I have just received some samples of new Osmotics products, including some very interesting looking Blue Copper 5 ampoules, which I’ll be coming back to in a future post. But what caught my eye when looking at the new Osmotics neck cream Nécolleté ($63 in the TIA shop), Nécolleté (that’s one of those I wish I’d thought of that names), was that it has neck targeting anti-ager Essenskin. But it also has a prize winner – for longest, most unpronounceable ingredient I have ever seen (which is saying something).

Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate. See what I mean? I’ve seen dinosaurs with friendlier appellations. What on earth could it be?

It turns out to be a tripeptide that is also marketed under the simpler name of Syn-Hycan. Specifically, it is aimed at lifting sagging skin. The company that makes Syn-Hycan tested it on women women aged 56 to 65 years with loose skin on face and forearms and claims that it “induced a significant decrease in sagging in 74% of the subjects after 56 days of twice-daily use”.

It stimulates hyaluronan (HA) synthesis and expression of the proteoglycans, decorin and lumican. Hyaluronan (HA) plays an important role in the skin. This glucosaminoglycan (GAG) consists of a long sugar chain that can bind up to 1,000 times its weight in water. Decorin and lumican are two important proteoglycans of the dermis.

Lumican is a glycoprotein and seems to be very important for firming skin. Tests on mice without lumican display skin laxity and fragility. Decorin interacts with type I and type II collagens. This is speculation on my part, but Syn-Hycan may work in a similar way to tripeptide-10 citrulline, which  is supposed to mimic decorin so that the collagen fibers are fooled into thinking they should still be productive.

The fact that Essenskin is also in Nécolleté makes it even more interesting. I must say that Osmotics really tries to stay one step ahead in the formulating game. When I first came across Essenskin a few months ago I was frustrated to find that it was so new that almost no one was using. Now, here it is in Osmotics’ latest.

I had good results on my neck recently with Hydropeptide Power Lift and recently it has been thirstily drinking up SenZen’s very hydrating Infinity. But Nécolleté may prove to be just the thing that will keep me from where turtle necks this winter.

By the way, Osmotics helped us create our iPhone app and you can reach our app by clicking here (its free, fun and super useful).

Ingredients in Nécolleté

Purified Water, Cyclomethicone, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Squalane, Pentylene Glycol, Calcium Hydroxymethionine, 3-Aminopropane Sulfonic Acid, Polysorbate 20, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Protein, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate, Glycerin, Magnesium Chloride, Saccharide Isomerate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Dimethicone, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A), Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Disodium EDTA, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate, Carbomer, Tromethamine.