Suzanne’s skincare search: My mother has a skin condition that makes her skin look dry and fragile. She read about something called HTY Gold and wondered if this all natural product can help as it claims. Any opinions or research on this product?
The Right Brain’s response:
The first thing we learned about HTY Gold is that the “HTY” stands for “Hide The Years.” The second thing we learned is that it’s secret ingredient is Red Palm Oil. Keep reading to see what else we learned…
Who Makes HTY Gold?
HTY Gold is brought to us by Pacific Specialty Oils, Inc. and was formulated by cofounder George Kopas, who is a chemist. Their website has an interesting quote from George regarding “regular” skin moisturizers. He say: “Why would anybody think that these creams would work against ageing skin? Look at the ingredients they are made with chemicals, water and preservatives. The water in these creams evaporate off of your skin and leave you with chemicals that can actually harm your skin.”
This quote seems bit intellectually dishonest to us for two reasons. First, it implies that regular lotions are bad for your skin just because they contain chemicals. As regular readers of the Beauty Brains know, EVERYTHING is a chemical. Saying that something is bad just because it’s a chemical is ridiculous; there are good chemicals and bad chemicals.
Second, saying that regular lotions contain water that just “evaporates off your skin” implies that regular lotions don’t work at all. This is also a ridiculous statement. We work in this industry, and we know there are many safe and efficacious skin lotion brands that contain water. Water is a good diluent for certain active ingredients and it helps hydrate the surface of skin.
If George has to resort to scare tactics like this to make HTY Gold look better than other (much cheaper) products, it’s a huge red flag in terms of the brand’s validity.
What’s so special about HTY Gold?
HTY Gold is all about Palm Oil. Two of its primary ingredients are regular Palm Oil and Red Palm Oil. (Red Palm Oil is an unprocessed version of Palm Oil, which loses its red color as it’s heated. Red Palm Oil is rich in betacarotenes, tocotrienols, co-enzyme Q10 (ubiquinone), squalene
and Vitamins A and E that make it more healthful if you’re ingesting it. However, those components don’t necessarily mean it’s better for your skin. In case you’d like to see it, here’s the full ingredient list:
Elaeis Guineensis (Palm Oil), Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (Cocoa Butter), Red Elaeis Guineensis (Red Palm Super Olein), Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam Seed Oil), Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose Oil), Triticum Vulgaree (Wheat Germ Oil), Lecithin
If you want an oil based moisturizer, this could be a very good product. But it’s not better because it’s chemical free or because it lacks preservatives. (Plus, it’s very expensive!)
Is HTY Gold worth the cost?
The Day Gold product is $160 for 3.4 oz. If you shop around you might be able to find other skin creams with similar ingredients for much less money. Pacific Oils are not the only source of Red Palm Oil – you can buy a gallon of Red Palm Oil
The Beauty Brains bottom line
HTY Gold is charging a LOT of money for their product without giving us adequate reason to believe it’s worth it. They have a formula that does seem relatively unique, but they make some unsound scientific statements about their product that makes us doubt their credibility. If it weren’t so expensive, we’d definitely recommend giving it a try just to see if this unique blend of oils helps your mother’s skin. But the price is so absurd; we can’t in good conscience recommend it without more proof.
Are you aware of the controversy about Palm Oil? Some groups claim that mass harvesting ofpalm trees has a damaging effect on the environment because it increases global warming. Has anyone in the Beauty Brains community used Red Palm Oil
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I began using palm oil and then coconut oil in cooking after reading Fatland and subsequently researching the health benefits of each ( coconut oil is more available where I live). The deforestation issue — razing the forest and draining the peat to plant more palms did give me pause and made me glad I couldn’t find palm oil locally. But any source of fuel will cause a change in the landscape from where it comes; here in Texas there is a battle being waged about wind farms and how they are a blight on the land. Rather than saying consumer demand is causing the problem, the providers and farmers should educate the public and police themselves in their efforts to provide oil.
The second ingredient is cocoa butter. Doesn’t that have a tendency to clog pores?
The main use of palm oil is for FOOD, not cars. It’s the most common cooking oil where I’m from. You can’t expect us tropical dwellers to ship canola and soybean oil all the way from the USA, can you? Which brings up another concern – that the blind popularization of biodiesel from traditional sources of plant oil may cause food shortages in developing countries. Better to support research into biofuel production from cellulose instead of burning up more starches and oils.
I have personally tried HTY Gold, and it DOES work wonderfully for crepe skin. My saggy, baggy, wrinkly kneecaps look 7 years younger after using the Body Gold just 3 days (I’m 48 and my legs are beginning to show it). The sagging, loose skin under my chin is firmer and tighter, along with the jawline. My droopy eyelids are firmer and fine lines far less noticable after using the Eye Gold. Also, under eye lines and crows feet are greatly reduced after using just 3 days. My feet look and feel better than they have in years- especially on the sides & bottom where the skin is extra thick. HTY Gold also gives a sexy healthy overall glow to the skin. And it has a subtle tropical scent that I personally love.
Being in the skin care business, I have tried most all of the latest anti-aging creams, along with many organic product lines. I like to put anything on my body that DOES NOT contain chemicals, as what we put on the outside of our bodies, ends up on the inside. HTY Gold does what it states, and it does so with natural ingredients. And the price is no higher than any of the other leading anti-aging products available. The product size is also 2-5 times larger than most, and will therefore last months longer. Sure, I could buy a gallon of palm oil, along with 4-5 other oils, and try to mix up a batch in my kitchen- and save a few dollars, but HTY Gold uses a patent pending creamed processing for their oils, which I could not begin to duplicate. This process acts to make the oils more absorable and feeling less like an essential oil, straight out of the bottle. HTY Gold does not feel oily! Give it a try- I am going to be adding it to my website soon- EmilySpa.com. Please come visit and have a look. HTY Gold is a great new product- Or I would not be adding it to our current top of the line anti-aging skin care products if it weren’t!
I, too, have been intrigued by the HTY ads. I looked up the ingredients online,and decided Red Palm Oil was the most effective one. So I bought some online, from a health food seller, and mixed a high percentage of it with a store-bought lotion, maybe 60% palm oil. They blended well, and I have been using this brightly colored yellow lotion for body and face moisturizing. It does leave a yellowish cast, but it looks a little like a tan, and if I put it on thinly it doesn’t show.
(I’ve been thinking of making it more brown by dissolving a reddish purple eyeshadow in the lotion, using a blender. Purple is a complimentary color to yellow, together they make brown…That’s next.)
What about results? I think I notice my skin looks better, but I also like the feel of it. And why use a regular lotion, that does NOTHING to the skin, when I can use this, that has some scientific studies backing its positive effects (anti-cancer, as well)?
There is evidence that Red Palm oil is extremely beneficial taken orally, as well, so I am going to mix some with my olive oil, in the kitchen.
yeah, I heard HTY Gold uses blenders in their office, lol I also heard they photo shop each and everyone of their ad’s….actually I know for a fact they do
The conversion of rain forests to palm oil plantations is having a devastating effect on wildlife. I actually try to avoid as much palm oil as I can. Please read the following statement from the World Wildlife Fund Website:
“Orangutans and oil palm plantations
Hanging on – but just barely.
Of approximately 11 million hectares of oil palm plantations globally, about 6 million hectares are found in Indonesia (in 2006) – and counting. But in many places, these plantations are taking over rainforests, the natural habitat of endangered species such as orangutans. Habitat conversion from natural forests to oil palm plantations has been shown to have a devastating impact on tropical forests, along with plants and animals that depend on them.”
Further information is easily found by searching the web.
What global warming?
After using HTY Body Gold for 2 months, I saw no noticeable change in my skin. There was a “glow” as suggested in a previous post, but this was after the greasy surface was eventually absorbed or was wiped off onto clothing or whatever else it came in contact with. Perhaps the greasy surface was due to improper application even though usually I spent 20 minutes rubbing it in. Maybe I am just meant to have crepe paper skin.
Although I was disappointed, it may be different for you. Try it. It’s only money you’ll be spending. Easy come, easy go!
I was thinking about buying HTY Gold but I would certainly like to see tests done by women who have tried it for over a period of about 6 months. It is certainly expensive. My skin is beginning to get that “old” look and it is frightening to watch. If the company is certain it works, they should put the price down for a short period of time so that regular consumers can afford to buy it.
re: HTY Gold, formerly Hide The Years Gold. I would recommend everyone avoid buying this product. When I purchased it, it was with a “money-back guarantee.” However, no where did they state it was within 30 days or that one should expect results in LESS than 30 days. When I returned the products, I received no response. After several calls, I was told “sorry (gotcha!)”
There is company online that sells red palm oil at http://www.rainforestredpalmoil.com. The Rainforest Red Palm Oil is certified organic, derived sustainable agriculture, and by far the best quality red palm oil in the US or Canada. I am very with this oil and want everyone to know it.
I meant to say I am pleased with the Rainforest Red Palm Oil and want everyone to know it.
it doesn’t really matter is palm oil rejuvenates the skin or not. Was DOES matter is that, in order to plant palm, millions of acres of rain forest is being destroyed. And if this continues, global warming, not to mention the destruction of the natural habitat of thousands of endangered species, will result in an uninhabitable planet. But we WILL all die with rejuventated skin!
Please check the ingredients of products prior to purchasing and make sure that palm oil isn’t one of them.
Lillian David, where do you see on their site that their red palm oil is derived from sustainable agriculture. I did not see anything to suggest that the rain forest was not being compromised by the harvesting of red palm oil.
I bought this when I was in 2007 and when I was 47 years old. I started seeing crepe skin on my arms and legs from too much use of the tanning beds in my 20′s This show absolutely NO improvement what so ever. The price is ridiculous….DO WASTE YOUR MONEY. IT’S CRAP!
I bought some red palm oil but was disappointed by the amount of yellow color it leaves on the skin. I tried just a tiny bit on my face, and I was immediately scared I would not be able to get the yellow off. It did not look like a tan at all. It looked more like bright yellow Halloween face paint. The reason for trying this stuff is the desire to look younger, prettier, but if the rejuvenation process makes you look like a yellow monster forget it!
This is a question for Linda: Did you mix the Red Palm oil with another product such as a lotion or cream?
I think laying out your interpretation of what the company is inferring in basically as fact is a bit sensational.
“First, it implies that regular lotions are bad for your skin just because they contain chemicals.”
But does it, or is that a sensationalized interpretation?
“Second, saying that regular lotions contain water that just “evaporates off your skin” implies that regular lotions don’t work at all”
Does it really imply that regular lotions don’t work AT ALL? Could it simply be implying that they may not be as effective as ones that don’t?
“Look at the ingredients they are made with chemicals, water and preservatives. The water in these creams evaporate off of your skin and leave you with chemicals that can actually harm your skin.”
…you: it implies that regular lotions are bad for your skin just because they contain chemicals”
But don’t some of them in fact leave chemicals that can be harmful to your skin? Doesn’t this happen? Certainly when it does no one can agrue it’s a good thing.
“something is bad just because it’s a chemical is ridiculous; there are good chemicals and bad chemicals.”
but isn’t it pretty well known that many lotions are there do contain bad chemicals?
You’ve made an entire case against it based heavily on what you think they’re inferring. Your argument would hold little weight if your interpretations are incorrect.
This reminds me of quote from an email exchange Steve Jobs had recently with a critic, he ended it with:
“By the way what have you done that’s so great? Do you create anything, or just criticize others work and belittle their motivations?”
I got on the Website after asking how much does thie htygold cost. I couldn’t believe the price with small ounces. People would try this if you would reduce the price a lot less. Why so high? With this price you should had given out free samples to last at less 30 days . Samples are given to boost the sales.
@Steven: As a maker of beauty products, I do think the comments made by HTY Gold are rather irresponsible and stand to misinform the public. If they were a good product, they wouldn’t have to!
Most things are chemical. “Natural” soaps still require sodium or potassium hydroxide (lye) for saponification. Yes, they are better than soaps that use synthetic emulsifiers such as SLS and SLES, but they can never be completely natural. That’s like saying that all alcohols are bad for the skin and drying, when in fact certain alcohols (e.g. cetyl alcohol) are actually humectants!
I agree with the harmful effects or and avoid the synthetic emulsifiers and preservatives, but no complete product can be without any preservative unless refrigerated and stored only up to 2 weeks for home use. Vitamin E and rosemary extract are common natural preservatives, but they are not broad spectrum, only antioxidant, so do not protect against fungal or bacterial growth, only prevent the oils from going rancid. The only reason HTY Gold wouldn’t contain any is that palm oil is a natural source of tocotrienols as well as tocopherols (Vitamin E and similar) and contains no water. Now onto the water issue.
Water is the source of life! Good products don’t just coat or absorb into the skin to nourish it, but help the skin retain moisture, which is often by binding water to oil and to the skin through emulsifiers and humectants. Unless you have extremely dry or cracked and callused skin that you don’t mind remaining greasy for a while, water is necessary in lotions! Butters, salves, and balms are a different story, but they are specifically made to target problem areas, such as cracked heels or chapped skin or sun/wind burn, where a protective coating is necessary to avoid irritation while the skin’s protective horny layer (outer layer that is comprised of DEAD skin cells) is rebuilt. Otherwise, water nourishes and increases spreadability of the product, and skin DOES need to breathe (which palm oil does not allow) and receive oxygen to help itself regenerate and regain elasticity, which would help the “crepe skin” that many commenters mention. Thus the implication that the water just “evaporates” off, which makes other products bad products, is misleading and irresponsible!
Regardless of someone’s interpretation of the comments, the point is that using misleading descriptions in order to sell an exorbitantly overpriced product is bad form and unethical.
I bought the HTY night cream for $140 in June; it lasted for four months and has definitely made my skin look smoother. I am going to try the body lotion and the day cream next I live in the tropics and have sun damaged skin on my chest. The night cream has made it less wrinkled and
younger looking. I wish I could sit in a vat of it!