An intense treatment for smoother looking skin using concentrated extracts.
30ml / A$112.90A luxurious and nutritive treatment particularly good for sun damage and premature aging.
55g / A$44.90World first! A cosmetic herbal alternative to BOTOX* - see results!
55ml / A$83.70A gentle and effective creme cleanser which enriches very dry skin with plant nutrients.
250ml / A$61.30'The therapist said my skin's amazing now, much thicker and healthier ' - customer, about RL (Reduce Lines) Serum ( http://t.co/thLmNioB (2 days ago)
Sunday, 17 July 2011 17:25
Hyaluronic Acid (also known as Sodium Haluronate) is an ingredient which it seems every skin care brand (except Simplicite) uses.
(Just Google a brand along with 'Hyaluronic Acid' and see how often it comes up.)
The marketing blurb invariably says HA will 'plump up the skin' - but it will actually do the reverse!
In fact, Hyaluronic Acid/Sodium Hyuralonate has been shown to encourage flaky (keratotic) skin and research shows it can even encourage the growth of skin cancers.
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Flaky, keratotic skin? That's not what the marketing about HA says. It's no wonder then, if this is what's being offered as a skin solution - that women seem to be always looking for a skn care product that 'works'.
And what the marketing also doesn't say about Hyaluronic Acid is that it is a by-product of the Chinese abattoir industry, being made from various bits of animals including rooster 'combs' (pictured).
Luckily (!) there is also a 'vegetarian suitable' version.
(That's where alarm bells start to ring. 'Vegetarian suitable' - sounds awfully like the Body Shop's description of the mineral oil in their products as 'fossilised vegetable matter'.)
Sure enough, investigation shows that the 'vegetarian suitable', 'natural' version of Hyaluronic Acid/Sodium Hyaluronate is also made in China - from fermented streptococcus zooepidemicus bacteria. This bacteria is very commonly found in bowel and respiratory infections in horses.
There's also an even more 'natural' alternative which uses genetically modified, soil-borne, Bacillus subtilis bacteria. A closely related bacterium, Bacillus globigii, is used as a bio-warfare stimulant in Cold-War era tests.
These 'natural' versions of Hyaluronic Acid are variously used by Jurlique, Aesop, Miranda Kerr's Kora Organics, Trilogy - and many, many more 'natural' brands..
The 'cosmetic cop' Paula Begoun is a big fan of Hyaluronic Acid.
She uses it in her own products, along with the silicones and fillers, and describes it in her Ingredient Directory as a 'a 'component of skin tissue that is used in skin-care products as a good skin-identical ingredient.'
She says 'Hyaluronic acid can boost skin's moisture content and help prevent moisture loss.'
Wow, we know she really does mean 'skin tissue' – because as I mentioned before, HA is made in China from boiled animal eyeballs, rooster 'combs' (interestingly described on labels as 'natural') or otherwise various bits of giblets, or degraded skin or other tissue of animals.
So that's what 'skin-identical' ingredient means.
I don't think I'd trust any other of the explanations in that 'Ingredient Dictionary' after that effort!
As for the version of Hyaluronic Acid that's 'vegetarian suitable' – the 'natural' and 'organic' brands which list this, such as Jurlique, Trilogy, Aesop etc say it's natural because it's derived from 'lactic acid fermentation in wheat'.
Well yes, but the wheat is fermented – again, made in China – with the bacteria Streptococcus zooepidemicus. That's what makes it 'ferment'.
Hyaluronic Acid is naturally found in human skin at specific levels. At normal human tissue levels it plays an important role in stimulating, then moderating, the healing inflammatory response and protects against free-radical damage. It assists with hydration and may assist with protection from solar radiation.
Externally applied, and therefore excess Hyaluronic Acid, has no way of being controlled by the cells. As usual, everything in balance gives the best result and imbalances cause problems.
For example, excess HA helps cancer cells escape from the primary tumor mass - not a great idea if there are any small skin cancers in the skin.
reference - Bharadwaj AG, et al. Inducible hyaluornan production reveals differential effects of prostate tumor cell growth and tumor angiogenesis. J Cell Biol. 2007;282:20561-20572
So knowing this, even apart from now knowing how this muck is derived, why, in your right mind, would you add more Hyaluronic Acid to human skin?
Remember, this is an ingredient in, it seems, all skin care ranges - apart from Simplicite.
Those who 'formulate' skin care products, including supermodels eg Miranda Kerr must have also missed this additional bit of important information - the presence of Hyaluronic Acid in epithelial tissue i.e. skin surface has been shown to promote keratinocyte proliferation.
reference - Tammi R, et al., Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 1989, 92: 326-332.
That bit refers to keratin cells - the flaky bits you see on the skin of sun-damaged people.
If you have sun-damage, applying Hyaluronic Acid will surely make it look worse over time, even though the initial TEMPORARY effect is to plump up your fine lines.
Hyaluronic Acid is the main ingredient in Restylane injections. (See below for the Simplicite alternatives to use here.)
When applied externally in a creme/gel base the effect is very minimal and always very temporary.
So most skin care ranges must be just an exercise in creative marketing - as for the so called 'organic' brands - ARE THEY SAYING THAT THEIR INGREDIENTS ARE ORGANIC?
Really? Wow again, now the term extends to organic dead animal extracts and horse-flu bacteria extract.
At Simplicite, when we say 'natural' we mean as made by a Herbalist. We wouldn't use 'natural', 'vegetarian-suitable' extracts from China if you paid us!
What do we use? See 'our philosophy'.
A more effective alternative for those who are looking for the 'magic' remedy to restore youthful vigour and firmness to their skin – would be to try Simplicité Results Lift Gel – a natural alternative to 'Botox' and RL (Reduce Lines) Serum.
These are plant-nutrient rich products which are brimming with antioxidants, essential fatty acids and soluble vitamins to nourish, soothe and protect the skin.
In naturopathy, the quality of ingredients in herbal treatments is an important part of successful treatment.
It's because Simplicite applies this same principle to producing skin care that it can give such successful results - and is so different from other ranges.
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