Strivectin - NuGlow - Avotone Skin Cream Comparison

JG

I would consider three things about skin creams: active ingredients and their benefits; price; and personal preferences.

By personal preferences I mean the feel and any fragrance or allergies, as well as how simple you want your skin care routine be.

There are some wonderful skin creams that address more than one need thereby saving you time and sometimes money. I'm always on the lookout for those!

Of the three skin creams you mention, I can only provide a comprehensive analysis of StriVectin SD , since the other products do not disclose their full list of ingredients anywhere on the web.

[NuGlow has since released their ingredient list - read my full NuGlow Review here.]

Strivectin SD contains: deionized water, C12-15 alkyl benzoate, sesame oil, caprylic/capric triglyceride, sweet almond oil, cetearyl olivate, sorbitan olivate, striadril complex (consisting of phyllanthus emblica fruit extract, siegesbeckia orientalis extract (darutoside), polyglyceryl methacrylate, propylene glycol, palmitoyl oligopeptide, glucosamine HCL, algae extract, yeast extract, urea, butylene Gglycol, DMDM hydantoin, hydrocotyl extract, coneflower extract, hydrolyzed wheat protein, hydrolyzed wheat starch, imperata cylindrica root extract, bearberry extract and licorice PTH), glycerin, PPG-12/SMDI copolymer, glyceryl stearate & PEG-100 stearate, cocoa butter, stearic acid, shea butter, tocopheryl acetate, mango butter, peppermint oil, methylparaben, xanthan gum, propylparaben, triethanolamine, butylene glycol, disodium EDTA, retinyl palmitate and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate.

Strivectin contains several ingredients in its Striadril Complex which have been proven to reduce stretch marks, even old ones. Satisfied users made the leap of faith that if Strivectin could regrow collagen and elastin in areas of total breakdown (where the stretch marks had completely rended layers of the dermis in two), it could repair collagen and elastin in less damaged areas. They were not disappointed.

In addition to Striadil, Strivectin contains palmitoyl oligopeptide, another powerful skin-healing ingredient which has been shown to stimulate the growth of new elastin and collagen.

A study reported in Dematologic Surgery, March 2002, showed that tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, the form of Vitamin C found in Strivectin stimulated the skin to repair photodamage.

The improvement was clinically visible, as well as microscopically visible.

Strivectin also contains retinyl palmitate, an effective alpha-hydroxy acid.

Finally, Strivectin is a complete moisturizer, meaning it contains both emollients (like shea butter and cocoa butter) and natural moisturizing factors (NMFs) including urea one of the most potent NMFs known.

Moisturizing is not just a temporary fix. It supports the skin’s matrix and allows the skin’s natural moisturizing system to work more efficiently and even repair itself to some extent.

So, in Strivectin, you get an excellent moisturizer, an exfoliating ingredient to remove dead surface cells, and three state-of-the-art ingredients shown to stimulate new growth of collagen and elastin thereby repairing the damage of time (striadil, palmitoyl oligopeptide and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate). All this costs you about $135 for 6 ounces.

As to Avotone skin cream, I can only comment based on the following limited list provided by one vender: deionized water, acetyl hexapeptide-8 (argiriline)(10%), propylene glycol, avocado oil, acrylamide copolymer, fragrance, ethylparaben, methylparaben and propylparaben.

Argiriline is one of the so-called Botox mimicking ingredients. While Botox destroys the protein which signals a muscle to relax, Botox-mimicking ingredients merely prevent the protein from delivering its signal, resulting in a temporary relaxation of the muscles that cause deep lines of expression.

This effect lasts most of the day, but to the extent it prevents those expression lines from appearing it also prevents them from setting in any further.

Propylene gylcol is a penetration enhancer. Acrylamide copolymer is a stabilizer. The parabens are preservatives. Avocado oil is an emollient, but since Avotone does not list any NMFs, I conclude it is an incomplete moisturizer.

[To read how important a good moisturizer is for anti-aging skin care, read Effective Moisturizers.]

At a retail price of $160 for 3 ounces, Avotone is an expensive “one-trick pony” which acts to relax the muscles that form deep lines of expression - unless it contains some other undisclosed powerful skin care ingredients.

NuGlow was the most secretive about their ingredients, saying just that their skin creams contain GHK Active Copper, but have now released their ingredient list.

One of their products, Copper Peptide Serum with Antioxidants also addresses the importance of preventing further oxidative damage; but again, I don’t know which antioxidants are included so cannot gauge their efficacy.

What I do know is that Active Copper is one of the “new” antiaging cosmeceutical peptides. Actually it may have been the first. Active Copper has been known as a very powerful wound healing ingredient since the 1970s.

The thinking behind including Active Copper in skin creams is very similar to what occurred with Strivectin: if Active Copper could make normal skin grow where significant damage had been done to the dermis, imagine what it could do for less damaged areas.

Active Copper, also known as copper peptide, not only promotes collagen and elastin production, but also acts as an antioxidant as well as stimulates production of hyaluronic acid, the most powerful NMF currently known.

It further removes damaged collagen and elastin. Copper peptide could be called the first complete skin regrowth ingredient since it acts in both the demolition of old cells and renovation aspects of skin remodeling, and protects against free radical damage. As an added bonus, it has anti-inflammatory effects.

Some of my friends and I are doing a mini-“clinical” trial of Neutrogena Visibly Firm and Osmotics Blue Copper 5 skin creams, both of which contain GHK Active Copper.

So far, we been very happy with the results. These creams have caused very noticeable improvement in under-eye bags and fine lines and wrinkles in just over a month of use.

I would expect NuGlow products to perform similarly.

NuGlow’s Copper Peptide NightTime Therapy costs $65 for 1.2 oz.; the Copper Peptide Serum with Antioxidants is $85 for 1 oz.

You specifically asked about skin firming. Both Strivectin and NuGlow would result in noticeable firming because of their thickening effect on the skin.

However, I just want to mention that there are two ingredients that actually appear to work on the slack muscles which held the skin firmly in place in younger days. These ingredients are DMAE (Dimethylaminoethanol) and Vitamin C Ester (Ascorbyl Palmitate). These are the active ingredients in Reviva Labs DMAE Skin Cream.

When treated with DMAE and Vitamin C Ester, muscles which have slackened with age regain lost tone due to increased production of acetylcholine which keeps muscles taut.

These ingredients are effective on facial as well as upper arm and abdominal muscles. Long term use permanently lifts skin (see New York Times Bestseller, The Wrinkle Cure, by Dr. Nicholas Perricone).

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