The new ingredient you’d never expect to see in your skin care
And the scary place scientists are extracting it from!
And the scary place scientists are extracting it from!
When it comes to powerful anti-ageing techniques and ingredients, the most effective method to take years off your age comes in the form of Botox. As effective as it might be, because Botox is often considered an extreme way to rewind the clock, most of us tend to stick to more traditional anti-ageing products and techniques. However, if Swiss biochemist, Reto Stöcklin has his way, there’s good chance we’re in for getting the best of both worlds.
Stöcklin and his team of scientists in Geneva are working to revolutionise the skin care world through the introduction of the last ingredient you’d ever expect to see in your skin care products.
The ingredient in question? Spider venom.
And not just any spider venom. The particular strand being used by Stöcklin is said to come from a spider discovered in 2008, known as Heteropoda davidbowie. Yes, that David Bowie! The hype behind this particular spider’s venom came when Stöcklin decided to study the 136 toxins (none of which are harmful to humans) present in the arachnid. Within those toxins, a peptide named HDB243 was noted to contain skin-smoothing properties similar to those present in Botulinum toxin (Botox).
The peptide is said to suppress muscular contractions at the skin’s surface, which then results in a reduction of wrinkles, producing Botox-like results without the need for injections. Additionally, it is said that only a single application of a cream containing HDB243 is needed to eliminate wrinkles, although it is unclear as to how long the results last.
As it stands, skin care products containing the spider venom are still in the research stage, however, Stöcklin and his team have launched a crowd funding initiative to raise money to further test the peptides safety and effectiveness in skin care before launching a range of high-end products for men and women. If Stöcklin gets his way and his spider venom products takes off, there’s a good chance the landscape of skin care products and the ingredients within them might change for good. And for the younger!
If you’d rather stick to traditional anti-ageing methods, check out our guide to fighting the key signs of ageing.
Image credit: Getty
Kate started working for BEAUTYcrew in early 2016, first as a contributor, and was then named Beauty Writer in 2017. She loves picking the brains of the industry's top experts to get to the bottom of beauty's toughest questions. Bronze eyeshadow palettes are her weakness and she's forever on the hunt for the perfect nude nail polish to suit her fair skin. Her words can also be found in Men's Health magazine, and she now works in PR.
