Dr. Jeanine Downie shares her experiences, personally and in practice, with cosmeceuticals and nutricosmeceuticals, and why it’s important that dermatologists claim their share of sales for these popular skin care options.
Jeanine Downie, MD, FAAD, Image Dermatology P.C., Montclair, NJ
“Basically, I discussed WIIFM? (what’s in it for me?). We’re the scientists. Dermatologists are the ones that can really educate people as to what to put on the skin and what works best, and we should make up a higher percentage of sales in terms of the boom of cosmeceuticals and nutricosmeceuticals,” said Jeanine B. Downie, MD, FAAD, who spoke about cosmeceuticals and nutricosmeceuticals at the Cosmetic Surgery Forum in Nashville, Tennessee.
According to Dr. Downie, the global cosmeceutical market is forecasted to top $95 billion by 2030.1 The global market for nutricosmetics, specifically, is expected to be more than $7.9 billion by 2025.2
Products for Your Practice
Among the products that have worked for Dr. Downie is Cyspera (Scientis; Geneva, Switzerland), a pigment fading cream that comes in 5% and 7% formulations.
“It is something I’ve instituted in my practice since 2018. I think it is a fantastic solution for melasma, post inflammatory hyperpigmentation, hyperpigmentation post folliculitis, traumatic scars, smokers’ lips, dark pigment on the knuckles and hands, pigment from thigh rubbing, elbow pigmentation, pigmentation from contact dermatitis, [and] any irritation from a deodorant. There are a ton of reasons why I like it. And I pretty much use the Cyspera from head to toe.”
That includes recommending Cyspera for intimate areas for hyperpigmentation post shaving, said Dr. Downie.
However, dermatologists should caution patients about using Cyspera around the eyes, where skin is thinnest, she said.
“You can use it around the eyes, but if you do, you should only use it for 3 to 5 minutes. No more than once or twice a week.”
Another mainstay product in her practice is Senté Dermal Repair Cream, which can be used by patients with sensitive skin, said Dr. Downie.
“It can be used for rosacea, for decreasing fine lines and wrinkles, and for hydrating the skin. It actually has heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate, which help to build the skin’s repair barrier.”
According to Dr. Downie, Senté Dermal Repair Cream can also be used to even out the pigmentation in melasma, from which she suffers.
Then there’s also the Senté Dermal Repair Body Cream and Even Tone Mineral Sunscreen products.
“The new Senté Dermal Repair Body Cream decreases crepiness in the arms, neck, and chest—everywhere I seem to be getting crepey lately. Using the patented HSA [heparan sulfate analog] technology, the body cream helps to hydrate the skin, decrease fine lines and wrinkles, and makes the skin more able to tolerate other products. If you want to use retinoids and that sort of thing, I always recommend Senté as a base.”
Senté also has a new Even Tone Mineral Sunscreen, said Dr. Downie.
“… I’m not crazy about the tinted sunscreens because I always like to say, ‘they’re not my tint’. But this Even Tone is doing a much better job at matching my tint. The one that I like is the medium to dark one for African Americans. Some of my browner patients so far are liking it when I suggest it to them.”
The CO2LIFT (Lumisque Skincare) gel mask is also a popular product, she said.
“You mix two packets together and put it on your face for 45 minutes to an hour at night, when you have time. It’s gentle enough to go over your eyelids, over your lips, down your neck, and you can put some on the backs of your hands.”
The CO2LIFT uses the “Bohr effect” to bring oxygen into the skin, so it increases moisturization significantly, said Dr. Downie.
“Many of my patients will use it for irritation anywhere. One of my patients had bra burns from improperly fitting bras and we were doing chemical peels and they were too harsh, so she used this on her shoulders and back and it helped the pigmentation fade faster. I coupled that with the Cyspera. Another patient had athlete’s foot with eczema on her feet. We cleared that but she was still dry and scaly, so we put the CO2LIFT on and used Glad bags on her feet to add moisturization. This is another product you can use head to toe. All you have to do is be a little creative.”
The company also markets the CO2LIFT V for vaginal skin, said Dr. Downie.
“That increases moisturization ‘down there’ in the intimate areas. My patients find that sex is more enjoyable, and they’re not as dry. It sells very well and definitely has a following and there’s a need for that.”
The VI Peels (Vitality Institute), another winning cosmeceutical, include glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and a little bit of trichloroacetic acid (TCA), said Dr. Downie.
“VI peels are safe for all skin types, except if you have very sensitive skin or are allergic to one of the ingredients. That has not happened to me yet in my patient population. One of the participants at the Cosmetic Surgery Forum shared with me that she had a patient who had some weird allergy to salicylates. If you get somebody who tells you they have a severe aspirin allergy or even that they’re allergic to root beer, they might not be able to use salicylic acid.”
Dr. Downie uses the VI Peel for the body on elbows, knees, legs (for scarring), the chest and back for acne, folliculitis, and keratosis pilaris.
Skin Supplements
Dr. Downie personally uses and recommends Nutrafol, an oral nutricosmeceutical, she said.
“Nutrafol is nutrition for the hair follicle. It’s super popular. Everyone knows about it. There’s lots of direct-to-consumer advertising. They have Nutrafol for men and for women. They have the Nutrafol Postmenopausal and Nutrafol Women’s Balance and Nutrafol Post Pregnancy. It’s 4 pills a day in the morning with food. It has really improved my hair health, and I’ve been on it since 2015.”
Heliocare is another nutricosmeceutical that she takes daily.
“I think the Heliocare has really helped my melasma. It has a little SPF in it. It is something I feel has helped my skin health and maybe made it less patchy, more glowing, and less hyperpigmented.”
References:
- Strategic Market Research. Global Cosmeceuticals Market, A $95.75 Billion Industry Opportunity by 2030. Press release. October 13, 2022. Accessed January 20, 2023.
- Laneri S, Lorenzo RD, Sacchi A, et al. Dosage of Bioactive Molecules in the Nutricosmeceutical Helix aspersa Muller Mucus and Formulation of New Cosmetic Cream with Moisturizing Effect. Natural Product Communications. 2019;14(8). doi:10.1177/1934578X19868606.
- Dini I, Laneri S. Nutricosmetics: A brief overview. Phytother Res. 2019 Dec;33(12):3054-3063. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6494. Epub 2019 Sep 3. PMID: 31478301.
Disclosures: Dr. Downie is a consultant and advisor for Scientis, Sente, CO2Lift, and Nutrafol.