Acne control kit updated with Ultramarine sea kelp bioferment, nobiletin, oleuropein and granulysin

Acne is a serious matter, especially for the child/teen that has to live with it on top of all the other changes that adolescence brings. I don’t think that controlling acne will solve your teen’s problems (nothing can do that), but it will help. As a mother of a former teen who struggled with this problem, I know that I was ready to do use any medication in order to improve my child’s life. Now, through Skin Actives, we can provide a kit that should help the acne sufferer without long-term damage to the skin.

New: ZITender is an emergency gel, a must-have product for teens and young people battling acne.

Acne is a “perfect storm” in which abundant sebum production and imperfect shedding of dead cells lead to the formation of a “plug” that makes the closed pore a great feeding ground for a bacterium that doesn’t like oxygen, Propionibacterium acnes. Inflammation and mess follow. Cysts can develop when the contents of the sick follicle (keratinocytes, sebum and bacteria) spills into the surrounding dermis, producing a superficial pustule, or a deeper papule or nodule.

In my opinion, the problem with most acne products is that they only address one or two of the causes of acne, and then you need to use a “cannon” like benzoyl peroxide or antibiotics to keep the whole process under control. Although an antibiotic used at the right time on the right affliction can be a life saver, long term use of antibiotics is a bad idea. The same is true for benzoyl peroxide, which will also cause undesirable, long term changes in the skin.

As for other skin problems, the SAS approach is to address all the causes of acne simultaneously. Using this strategy, acne can be kept under control using lower concentrations of milder actives, and stress to the skin is kept to a minimum. The actives have different mechanisms of action, and “cannons” like benzoyl peroxide, antibiotics, steroids and alcohol are avoided.

What are the objectives?

1. Slow down conversion to the form of testosterone (male hormone) that binds to the androgen receptor in the skin
2. Control sebum synthesis and secretion
3. Normalize keratinization, preventing the exfoliated keratinocytes from sticking together and closing the pore
4. Decrease inflammation
5. Kill acne bacteria without decimating the normal bacterial flora of the skin.

Nobiletin (3',4',5,6,7,8-hexamethoxyflavone) inhibits synthesis of the type of fats (triglycerides) that is food for the acne bacterium and slows down proliferation of fat cells. It also has antibacterial activity. I think that in the near future you will hear a lot more about nobiletin, which also seems to have anti-aging and anti-tumor activity. Note: many thanks to the client who brought nobiletin to my attention.

Oleuropein is a chemical extracted from the olive tree (Olea Europea) that has anti-inflammatory activity; it also inhibits arachidonic acid-induced edema, and is an antioxidant.

Granulysin is an antibacterial protease that will increase penetration of the other ZITender actives.

Beta glucan enhances the immune response. The stimulating effect of these carbohydrates is not acquired through encounters with pathogens the way we acquire immunity to most microorganisms, but is innate, i.e. present in our genetic make-up. When we come in contact with beta glucans, our immune system seems to activate so that, when we come in contact with a pathogen, we are better able to deal with it and stop an infection.

Ultramarine seakelp bioferment: adds Porphyridium and Arthrospira extracts, and fucoidan (for more information please see July newsletter), to the great sea kelp bioferment, increasing the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power of sea kelp.

Use serum on clean, dry skin twice a day. Apply acne cream every night. Use ZitEnder on individual lesions (best used overnight for a couple of days). Use wash as needed instead of soap.

Rigano, L.; Cucchiara, M.(2003) Azeloyl-glycine: a new active in skin disequilibrium. Journal of Applied Cosmetology, 21:177-188. Fujimura T; Tsukahara K.; Moriwaki S.; Kitahara T.; Sano T.; Takema Y. (2002) Treatment of human skin with an extract of Fucus vesiculosus changes its thickness and mechanical properties J Cosmet Sci, 53(1), 1-9. Tanno, O.; Ota, Y.; Mitamura, N.; Inoue, S. (1997) Effects of niacinamide on ceramide biosynthesis and differentiation of cultured human keratinocytes. Scientific Conference of the Asian Societies of Cosmetic Scientists, 3rd, Taipei, May 23-24, 1997, 170-176 Johann, S., de OliveiraV.L., Pizzolatti, M.G., Schripsema, J. Braz-Filho, R. Branco, A., Smânia A. Jr (2007) Antimicrobial activity of wax and hexane extracts from Citrus spp. peels. Memorias Instituto Oswaldo Cruz: 102: 681-685 Sato T, Takahashi A, Kojima M, Akimoto N., Masamichi Y., and Ito, A. (2007) A citrus polymethoxy flavonoid, nobiletin inhibits sebum production and sebocyte proliferation, and augments sebum excretion in hamsters. J. Inv. Dermatology, 127: 2740-2748 Tanaka S, Sato T, Akimoto N, Yano M, Ito A (2004) Prevention of UVB-induced photoinflammation and photoaging by a polymethoxy flavonoid, nobiletin, in human keratinocytes in vivo and in vitro Biochemical Pharmacology 68: 433-439 Kollár, R, Reinhold B.B., Petráková, E. , Yeh, H.J.C., Ashwell, G., Drgonová, J., Kapteyn, J.C., Klis, F.M. and Cabib, Enrico (1997) Architecture of the Yeast Cell wall beta (1-->6)-glucan interconnects mannoprotein, beta (1-->3)-glucan, and chitin. Journal Biological Chemistry: 272: 17762-17775. Kougias, Panagiotis; Wei, Duo; Rice, Peter J.; Ensley, Harry E.; Kalbfleisch, John; Williams, David L.; Browder, I. William (2001) Normal human fibroblasts express pattern recognition receptors for fungal (1-->3)-beta-D-glucans. Infection and Immunity: 69: 3933-3938. Brown, Gordon D.; Gordon, Siamon (2001) Immune recognition: A new receptor for beta-glucans. Nature (London, United Kingdom) 413: 36-37.

T-Zone actives:

Water, Lactobacillus/kelp ferment filtrate, Porphyridium extract, Laminaria japonica extract, Arthrospira extract., azeloyl glycine, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from green tea, niacinamide, nobiletin, propylene glycol (and) diazolidinyl urea (and) methylparaben (and) propylparaben.

Anti-acne cream ingredients:

Water, jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis) seed oil, Lactobacillus/kelp ferment filtrate, Porphyridium extract, Laminaria japonica extract, Arthrospira extract., sorbitol, butylene glycol, cetyl alcohol, glyceryl stearate, saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) extract, niacinamide, PEG-100 Stearate, white willow (Salix alba) bark extract, stearyl alcohol, liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) extract, EGCG from green tea (Camellia sinensis), wild yam (Dioscorea villosa) extract, yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) beta glucan, sesame (Sesamum indicum) seed oil, sweet almond (Prunus amygdalus dulcis) oil, avocado (Persea gratissima) oil, nobiletin, retinyl acetate, oleuropein, sodium hyaluronate, polysorbate 20, citric acid, dimethicone, carbomer, triethanolamine, diazolidinyl urea, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, propylparaben.

ZITender (emergency gel) ingredients:

Lactobacillus/kelp ferment filtrate, Porphyridium extract, Laminaria japonica extract, Arthrospira extract., EGCG from green tea (Camellia sinensis), oleuropein, galangal (Kaempferia galanga) extract, white willow extract, Zinc PCA, Coleus essential oil, granulysin. Salicylic Wash ingredients: Distilled Water, Sea Kelp Bioferment, PEG-10 Sunflower, PEG-16 Macadamia, Salicylic Acid, Zinc PCA, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben (and) Propylparaben.

Salicylic Wash Ingredients:

Distilled Water, Sea Kelp Bioferment, PEG-10 Sunflower, PEG-16 Macadamia, Salicylic Acid, Zinc PCA, Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben (and) Propylparaben.

Product rating

Customer Reviews

• Author: Amie
  Works! I am pregnant and have tried everything to clear my acne, and these products are the only thing that has worked. I highly recommend this set to anyone struggling with acne. In less than one week I noticed great results! No irritation or peeling, either. A permanent addition to my skin care :)
• Author: Cass
  I have trouble with acne and these acne products seemed to work but they also seemed to clog some of my pores. I noticed more blackheads after using it for a few months. It was upsetting because it all seemed to work for acne, but I quit using it because of the blackheads. I still use the ZiTender stuff from time to time and that seems to be OK, as long as I use it sparingly.
• Author: Korina Bailey
  This set is amazing! I have tried countless products for my adult acne and they have only made it worse by drying my skin. Drying is NOT what acne skin needs people! I'm so glad a skincare company finally figured that out and is selling products that are actually good for your skin, so you can be free of acne and age well. I will never trust my skin to any other product again! I use the acne kit with collagen serum and alpha beta peel for the pigmentation and my skin has never looked better!