First we take a close look at the biological ingredient and then at the anti-itching and anti-inflammatory botanicals and last at the ingredients we use to transform a viscose fluid that regulates the orderly regeneration of damaged skin cells and protects the skin, into a pleasant cream with anti-itching, anti-inflammatory and enhanced moisturizing properties.

The Main Biological Active

The main ingredient in all our products is the secretions produced copiously by land snails of the species Helix Aspersa Müller whenever they are stressed. Stress makes them secrete a viscous fluid substance to protect, moisturize, repair and renew its skin. The same is also produced by the snail for many other biological functions, albeit with a different molecular composition or a diverse proportion of its molecular components. The complex molecules the secretion contains have been thorougly studied and you can read all about them by following the links above under the title Helix Aspersa Muller Glycoconjugates.

How do we gather this precious substance? We use a method that is completely harmless for the snails, while it allows us to collect it PURE as it is copiously being produced by the snails, and undiluted in water to avoid the degrading of its enzymes and other molecules by hydrolysis.

Hydrolysis : A chemical reaction in which water reacts with a compound to produce other compounds; involves the splitting of a bond and the addition of the hydrogen cation and the hydroxide anion from the water and results in the formation of one or more new compounds that do not have the same properties of the original substance.

The snail secretions in BIOSKIN PRODUCTS are NOT degraded, neither by interaction with chemicals nor by immediate hydrolysis.

We also embed the biological ingredient in a liposome, a microscopic, fluid-filled pouch whose walls are made of layers of phospholipids identical to the phospholipids that make up cell membranes. Liposomes are used to deliver certain vaccines, enzymes, or drugs (e.g., insulin and some cancer drugs) to the body. Liposomes attach to cellular membranes and appear to fuse with them, releasing their contents into the cell . Sometimes they are taken up by the cell, and the phospholipids are incorporated into the cell membrane while the ingredient (glycoprotein enzyme) trapped inside is released.

Human skin secretes various lipophilic substances which play a substantial role in the protection of the skin. Chemically seen, these substances belong to the group of lipids, though they display differing structures: glycerides and free acids, cholesterol and its derivatives, esters with fatty acids and long chained alcohols, polar lipids of differing natural, saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons. All in all a complicated mixture of complex processes.

BIOSKINREPAIR ™ has been formulated to transform a liquid with cell-communicating ingredients and biological activators of skin renewal into a cream that also moisturizes, replenishes and stabilizes the lipid content within the intercellular skin matrix by using all natural emollients, emulsifiers, surfactants and nourishing extracts derived from Olive Oil , hydrating Hyaluronic acid, and humectant Glycerin .

The olive oil derivatives are: emulsifier Peg-4 Olivate, surfactant Sorbitan Olivate, and moisturizing Squalene.

Squalene is not only a natural moisturizer but is also a natural component of the skin and is considered a good emollient that has antioxidant and immune-stimulating properties. It helps dry skin look and feel better.

Other Botanical Ingredients - Anti-Itching & Anti-Inflammatory

BIOSKINREPAIR is also made with two botanical ingredients that play an important role in the formation of keloids and halt keloid itching: an extract from the Butterbur Herb (Petasites japonicus) that has been found to have the ability to minimize mast cell degranulation and histamine release and thus to be effective at helping to relieve discomfort in sensitive skin associated with itching, irritation and rosacea; and an extract of the The Elder Tree (Sambucus nigra L.), cultivated by organic methods in the Suisse Alps, which shows a significant dose dependant capacity to reduce the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) biosynthesis of keratinocytes. VEGF is a potent cytokine with action on the endothelium and plays a crucial role in the inflammation process. VEGF is responsible for the chemotactism of immunocompetent cells and vascular permeability. VEGF is expressed at low levels in healthy skin and up-regulated by keratinocytes in inflammations. Sambucus Extract reduces the biosynthesis of the VEGF and has a distinct antiinflammatory effect and decreases vascular permeability.

Hyaluronic Acid - The Fountain of Youth

Hyaluronic acid as pure and concentrated as we use it, is a glycosaminoglycan present in the intercellular matrix of skin where it has a protective, structure stabilizing and shock-absorbing role.

Hyaluronic Acid is naturally found in the joints, the deeper layers of skin, the umbilical cord and in foetal skin.

Medical grade Hyaluronic Acid is currently employed to reduce the incidence of post-operative adhesions, as a viscoelastic agent in intra-ocular surgery, also as a synovial replacement fluid; and is used to facilitate the healing and regeneration of surgical wounds.

The unique properties of Hyaluronic Acid make it the ideal moisturizer. Hyaluronic Acid plays an important role in tissue hydration, lubrication and cellular function, and is able to hold more water than any other natural substance. Its unmatched hydrating properties result in increased smoothness, softening and decreased wrinkles.

Hyaluronic Acid has also shown excellent results in the reduction of dryness, itching and burning of the skin. It offers a perfect environment for the growth of new cells and healing following skin peeling.

Hyaluronic Acid is a major constituent of the extra-cellular matrix that surrounds rapidly dividing cells. It has been shown to be an integral component in the rapid and scar-less wound healing observed in foetal and neonatal organisms. In addition to this, the cellular actions precipitated by Hyaluronic Acid are integral to the seemingly magical biochemistry of foetal development.

It is well documented that foetal tissues contain large amounts of Hyaluronic Acid and that decreasing Hyaluronic Acid content correlates with aging and wrinkling. Therefore any practical attempts to prolong and recapture youth by revitalizing damaged tissue should include this molecule.

Glycerin - Humectant

BIOSKIN products contains glycerin which is a humectant. This means it has the ability to draw water right from the air bringing it closer to your skin and promotes the retention of water. It helps improve the skin's defenses by filling in the intercellular matrix and attracts just the right amount of water to maintain the skin's homeostasis whilst helping the other skin lipids perform better. Glycerin is a by-product of the saponification process of vegetable fatty acids.

Comment: a wide range of ingredients help skin retain water (moisture). Glycerin is one of the more typical and effective water-binding agents used in cosmetics. Some water-binding agents can mimic the skin's actual structure and can be of benefit in a formulation; these include ceramide, lecithin, glycerin, polysaccharides, hyaluronic acid, sodium hyaluronate, mucopolysaccharides, sodium PCA, collagen, elastin, proteins, amino acids, cholesterol, glucose, sucrose, fructose, glycogen, phospholipids, glycosphingolipids, and glycosaminoglycans. No single one of these is preferred over the other because even though they are all effective, none of them can permanently change the actual structure of skin.

Preservants

The preservant we use to protect the gel from bacteria, yeasts and moulds, is a self sterilizing skin-friendly pH-stable system that combines a widely used, globally-accepted preservative (including Japan), phenoxyethanol, with a proven preservative-enhancer, ethylhexylglycerin, instead of controversial parabens.

Phenoxyethanol is an organic bactericide compound considered one of the least irritating cosmetic preservers with none of the controversial side effects of parabens. It provides a broad spectrum of anti-microbial activity against both gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, as well as yeasts and moulds. It is soluble and its activity is effective for our protein-based product and it does not react with the copper in the biological substance.

Ethylhexylglycerin reduces interfacial tension on the cell walls of micro-organisms, promoting their more rapid destruction and a broader spectrum activity.

Phenoxyethanol and Ethylhexylglycerin are synthetic ingredients derived from plants, and as many other synthetic sources they start as natural because everything comes from our environment; nothing is created via alchemy. We have yet to see any cosmetic that is "all" natural. Some synthetic ingredients are awesome for your skin, and regardless of the protestations of cosmetics companies to the contrary, every cosmetics product in the world contains its share of synthetic ingredients.

Final Product

The result is a product that contains ingredients that are antimicrobial, protect, moisturize, repair and renew the skin plus ingredients that are anti-itching and regulate vasular formation and ingredients that mimic the intercellular structure of skin and are essential for helping skin function normally.

Intercellular substances are those ingredients that exist naturally in the skin and work to hold the skin cells together. A dry environment, sun damage, irritation, inflammation, and age can all greatly reduce the presence of these substances in skin. Combining intercellular substances and the biological active with moisturizers helps keep the layers of skin whole, resilient, and in good physical condition by providing the materials the skin needs to defend itself against pollution, hazards arising in the environment and events that trigger an inflammatory response from within our body.

The cream is manufactured in a state of the art Cosmetic Laboratory in the USA, based on Helix Aspersa Müller GlycoConjugates collected in Chile.