A year ago I predicted that stem cells from fruits and vegetables would start to appear in anti-wrinkle potions. Capturing human stem cells is controversial and those from animals are somehow unappealing (and carry risk of infection). Enter vegetal stem cells. In particular, stem cells derived from apples have just started to appear in commercially available creams.
Of course, they don’t come from any old apple. No, these stem cells come from a very rare Swiss apple tree that we are told was cultivated over 300 hundred years ago for the long storage life of the fruit. So rare is it, that it was practically extinct. One day, a few trees were spotted somewhere in an isolated corner of the Alps. Scientists were all of a dither, seeing the possibilities immediately: stem cells could be extracted from this long living apple and be used to make other things live long – like my aging skin cells.
I was actually falling for all of this whilst reading a lengthy article penned by a Dr Goldfaden. That is, until I came across Goldfaden Stem Cell Serum and the sweet aroma of life-giving fruit began to smell a bit fishy. Dr G’s article is very detailed and it goes so far as to give us the name of this rare species of tannin-rich apple: Uttwiler Spätlauber.
By now, I was on the alert. A Google search of Uttwiler Spätlauber threw up over 30o references and not one of them was botanical. In fact, they ALL refer to the invention of a new skincare ingredient. Uttwiler Spätlauber lives only in the imagination of Dr Goldfaden and the cosmetic industry.
Interestingly, searching on terms such as ‘vegetal stem cells’, ‘fruit’ stem cells or ‘apple stem cells’ is even less, ahem, fruitful. And, once more, references go back to cosmetics and a company called Emerge that supposedly invented a process for extracting stem cells from “rare Swiss apples” called PhytoCellTec.
The whole thing is hooey and has as about as much basis in reality as that other Swiss apple myth, the legend of William Tell.
Ingredients in Emerge Stem Cell Swiss Apple Serum ($120)
Purified Water, (PhytoCellTec™ Stem Cell) Malus Domestica, Glycerin, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol Collagen, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, (Matrixyl 3000), Squalane, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Propylene Glycol, Benzylalcohol, Dehydroacetic Acid.
Ingredients in Goldfaden Stem Cell Serum ($75)
Chondrus Crispus (Seaweed) Extract, Purified Water, Hyaluronic Acid, Malus Domestica Fruit Cell Culture, Xanthan Gum, Clycerin, Lecithin, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Red Tea Extract.
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But I thought you loved Image Skincare’s Ageless Total Anti-Aging Serum, which contains PhytocellTec as a key ingredient?
These are the Image ingredients: Water, aloe barbendensis leaf extract, lactic acid, glycolic acid, sodium hyaluronate, algae extract, artemesia vulgaris, polysorbate 20, hydroxyethylcellulose, phospholipids, cucumber, arnica montana, yeast (faex) extract, chamomile, grape seed, spearmint oil, eucalyptus leaf oil, disodium EDTA, malic acid.
No Phytocelltec as far as I can see.
Oh, strange. I was going off the uh, company website?
http://www.imageskincare.com/ageless_total_anti_aging_serum.html
?
Yes – you are completely right. I stand corrected and humbled.
Even on the DIY sites, PhytoCellTec is rather pricey. I haven’t purchased any yet. I can’t quite wrap my mind around this concept, and now reading your article, Marta, I’m relieved I haven’t. I can so often be hasty. ~jk
All aboard for the choo choo train to never never land. Stem Cell skin cream is one of the funniest
research results I’ve heard yet. Whenever a wonderful discovery occurs, leeches appear from dark recesses and pounce on it with nefarious plans for all kinds of scams. Stem Cell skin cream is selling right now for $19.99 as I write this. If “An apple a day can keep the doctor away”, surely an apple can keep the wrinkles away.
I had a look into this Swiss apple stem cells and came across the actual manufacturer (Chesham Labs) who the skincare companies purchase the ingredient from and there is a host of very impressive clincal tests and studies that back up the claims. I’m very impressed!
Well All I can say is that i use a 20% concentration of the Phytocelltec apple stem cell active. It is AMAZING!!! Nothing has ever compared to this. the Best age reversal active available we feel.
Actually, it’s Mibelle Biochemistry that makes the Phytocelltec ingredient. The whole thing really isn’t hooey.
http://www.mibellebiochemistry.com/pdfs/Plant_Stem_Cell_Extract_for_Longevity_of_Skin_and_Hair_SFW_05_08.pdf