Showing posts with label Vitamin C. Show all posts

Osmosis Wellness: Peaches in Season


Once a year in Colorado, a huge festival takes place that honors the seasonal bounty of Palisade Peaches. Peach season is a Colorado favorite and being that Osmosis is based in the old Rocky Mountain State, we wanted to pass along some peachy wisdom on the health benefits of, you guessed it... Peaches!


Now you know how awesome peaches are for our bodies and spirit... and taste buds. Get out there and take advantage of nature's perfect summer supplement!
Beauty in Fruit, Benefits of Peaches, Holistic Health,
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Wellness Wednesday - Just Beet It!


Mmmmmm Beets, nature's candy! In honor of Heart Health Month we thought it would be important to include these red, heart shaped miracle workers in our Wellness Wednesday column. We know, beets aren't for everyone... BUT you should know the benefits of these babies and learn how you can incorporate them into your diet to your taste. First, let's look at the highlights:

Now we know the top health benefits of beets, so how do you fit them into your diet?

Beets tend to lose quite a bit of nutrients when they are cooked, the best way to absorb the full benefits is to juice them. If you don't like the taste of beets, juicing is the way to go! Cover up the taste by adding cucumber, apple, and carrot (and get added health benefits). Don't forget to add the beet greens and roots.

Another way to prepare them without losing too much nutrients is by blanching them. Boil 2 cups of water, once your water is boiling, turn off the stove. Then throw in peeled and cut (into quarter size) chunks of beet into the water for roughly 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Remove from water and immediately place chunks into an ice bath. Sauté the greens with olive oil, garlic, and pepper for an extra health boost, then proceed to gobble!

Beets are a very important veggie to add into your daily wellness routine. For your heart's sake, and your spirit's, we hope you take advantage of nature's sweetest candy!

Share your favorite beet recipes with us below!
Antifungal, Antioxidant, Beets,
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Wellness Wednesday: Your Skin on Broccoli


Ask any kid what their least favorite food is, and they are bound to state proudly... Broccoli! Well, we're not kids any more and we have a responsibility to keep up our health, aka Adulting. Broccoli can no longer be food enemy number one. It's just to darn healthy for us! Your skin takes on wonderful benefits when you eat broccoli as a part of your normal daily diet. Our wellness journey relies heavily on our diets, and Cruciferous Veggies can have a huge impact on our health. Let's break down the Broccoli barrier and start eating!


Now you know why Broccoli should be your go to veggie on your wellness journey. Blanch it, steam it, bake it, roast it, boil it. No matter how you prepare it, make sure you eat it weekly. And if you are feeling creative, make your own treatment with Broccoli extract. Just add a drop into our Hydratlift Firming Mask for added benefits!

Now get to adulting, and get your Broccoli on! Your skin will be SO thankful!
Broccoli, Collagen, DIM,
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Taking Skincare to the Next Level: Meet Catalyst AC-11

We recently completed a clinical study on Catalyst AC-11®, one in a series of three DNA Repair Serums. This is very exciting for Osmosis because the results are amazing! This study shows improvement in the appearance of actinic keratosis, capillary visibility, as well as the firming and elasticity of the skin, and more!

How is Catalyst AC-11® doing this? We utilize Vitamin C in the form of L-ascorbic acid which is essential in forming proteins in the skin. We then take alpha ketoglutarate, a key intermediate in the Krebs cycle, to enhance the activity of L-ascorbic acid for even more protein production. By adding amino acids we also provide the skin with building blocks to create protein. This isn't your normal Vitamin C Serum though. The main focus: to repair damage in our DNA.

DNA is the essential communicator within our cells, instructing each cell how to function. With extensive damage that comes from normal aging processes, environmental exposures, and lifestyle, our cells perform less efficiently. Repairing that damage is essential to healthier, younger functioning skin.

Catalyst AC-11® taps into an innate repair mechanism called Zinc Fingers and a clinically proven DNA repair ingredient extracted from nature, AC-11™. Zinc Fingers are created by combining Vitamin C, amino acids, copper, and zinc. In our skin the repair DNA damage as well as cellular division and differentiation. AC-11™, on the other hand, is an extract from Cat's Claw that has powerful DNA repair ability and is clinically proven to correct and prevent the formation of Thymine-Thymine Dimers, a mutation in our DNA that occurs from UV exposure. It also decreases erythema, or redness, from excess sun exposure and improves immunity in our skin. These two repair mechanisms that are taking skincare to the next level are why Catalyst AC-11® is so good at repairing wounds, decreasing the appearance of capillaries and precancerous lesions along with improving firmness and elasticity.

With a cellular focus, we see results that far surpass other products on the market. We are now creating younger skin with permanent results.
AC-11, Catalyst, DNA Repair,
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Serum Levels - Where to Start

by Ami Shvartzman, Director of Education


You may have noticed with some of our Osmosis Serums  that there is a new addition to the labels. Each Vitamin A and DNA Repair serum now reflects a level listed on the bottle. But what exactly do these levels mean?  Have no fear, we are here to help you crack the code!

As always, this system was designed with the Osmosis customer in mind. Each level listed on the bottle serves as a starting place for the skin care professional recommending the product. The levels were designed by aligning the activity level of the formulation with skin tolerance (i.e. how sensitive your skin is to these ingredients).  We felt that this was particularly important when recommending our Vitamin A and DNA Repair serum families.

Our Vitamin A serums all contain the active ingredient Retinaldehyde with our phosphatidylcholine delivery system. Retinaldehyde is the safest and least irritating form of Vitamin A on the market but has the same effectiveness as Retin A. Because of this strength, it is important that our customers (and their clients) remember to introduce these serums into their daily facial regime very slowly.  We have broken these serums out into 4 different levels and a specific Blemish Vitamin A serum to make this introductory process more seamless. These levels can be broken down into the following:

 
 
Level 1 – Relieve (.025% Retinaldehyde): Relieve is our level 1 vitamin A serum, designed for sensitive skin types who desire a dramatic restoration of the skin rejuvenation process. The most gentle of our vitamin A serums, this formula addresses skin immunity to allow for healing and repair.

 
 
 
Level  2 – Calm (.05% Retinaldehyde): Calm is our level 2 vitamin A serum, designed for moderately-sensitive skin types who desire a dramatic restoration of the skin rejuvenation process. It encourages the skin to calm inflammation, restore the protective barrier, increase skin nutrients and immune repair, rebuild the thin dermis, normalize oil, hydrate and firm.

 
 
 
 
Level 3- Correct (.05% Retinaldehyde): Correct is our level 3 vitamin A serum, designed for normal skin types who desire a dramatic restoration of the skin rejuvenation process. This formula sets up the ideal environment for aging skin to remodel itself through increased skin nutrients, collagen production and elasticity.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Level 4-Renew (.1% Retinaldehyde):  Renew is our level 4 vitamin A serum, designed for resilient or conditioned skin types who desire a dramatic restoration of the skin rejuvenation process. The most potent combination of fibroblast stimulators encourages the reversal of skin aging.

 
 
 
 
Blemish – Clarify (.05% Retinaldehyde): Clarify is Osmosis blemish serum clears blemishes, normalizes oil production, shrinks pores, increases skin's immune support, hydrates, calms inflammation, protects skin from UV rays, restores the epidermal barrier, and restores dermal thickness.

 
 
 
Please note that these levels do not necessarily indicate a progression and moving to a higher level of serum is not always necessary. However, if you do choose to increase to a higher level  serum, make sure that your skin is comfortable with the serum you are using at 2 pumps a day before transitioning.


When it comes to our DNA Repair Serums the active ingredient used is Vitamin C, specifically L-Ascorbic Acid or Ascorbyl Glucoside.  These forms of Vitamin C in these particular forms are supercharged antioxidants and are wonderful at helping to build proteins, decreasing hyperpigmentation and working synergistically with our products containing vitamin E. With that said, Vitamin C and particularly L-Ascorbic Acid can be somewhat stimulating to the skin. Ascorbyl Glucoside contains one molecule of Ascorbic Acid and one of Glucose so it tends to be more mild in activity. Because of these differences we have also applied our levels to this category, these levels can be broken down into the following:

Level 1- Catalyst Plus+: Catalyst Plus + is our level 1 serum that is more appropriate for very sensitive skin. It is in an Aloe base with the active ingredient Ascorbyl Glucoside. Catalyst Plus+ contains a patented formula that activates your natural zinc finger remodeling process, which is a critical part of DNA repair. The unique combination of vitamin C, amino acids and minerals also encourages the skin to increase collagen and elastin production, promotes wound healing and improves sun protection.

 
 
Level 2- Catalyst: Catalyst is our level 2 serum that is more appropriate for normal skin. It is L-Ascorbic Acid in a water base. Catalyst contains a patented formula that activates your natural zinc finger remodeling process, which is a critical part of DNA repair. The unique combination of vitamin C, amino acids and minerals also encourages the skin to increase collagen and elastin production, promotes wound healing and improves sun protection.

 
Level 3- Catalyst AC-11:  Catalyst AC-11 is our level 3 serum which has the highest level of repair activity, appropriate for all skin types, even some sensitive skins. It has L-Ascorbic acid in an aloe base. Catalyst AC-11 contains a patented formula that activates your natural zinc finger remodeling process, which is a critical part of DNA repair. In addition, this product contains the patented technology AC-11 that is proven to increase DNA repair by 33%. The unique combination of vitamin C, amino acids and minerals also encourages the skin to increase collagen and elastin production, promotes wound healing and improves sun protection.

 
 
 
 
Use these levels as a guide with your product usage and recommendation, should you have any questions we are always here to help.
Ami Shvartzman, Catalyst, DNA Repair,
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Vitamin C – The evolution of this anti-oxidant powerhouse.




For most of us in the skin care industry, we know instinctively that one of the most important tools we can use to induce the “anti-aging” effect is topical Vitamin C. We have over 40 years of research and clinical validation to support the effect that L-Ascorbic Acid has on cutaneous tissue. Chronic extrinsic insults, exposure to ultra violet radiation and environmental toxins can exponentially increase the aging of the skin by destroying key proteins and increasing oxidative stress in the skin.  These factors can lead to histological changes in the skin at the cellular level, in turn manifesting as poor laxity/tone, increased roughness, dullness, unwanted pigmentation, telangiectasia and classic rhytid formation. Repairing, preventing and even reversing this damage requires flooding the skin with a cascade of nutrients that are selectively taken up by the cells, allowing them to effectively neutralize the physiological processes that lead to tissue abnormalities.  Vitamin C is by far one of the most beneficial and necessary actives to achieve this response, because it is one of the chief catalysts required for the formation of structural protein such as collagen. In addition, as a reactive oxygen species scavenger, it directly targets the heart of the cell, our mitochondria, putting a stop to unwanted electron transfer and free radical formation before it can damage our vital DNA strands. This is where it excels in remodeling photo-aged skin. Since humans lack the enzyme to create native Vitamin C, we must obtain it through diet. Due to poor absorption through the GI tract, the only way to reach desired efficacious levels in skin is through topical administration. And due to the fact that the level of Vitamin C in our skin drops 425% by the time we reach middle age, topical application becomes paramount to achieve the therapeutic physiological changes we desire. The problem we face in our industry is old, antiquated Vitamin C technology. Not much has been done to take the gold-standard, and bring it into the 21st century.

 That has all changed since the launch of our Catalyst family of products. A patented cocktail of L-Ascorbic Acid, amino acids such as L-Lysine, L-Proline and Glycine (the 3 major amino acids required for collagen formation), Zinc and Copper, collectively create a powerful tool for skin repair known as Zinc Finger Technology (ZFT). Zinc Fingers, essential constituents of proteins utilized by cells to turn genes on and off, afford us the ability to target and edit genetic text and repair damaged cellular DNA. Acting as a cellular “word processing” system, these Zinc Fingers attach to specific damaged sequences of DNA, cutting out these sections, quickly allowing the DNA to repair the broken strand. This widely used medical technology has never been applied to skin care, until Osmosis formulated the Catalyst collection, taking the standard Vitamin C serum to a new stratosphere. The level of correction seen with this family of products is unparalleled in the entire industry. In fact, a feat unto itself, we have finally received a grant on our patent that now allows us to “prevent skin cancer and treat skin lesions.” This has never been achieved in the cosmeceutical space, and we are proud to say we have the technology to rival every single competitor out there. From age reversal, wound repair, pigment reduction, skin tag removal, pre-cancer removal and everything in between, an abundant amount of evidence supports the usage of Catalyst, Catalyst+ and Catalyst AC-11. Osmosis has re-defined the gold-standard in Vitamin C technology, and now it’s your turn to reap the benefits from these supercharged anti-oxidant powerhouse serums. Enjoy!
Catalyst, Skincare, Vitamin C
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