Starchild says…Does the featured complex of this antiaging cream make it unique? The product is called Restorsea here’s what it says about the featured complex “VibranseaTM, our proprietary patent-pending complex fueled by a natural enzyme released during the baby salmon hatching process.”
The Beauty Brains respond:
The product in question is Restorsea Rejuvenating Day Cream and it has a great back story: Salmon hatchery workers in Finland noticed that their skin became soft after sorting salmon eggs even through their hands were plunged in and out of cold water all day. Researchers at the University of Bergen found that the eggs release unique proteases and proteins when the salmon hatch. They isolated this material and found that it has properties similar to AHAs or retinol. The official name for the ingredient is “hydrolyzed roe” but keep in mind it is not composed of actual fish eggs themselves but just the materials released during hatching.
What does hydrolyzed roe do for skin?
This eggy exudate contains a specific protease that breaks down the tough egg shell so the salmon larvae can emerge. This enzyme also targets the corneodesmosomes in human skin which are the cement that holds dead skin cells together. That means the enzyme is able to loosen dead skin cells in the stratum corneum without harming the living cells below. That’s similar to the mechanism used by AHAs and retinol.
Does roe really work?
The manufacturers of this ingredient, AquaBioTechnology, conducted a double blind, placebo controlled study using 1% hydrolyzed roe in skin lotion vs. a placebo skin lotion. The study results showed it provided retinol-like benefits including reduction in the following:
- wrinkles
- fine lines
- roughness
- dullness
- hyper-pigmentation
- sagging
So the good news is, if we believe this study, the protease really is effective on human skin. The bad news is the study did not test the protease against proven ingredients like AHA’s or retinol so we have no idea how it works in comparison.
Is Restorsea worth it?
If extract is efficacious does that mean the product really works? First we’d need to know how much extract is in the product because the hydrolyzed roe must be used at at least 1% to be effective. Does this product contain the extract at that level? The manufacturer doesn’t say.
Second we need to know if the extract is stable in this formula. The extract is an enzyme and enzymes are notoriously unstable. They can be deactivated by processing conditions during manufacture, through interaction with other ingredients in the formula, and through exposure to heat after the finished product is complete. We can only assume that Restorsea has done all the proper testing to ensure the extract remains stable until you get the product home to use it.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Based on one study done by the manufacturer, hydrolyzed roe does appear to be an efficacious antiaging ingredient. However, while the ingredient works like an AHA/retinol we don’t see any evidence to show that it works BETTER than those ingredients. So for most people there’s no reason to spend more on this product ($150/1.7 ounces) when you can get an AHA/Retinol product for much less. However, if you’re very sensitive to retinol or AHAs you might find this product to be a milder alternative.
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