Jonny says…I came across this range of products including supplements, skin and hair care. They make some bold claims including ‘wrinkles disappear’ not just reduce appearance of them or whatever. They also appear to have done well in something called ‘in cosmetics’, not sure what that is. Their latest product is a hair serum that claims to re grow 17% more hair than the placebo, they have done clinical trials and have been mentioned on a few blogs similar to yours where the science appears to hold up. If you guys could take a look it would be great! Here’s a link to what appears to be their leading skincare product Neodermyl.
The Beauty Brains respond:
Jonny, we share your implied skepticism. All too many times seemingly outrageous claims are nothing more than “smoke in the mirror” as one of my old bosses used to say. But surprisingly, there may be something to this Induchem product.
Before we begin you may be thinking “I’ve never seen any products from Induchem before.” That’s because they are not finished goods manufacturers. Rather, they are a company that makes ingredients. That’s also explains the reference in “In-Cosmetics” which is an exhibition for suppliers of the cosmetic industry. For those of you keeping score at home, In-Cosmetics 2015 will be held in Barcelona. But I digress…
The Neodermyl complex actually consists of 4 ingredients: Glycerin, Water, Methylglucoside Phosphate, Copper Lysinate/Prolinate. Here are the product’s primary claims:
- The “needle-free” collagen & elastin filler
- Revitalizes aged fibroblasts
- Reactivates collagen I, III and elastin synthesis in a fast and sustainable way.
- Visible results in only two weeks: skin is firmer, more supple, and deep wrinkles disappear.
What does testing show?
These are extraordinary claims and, as followers of the Beauty Brains know, we look for 3 types of data to support such claims: a mechanism, proof of penetration (in the case of skin products) and placebo controlled double blind studies on real people. Induchem seems to have done most of their homework. They conducted a series of in vitro and ex vivo tests that seem to confirm the mechanism (stimulation of fibrobalsts). They’ve also done a single small scale in vivo study (n = 20) which showed improvement in collagen density and alignment, firmness and elasticity, and wrinkle reduction.
It appears that their in vivo assessment of collagen production (which they calculated from measurements of dermal thickness) is the basis for their “needle free collagen and elastin filler” claim. According to their paper, injections with hyaluronic acid improve dermal thickness by about 3.5% after 1 month. Neodermyl, on the other hand, increased thickness by almost 6% in 15 days. Of course there’s no direct evidence that Neodermyl makes your skin look as good as if you used an injectable filler. Still, it gives them some place to argue from if their claims are ever challenged.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Given that Induchem’s in vivo data is limited to a small, single study we need to take this information with a grain of salt. Still, there’s enough “stuff” here to indicate that their ingredient may actually boost collagen to some degree. (Assuming that you can find a product that uses their ingredient at the proper level.)
Reference:
C&T article: http://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/testing/invitro/Collagens-I-and-III-and-Elastin-Activation-for-Anti-aging-premium-246919201.html?c=n
Feb 24, 2014 D. Auriol and G. Redziniak Libragen; and H. Chajra, K. Schweikert and F. Lefevre, Induchem