Many people have tried several cosmetic products to combat skin aging caused by age and UV radiation, but have not always gotten the desired results. Many people have even experienced skin irritations due to the cosmetics they have used. In this environment, evidence-based anti-aging cosmetics have emerged and are gaining popularity. These cosmetics use liquid derived from human stem cell cultures. They are believed to turn the concept of cosmetics upside down, and a search on "human stem cell cosmetics" brings up many products. But do all products with the name "human stem cell cosmetics" have the same effects? In fact, a closer look at the contents reveals that the quality varies greatly. It is true that cosmetics made from human stem cell culture fluid are more effective than conventional cosmetics, but the wrong choice may cause serious long-term implications. You should be especially careful if you have fragile or sensitive skin or rosacea.
Stem cell cosmetics do not contain stem cells themselves. When the stem cells are cultured, the supernatant fluid is stripped of more than 500 different proteins and cytokines, which are transmitters of information. Cosmetics are made from this culture fluid. There are three types of stem cell extracts: animal stem cell extracts from placenta, stem cell extracts from plants such as apples, and human stem cell culture fluid from human fat stem cells. Because it is allergy-free, human stem cell produced fluid is claimed to be the most compatible with human skin. When this cultured liquid is applied to the skin, aged skin stem cells are reactivated, and the skin starts to manufacture collagen, hyaluronic acid, and elastin on its own, restoring firmness, elasticity, and brightness. Stem cell cosmetics would constitute a paradigm shift that would flip the notion of cosmetics on its head, as opposed to cosmetics that collect extracts from plants and other sources and supplement them from outside sources.
However, prices and composition of the same human stem cell cosmetics vary greatly, making it difficult for consumers to know what to base their choices on. Some products are even made from ingredients that are not so different than those found in traditional chemical cosmetics. Don't be fooled by sweet talk. How to choose products that are truly safe to use, both in terms of quality and cost ?
First and foremost, you need to check all the ingredients. That's why you should avoid products whose full ingredients are not available or cannot be verified. The next important element is the number of human stem cell culture fluids listed. The rule is that all ingredients are listed in order of increasing amounts. So choose a product that is in the top three. In most cases, "water" should be the first component of a serum, followed by "human stem cell culture fluid". However, in the majority of marketed products, BG or pentylene glycol is second and human stem cell culture fluid is third. This is not highly appreciated, but this type of product is acceptable.
In addition, the following substances are often present:
- Polysorbate 60
- Hydrogenated lecithin
- Glyceryl (Citric acid/lactic acid/linoleic acid/oleic acid)
- Tea
- Carbomer
If you have sensitive skin, it is safer not to use products containing synthetic surfactants or polymers, such as the following. Vitamin C derivatives are also irritating and not suitable for sensitive skin. These synthetic ingredients are added to provide immediate penetration into the skin, moisturizing properties, firmness and to produce a radiant effect on the skin. While they are comfortable to use, be aware that this may not be the effect of human stem cell culture fluid, but simply the effect of conventional chemical ingredients. Synthetic surfactants are well known to be harmful to the skin as they are problematic ingredients that break down the barrier function and allow penetration. It is not good that the barrier function is destroyed when incorporating the new innovative human stem cell culture fluid. In addition, human stem cell culture fluid is a rather unstable ingredient and prone to bacterial overgrowth, so some products contain more antibacterial agents and preservatives than necessary, or use several duplicate ingredients. Pentylene glycol and 1,2-hexanediol are inevitable, but be extremely vigilant of products that include excessive amounts of parabens, phenoxyethanol, and other chemicals. Furthermore, some products employ an excessive number of moisturizers or claim a lot of free components, such as no XX or XX Free, to highlight their safety, but this may simply be an image tactic and does not guarantee the absence of additional hazardous substances. All ingredients still need to be verified.
The next point is the relationship between the amount of culture fluid and the price. Human stem cell culture fluid is a fairly expensive raw material, so the higher the quantity, the higher the price, and the lower the quantity, the lower the price. Many products do not disclose the quantity contained. The amount in the formula does not have to be high, but preferably more than 3%. To begin with, it is prudent to choose products with a price between 40 and 80 $. Even though the focus is on the cheapest items on the market, some products below that price can be problematic in terms of effectiveness. It is advisable to judge products with an extremely high amount of ingredients and price after getting used to using them. Be aware that some high-priced products use a lot of synthetic ingredients to give the impression of immediate effects. In fact, the effects of human stem cell culture fluid are not immediate and usually take a few months to show up. Therefore, chemical ingredients are used to give the appearance of rapid effects. It may also be advisable to avoid trial products that are extremely low in price and that somewhat aggressively entice you to purchase a regular subscription. Indeed, sales policies may be favored over quality.
The human stem cell culture media used in cosmetics is not intended to grow stem cells for purely medical purposes and therefore a cosmetic specific culture method is used. This is done to more effectively extract growth and proliferation elements as a cosmetic component. Even if the concentration in the formulation is the same, the amount of ingredients it contains can vary considerably depending on the culture method. It is difficult for consumers to judge, but keep in mind that the culture medium obtained by the rolling bottle method is considered the best. Some people use terminology like "undiluted extract" of human stem cell culture fluid, however this does not mean that the product is concentrated only from the undiluted fluid, but rather that the undiluted fluid is used "as a cosmetic ingredient."
As mentioned above, by carefully selecting human stem cell cosmetics based on their stated ranking in all components, the amount of each ingredient, the synthetic agents in the formulation and the price range, you will be able to find a product without any significant errors.