream containing 10% Argireline was shown by Lipotec to reduce wrinkle depth by 32% after 28 days. A suggested improvement would be to use Syn-ake by DSM (Glycerin, water, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzimide) in place of Argireline. It has previously been shown to be significantly more effective at reducing wrinkles vs Argireline.
• Dithiolane-3-Pentanoic Acid claims to be a potent antioxidant, prevent protein crosslinking and help skin produce nitric oxide, a vasodilator that helps increase blood flow to skin. In one small-scale study, 5% Lipoic acid reduced mild-to-moderate wrinkles by up to 50 percent, whereas fine lines almost disappeared. In another study, lipoic acid significantly improved the appearance of certain types of scars. There is a US patent covering the topical use of Lipoic acid for skin aging (Perricone-US 5709868, 9/20/95).

Emulsifying system

Oil-in-water Stearyl alcohol/Stearic acid/Glyceryl Stearate/Peg-100/Peg 40 Stearate based lamellar gel network with Magnesium Aluminum Silicate as an auxiliary thickener. A non-ionic system was chosen to provide divalent metal compatibility. A better choice would be to use Simulgreen 18-2 by Seppic (Hydroxystearyl alcohol and Hydroxystearyl Glucoside)  or Tegocare CG 90 by Evonik (Cetearyl Glucosid).

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