After two months of testing Bioeffect EGF Serum (from $220) I have come to the conclusion that is it one of the best serums yet. Right now, I don’t want to use anything else on my face. I wanted to take time before coming to a verdict for a number of reasons: the claims made for it seemed a bit too good to be true, the early results on my skin seemed a bit too good to be true; meanwhile the price was not, and so I wanted to make sure that a 0.5 oz bottle was really worth $210 (there is a 0.17 oz at $110).

Bioeffect is made in Iceland and is based mostly on one single active, a stem cell that is derived from barley. It is important to note that there are only nine ingredients in all – Bioeffect says that the efficacy of the barley stem cell can be compromised by too many or the wrong type of ingredients. It is a perfectly clear serum, very light weight and absorbs nicely.  After two months I am exactly half way through the 0.5 oz bottle that I was given to review.

Because the price point and, to some extent, the formula reminded me of E’shee’s serum, I decided to test them side by side on crow’s feet (with a little prodding from Junko). Within a couple of weeks, Bioeffect seemed to be every bit as good as the E’shee, but I was a little suspicious that I might be getting a superficial effect from the glycerin that is the main ingredient. If Bioeffect was really smoothing out wrinkles by repairing them, I needed to give longer.

A month in, I was convinced that the Bioeffect side was looking much smoother than when I’d started out. I even began to wonder if it was doing a better job. In fairness, it was hard to say because I was using Bioeffect on my left side, which is less wrinkled than my right (I tend to sleep on my right side and the skin is more creased as a result). So I decided to stop using the E’shee on the right and went with Bioeffect. After a week, the right side looked no worse and after two weeks, it even seemed to be slightly improved.

The results of my test lead me to believe that Bioeffect is every bit as good as E’shee and on the wrinkle smoothing front, possibly better. It is worth pointing out that E’shee is also good at reducing redness and broken capillaries, more so than Bioeffect.

Gradually, Bioeffect began to be my go-to serum for all my face (except eyelids and the immediate under eye area, where I am currently using YBF Correct). As my various other tests finished, Bioeffect took over as I liked the refreshed and smoother look that my skin was getting.

I’ve also been testing a similar product to Bioeffect, made here in the US by DNA EGF. It is based on the same Icelandic barley active. I’ve been testing it on my upper lip lines. So far, I haven’t seen much of an effect, but I only started three and half weeks ago and intend to give it a few weeks longer before coming to a view.

Yes, Bioeffect is expensive, but I know that I will buy a replacement in a couple of months when this runs out. From using E’shee, I’ve learned that these serums can be made to go a long way if used where they are most needed in a very targeted way. Bioeffect’s own research suggests that it keeps on working and the results are cumulative. That is certainly my experience after two months. Bioeffect is worthy of a place amongst stem cell based serums that really do seem to be effective (ReLuma, E’shee and Hydropeptide's Hydrostem+6).

At this point, I knew that I had to get Bioeffect for the TIA shop and I have to say working with the company, ORF Genetics, in Iceland (thanks to Gerdur for her good-humored efficiency!) to bring the serums over to the US has been a pleasure. So check them out.

P.S. We’ve recently learned 70-something Martha Stewart is also a fan.

Ingredients: Glycerine, sodium hyaluronate, tromethamine, alcohol (less than 0.9%), calcium chloride, sodium chloride, hordeum vulgare seed, EGF (transgenic barley SH-oligopeptide-1)