What is stem cell snake oil?
Stem cells are exotic things ensconced away in biomedical research labs, right?
Well, maybe not entirely so these days.
It turns out that you can try to sell products for a lot of money by slapping “stem cells” on the label including cosmetics.
Take Nordstrom’s.
It has 80 stem cell products available online. These cosmetic products range in price up to $850 for the priciest one, ‘Bee Venom & Placenta’ 24 Carat Gold Ultimate Crème from Rodial.
These kinds of things are for sale despite an FDA takedown of L’Oreal/Lancome for iffy “stem cell” cosmetic products a few years back.
This Rodial cream is described this way: “Rodial Bee Venom & Placenta 24 Carat Gold Ultimate Crème is an exquisite, rejuvenating moisturizer with melittin peptide, liquid gold, stem cells and biomimetic growth factors from placenta.”
What a combo, huh?
The most expensive stem cell item on E-bay also seems downright scary. The ProCell Therapies Microneedling Stem Cell Hair Regrowth Micro Needle Therapy Kit sounds like a torture device to me. A bargain at $1,575, right?
Amazon has thousands of stem cell products (including books!), but the most expensive non-book stem cell item is an odd stem cell cosmetic. For only $3,757.96 you can get a 6 pack of Dermaheal by Stem C’rum Cell Revitalizing Solution –6 Applications for WOMEN.
Let the buyer beware.
Is this stuff snake oil or could it actually help people? What do you think?
The Procell device is not a “torture device”. It’s a microchanneling device sold to dermatologists and skin care experts for use in their clinics. This just proves that almost anything can end up on Ebay!!!
Procell Therapies products contain a beneficial array of cytokines that are derived from Stem Cells. The term “stem cell” is simply an easier marketing term to communicate an idea to the consumer than is “mesenchymal stem cell derived cytokine array”. There is clinical evidence that topical application of certain combinations of cytokines are anti-inflammatory and beneficial. Also, the rest of the ingredients in the Procell products are pretty impressive as well! Take a look. I use them, and yes, they are expensive. But the best always is!
Ingredients:
Water
(Aqua),
Mesenchymal
Stem
Cell
Derived
Cytokines
and
Growth
Factors,
Capric/Caprylic
Triglycerides,
Butylene
Glycol,
Chondrus
Crispus
Extract,
Sodium
Hyaluronate,
Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice
Bran
Polyglyceryl-‐3
Esters,
Glyceryl
Stearate.
Cetearyl
Alcohol,
Sodium
Stearoyl
Lactylate,
C12-‐15
Alkyl
Benzoate,
Iris
Florentina
Root
Extract
(Iris
Isoflavones),
Tasmannia
Lanceolata
Fruit
Extract,
Syzgium
Leuhmanii
Fruit
Extract,
Kunzea
Pomifera
Fruit
Extract,
Glycerin,
Dimethicone,
Ceramide
A2TM
(PEG-‐8,
PEG-‐8/SMDI
Copolymer,
Palmitoyl
Myristyl
Serenate),
Sodium
Polyacrylate,
Vitis
vinifera
(Grape)
Seed
Oil,
Dimethyl
Isosorbide,
Hydroxypinacolone
Retinoate,
Phenoxyethanol,
Ethylhexylglycerin,
Caprylyl
Glycol,
Hexylene
Glycol,
Tremella
Fuciformis
Sporocarp
Extract,
Betain,
Simmondia
Chinensis
(Jojoba)
Seed
Oil,
Panthenol
(Pro-‐Vitamin
B5),
Alpha
Lipoic
Acid,
Ubiquinone
(Co-‐enzyme
Q10),
Limnanthes
Alba
(Meadowfoam)
Seed
Oil,
Tetrahexyldecyl
Ascorbate
(Vitamin
C
Ester),
Tetrasodium
EDTA,
Tocopheryl
Acetate
(Vitamin
E
Acetate),
Magnesium
Aluminum
Silicate,
Xanthan
Gum,
Shea
Butter
Some are even more ingenious than actually adding stem cells – these guys http://www.stemcell100.com/ only add the words to their products!
Actually they are Chinese medicine herbs (the “cells”) from which they take the “stems” of the plants – and all in the name of telomere extention. Tumor cream anyone?
My experience with “stem cell enhanced” skin products comes entirely from samples provided by friends. These are often high quality to start with so the addition of “stem cells” or their culture medium (in one case) is a just ruse to up the price even more. It’s no different from adding rhino horn or shark cartilage to a product – there will be no added benefit except to the marketing strategy and profits. It did amuse me that someone had thought up a use for the culture medium we take off of our cells every day and throw away…