ZCreme vs. the Competition
July 27, 2009 by admin
Here’s a list of products to compare to ZCreme.
Caviar
Skin Caviar Crystalline Concentre La Prairie
La Prairie has an entire line of skincare that uses caviar, which the company says makes the skin more elastic and wrinkle-free. The Skin Caviar Crystalline Concentre contains a host of other unique ingredients, including extracts of a root (Anemarrhenae asphodeloides) grown only in Eastern Asia to smooth skin, and diamond dust, quartz and liquid crystals for luminosity.
La Prairie’s caviar is extracted from the roe of Baerii sturgeon, which is grown on aqua-farms in France. But you don’t want to eat it: The line uses the substance surrounding the roe (or egg) of the fish, not the roe itself.
Used on: Face
Retail price: $375 for 1 oz.
Cellular Cream Platinum Rare La Prairie
Platinum
“Negatively charged microscopic particles of pure platinum” maintain electric balance in the skin, says La Prairie, which protects against aging and free radicals. Their products also contain some ingredients (Ceramide 2 and Palmitoyl Oliopeptide) that stimulate “cell communication” and something called Hesperidin Smart Crystals protects the DNA repair mechanism in the cellular nucleus.
Celebrity fan: Nicollette Sheridan
Used on: Face
Retail price: $1,000 for 1.7 oz. or $650 1 oz. recessionista version
Coffee Plant, Caffeine
Revaleskin Replenishing Eye Therapy and Revale Intense Recovery Treatment Stiefel Laboratories
CoffeeBerry is made from the coffee plant (Coffea arabica), which is grown in tropical regions and harvested when sub-ripe, and is a super antioxidant that protects the skin from free radicals. Eye Therapy also contains caffeine, which is supposed to reduce puffiness around the eyes. Intense Recovery contains grape seed extract and green tea, which renews the skin and, you guessed it, protects against free radicals.
You can’t drink it: The CoffeeBerry extract is taken from the coffee berry, which is the coffee bean before it ripens.
Used on: Eyes, Face and Chest
Retail price: Eye Therapy is $80 for 0.5 oz.; Intense Recovery is $130 for 1 oz.
"M" Cream Ultimate Lift 3Lab
Bioengineered Growth Hormone, Stem cells from a Rare Swiss Apple
Nano-Claire GY is a patented bioengineered growth hormone for firming the skin, while PhytoCellTec Malus Domestica (the actual chemical name), is derived from the stem cells of a “rare” Uttweiler Spatlauber apple that grows only in Switzerland (there are only three trees left in existence in a rural part of Switzerland; 3Lab luckily doesn’t need the actual apple to produce the stem cells, the company can create them in a lab). This apple lasts about four months before browning, and its stem cells supposedly slow down the aging process.
Used on: Face
Retail price: $250 for 2 oz.
Mediterranean Algae, Pine Bark
Perfect Glow 3Lab
Astaxathin, which is derived from an algae which grows in the Mediterranean Sea surrounding Israel (this is the same algae that gives crabs its coral color), is an antioxidant that protects the skin from free radicals like sun, smoke and pollution; Pycnogenol is a pine bark extract that helps protect collagen and elastin, essential to skin’s youthful appearance, from breaking down. 3Lab says topical use of this product has only recently been available.
Used on: Face
Retail price: $95 for 1 oz.
Perfect Gold Serum Carita
Gold
This product contains three types of “gold”: mineral (24 carat gold powder of pure gold), vegetal (derived from the saffron spice) and biological (fermented in a lab). Gold, the company says, detoxifies, firms and revitalizes the skin, while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and returning flexibility to the skin.
Used on: Face
Retail price: $346 for 3.3 oz.
Gold, “Marshmallow” Plant Extract
23 Karat Intensive Eye Treatment Yum Gourmet Skincare
Micronized gold is for fighting off fine lines and wrinkles. Extract of marshmallow plant, which grows in marshy areas and has a long history as a medicinal plant, is used to soothe irritated skin.
You can’t roast it over a campfire: According to some sources, the spongy marshmallow candy, which has been around in one form or another since the mid-1800s, was once made from the sap of the marshmallow plant. But now the confection is made from sugar and syrup.
For the: Eye Zone
Retail: $52 for .5 oz.
Perfect Cream for Body Carita
Gold and Mother-of-Pearl
This product, containing real 24-carat gold particles combined with mother-of-pearl, diminishes redness, spots and veins while giving the skin an iridescent glow.
You can’t wear it: The gold particles are a millionth of a fraction of a gold carat.
For the: Body
Retail price: $290 for 1.7 oz.
Synthetic Snake Venom
UltraLuxe-9 Age Control Complex Sonya Dakar Skincare
The company’s “alternative to Botox” relaxes muscle contraction, mimicking how snake venom can paralyze the muscles of its prey. Syn-Ake, as the compound is called, is made from a synthetic tripeptide that copies the effect of a peptide found in the venom of the Temple Viper, found in the Snake Temple of Penang, Malaysia.
For the: Face and Neck
Retail: $185 for 1 oz.
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