the B. spot

Good Morning B-spot!

I am wide awake and full of energy this morning!  Ok so you guys know that I receive products all of the time- some I use right away while others sit on my shelf taking up space.  Well yesterday I was in desperate need of moisture as my face has been peeling like crazy (thanks to an exfoliating cleanser that I spiked with my favorite chemical peel for a stronger microdermabrasion effect- please, please, please, please, please do not try this at home- I use heavy duty products after this treatment to keep my skin from becoming too inflamed- without it you run a very high risk of totally destroying your skin)

Anyway, I took a power nap during my lunch hour yesterday and woke up to what I can only describe as a large thin whitish flakes hanging from the side of face (gross but accurate)- I couldn’t let anyone see me like that so I couldn’t go into the lab and get the moisturizing cream so I needed to resort to “the shelf”.  Out of everything on my shelf, I opted for the Neutrogena Face Lotion, SPF 20 with Active Copper- it went on light, wasn’t too tacky, wasn’t whitening, didn’t have a strong fragrance and handled the flakes.  I was pleasantly surprised!  Why didn’t I try this product sooner- because the part of the name that I left off was “Visibly Firm”- this is such a turn off to me as I don’t give a darn about firmness, wrinkles, tightening or anything relating to anti-aging.  But this…this is now on my favorites list!

Science Behind It:

Part of the reason why this product goes on so light and absorbs quickly is the high level of aluminum starch octenylsuccinate, a powder commonly used in skin care products to absorb quickly into the skin, reduce the sticky feeling during application and impart a velvety end feel to the formulation.  Since my skin is peeling like it is, UV protection is extremely important- I would prefer a 30 or higher but I needed something in a pinch so this  SPF 20 had to do (fyi, my daily SPF product is a 45- gasp).  Even though they use zinc oxide, it is not whitening on my skin so I didn’t look like a ghost- very important…

So just in case you do care about firming your skin, it’s only fair that I discuss the “active copper” in the formulation.  As you may or may not know, copper is already present in our bodies and is pivotal in certain biological processes such as tissue repair and collagen deposition and improving tensile strength (fancy talk for increasing elasticity).  So the question is does this copper really get into your skin and if it does is it ready to be used by your skin?  Copper Tripeptide-1 is being used in this formulation- the theory is that the copper will be transported into your skin courtesy of the peptide shuttle which has an affinity for your skin because of the amino acids making up the peptide.  Once it gets “dropped off” its goes to work.  I happened to have worked for Johnson & Johnson so I know the amount of research and testing (especially clinical testing—people testing) that goes into a product before it’s launched so I have to believe that they saw some efficacy otherwise it would not have been released.  Just be reasonable with your expectations and you shouldn’t be disappointed!