DermIdentical (or skin identical) ingredients are compounds found naturally in your skin. Our aim was to mimic the skin composition in our creams using DermIdentical ingredients to help nourish, replenish, protect, moisturize the skins by supplying the skin all the necessary building blocks it requires to maintain healthy skin.
In order to determine what DermIdentical ingredients to use we first need to consider the composition of the skin. The composition of sebum is approximately 45% triglycerides, 25% wax esters, 12% squalene, 10% fatty acids and 4% cholesterol while the composition of the epidermis (the outer most layer) is 30-35% fatty acids (with the majority being oleic acid, palmitic acid, linoleic acid and stearic acid), 30-35% ceramides and 30-35% cholesterol. It also contains a complex mixture of water soluble compounds, such as amino acids, organic acids, urea, and inorganic ions.
Dermidentical ingredients used in our cream to mimic those found in the epidermis and sebum include squalene, cholesterol, Ceramides 1, Cereamide 2, Ceremide 3, Low Molecular Weight (LMW) hyaluronic acid, glycerol, Jojoba oil which has a chemical composition close to the skins sebum including wax esters and fatty acids. Finally a mixture of Shea butter and seed oil are used for their high fatty acid content (linoleic, oleic, stearic, and palmitic acids) which closely resembles that of the epidermis.
Underneath the epidermis lies the dermis layer which is composed mainly of collagen, elastin and what is called ground substance which is composed mainly of hyaluronic acid and chondroitin. Sebaceous glands within these skin layers secrete sebum onto the skin which forms the majority of lipids that cover the skin.
Traditional collagen and elastin are too large to absorb through the skin so cannot be effectively used in face creams so we need to find ways to support and protect them with ingredients like Vitamin C, Peptides, Niacinamide and Retinoids.
New generation collagen fragments are small enough to absorb thus overcoming absorption issues so are now included in our main day creams.
With these skin identical ingredients combined with effective key ingredients we created a synergistic combination that addresses the many layers of skin to ensure their health and longevity.
