Face off - controversies of cosmetics

Human gene therapy could be the next generation of skin- care science But, as cosmetic lovers, should we be concerned? Words: Tracey Strange; Photos: Belinda Merrie.

So controversial is the use of embryonic stem cells in medicine, even the mention is enough to send shivers down the spines of some. But their use in cosmetics? The new million-dollar buzz-words in high-end face creams, stem cells are currently being sold as the next miracle in the quest for younger-looking skin.

The difference, for anyone still doing the embryo/face cream shudder, is that despite the way these cutting-edge cosmetics are marketed, the stem cells currently associated with them aren’t actually the human kind, capable of growing into multiple types of new tissue. They are the Clayton’s kind: not actually stem cells themselves but ingredients claiming to trigger or harness the human stem cell’s potential.

Products such as Lancôme’s Absolue Precious Cells, Dior’s Capture XP, Nimue’s Stemplex Serum and Ré Vive’s Peau Magnifique (exclusive to Mecca Cosmetica) all claim to help “wake up” adult stem cells and spur them into producing newly minted epidermal cells. Often, as is the case with Stemplex and Absolue, the magic ingredients aren’t human stem cells but plant stem cells from apples. The results include fewer wrinkles, smoother and more even-looking skin tone, less redness and inflammation, increased firmness and an enhanced glow.

Marketing hype? Maybe. But you’d be a special kind of consumer if you hadn’t worked out by now that selling skin cream often involves a particular type of promise. Mostly we filter it out; what really matters is whether or not that premium cosmetic contains an effective SPF and enough skin-benefitting ingredients to make it better than a moisturizer we might toss into the supermarket trolley.
 

Prove it ...

Science is good. But it’s often baffling. Take any skin cream that heralds scientifically proven benefits and you’ll find another expert to refute its research claims. But perhaps one of the most tantalizing products – and potentially the most difficult for the non-scientist to understand – is Lancôme’s Genifique. The result of 10 years of research, two major discoveries in the sciences of genes and skin proteins and seven international patents, it’s applied once or twice a day before your normal moisturizer. Lancôme says it works by speeding up gene activity and stimulating the production of proteins abundant in youthful skin. The claimed results – noticeable in seven days – are marked improvements in the skin’s tone, texture and luminosity.

The story behind Genifique is complicated. Wrinkles are caused mainly by a reduction in collagen and elastin which naturally degenerate with age and exposure to the sun. Human proteins, of which collagen and elastin are but two, are made on the instructions of genes, a process known as transcription. But in studying transcription and hoping to discover more about which of our genes are responsible for aging, Lancôme scientists not only developed Genifique but also made a discovery that took the science one step further. They found there are different sets of instructions – or barcodes – for older and younger skins.

It is now theoretically possible to compare the genetic barcodes of someone in their 20s with someone in their 60s and work out which proteins need to be targeted to make wrinkled skin look young again. It could also be viable in the future to determine the products or ingredients that are better suited to your skin type and its biological rather than chronological age.|
 

Into the future

What links Genifique with the others is that they are mainstream examples of what’s termed gene-therapy skin care, an interesting and rapidly developing area of science. The field itself is completely legitimate; there is no reason why stem cells couldn’t be used to make skin better. Labs all over the world are working on ways to cultivate them so that they can be used to treat specific illnesses and disorders, including those of the skin. But for now, leading-edge beauty companies have a problem. If their creams really do have a radical effect on the skin’s cells, markedly changing the way our complexions look, feel and behave, they would cease to be cosmetics and instead fall under the much more stringent rules that apply to drugs.

This means that, in the near future anyway, we are reliant on products containing ingredients that, by comparison with terms such as DNA and stem cells, sound rather ordinary. Scientifically proven ingredients such as glycolic, salicylic and lactic acids, which act as topical exfoliants, retinol (vitamin A), vitamins C and E and niacinamide (B3) are still the gold standard when it comes to efficacy. Add to that list antioxidants such as green tea, soy, alpha lipoic acid and pomegranate, ceramides, co-enzyme Q10, hyaluronic acid, copper peptides and fatty acids such as linolenic acid and you have a pretty good (although not exhaustive) check-list of skin goodies to take with you to the beauty counter.

But that’s not all. There’s still one vital product that should never be overlooked in the quest for better-looking skin. Less glamorous, less costly and very easy to get your hands on, plain old sunblock is the best anti-wrinkle product you will ever purchase.