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beauty editor
Are “Beauty Electrolyte” Drinks Effective? I’ve seen an ad for Pique and I’m trying to find out if it’s BS
— Christine
Christine, you said you were trying to find out if I was BS. This sentiment warms my heart and inspires many The Cut readers who write with questions about the legitimacy of new trends such as skin makeup. Care effects, barbie botox, facial icing and more. Beauty supplements and drinks are, of course, nothing new. But does it make sense that electrolytes will improve your appearance?that teeth It’s new and misleading (discussed below). However, this beverage contains some other ingredients that may benefit your skin. Let’s take a closer look.
the drink you were talking about Picket B.T Fountainis a berry-flavored beverage that claims to visibly improve skin elasticity and reduce fine lines by “deeply” moisturizing and “supporting a youthful, dewy glow.” I didn’t realize the fountain in the product name was probably the Fountain of Youth until I typed this sentence. cute. But the first thing I do when evaluating new products with promised (or implied) skincare benefits is to ignore the catchy names. Then I ignore superlative descriptions and see if there are specific claims about the benefits of the product backed by strong scientific evidence. strong As you can see, it’s a keyword.
A closer look at the product Description page, the company does not claim that the electrolytes it contains (calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium) improve skin. It just says to hydrate.and certified dermatologist Elizabeth HoushmandThe MD says electrolytes are indeed important for hydration. “Electrolytes help our bodies maintain fluid balance and help keep skin healthy,” she says. “It may work better than water alone, especially if you’re severely dehydrated.” No need to. If you’re consuming enough water in food and drink to keep yourself hydrated (you can tell by the pale yellow color of your urine), replacing electrolytes won’t help. make you and your skin more hydrated –You wouldn’t want that either. Your body is trying to keep your balance. too much water or too many electrolytes It can lead to health problems like nausea, fatigue, and irregular heartbeat (all of which are worse than fine-lined skin).
Most of the beauty benefits suggested in this product description are due to its hyaluronic acid (“supports healthy glow”) and patented ceramide complex. The company cites clinical studies showing that the beverage’s ceramide complex was proven to improve skin elasticity by 26%, increase skin hydration by 21%, and reduce wrinkles by 18%. there is When I asked a representative of the company if I could see the clinical trial data referenced, I was told that it was from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted in “more than 30” (i.e. 31?) older women. A PDF summarizing the results was emailed to me. 50-60 people who took the ceramide complex for 56 days. The summary revealed that the measurable benefits cited by the company were not averages, but the best possible results (i.e., all participants taking the ceramide complex compared to placebo). Not that it improved skin elasticity by 26%, but at least one did!) ). The summary also provided additional information on how the various claims were measured (for example, an 18% reduction in wrinkles was depth participant’s wrinkles).
A clinical trial summary has been sent to Rajani Katta, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist who studies the relationship between diet and skin, said her first question when looking at data like this was, “If you see a subtle improvement, does it mean anything? Does it lead to something?” That’s a very good question. What if I told him that drinking this drink every day for 56 days would plump his skin to the extent that his wrinkles at the corners of his eyes went from 0.2 mm to 0.164 mm (18% reduction)? Does it look like that? will anyone notice?will do you news? I do not think so.
Katta also noted that the study was not stand-alone. This is believed to have been done by raw material suppliers that manufacture ceramide complexes in beverages. “I want to tell my patients to think of these things like brand new restaurants. There aren’t many reviews out there yet, but the ones I get are from friends and family,” she said. says. “What you really want is someone who isn’t being paid by the restaurant — a review from Slash Company — a completely independent third party to give you an unbiased opinion.” There are few independent studies demonstrating the skin benefits of ingestible ceramides or ingestible hyaluronic acid.
“Both of these ingredients go through a digestive process when ingested. Once digested, are they actually released and taken up by skin cells to be used? Could it be signaling skin cells to produce hyaluronic acid?” According to Katta, studies in small animals and labs suggesting the ingredient could act that way when ingested. There are some studies, but they are not substantive studies.
Does that mean that this drink and other beauty supplements and drinks containing electrolytes, ceramide complexes and hyaluronic acid are completely BS? not exactly. Perhaps time and more research will prove that these ingredients can repair a dry, wrinkled face as quickly as vitamin C can cure scurvy.But for now I can say for certain that they May Improves skin Then decide if the best possible results (slightly more hydrated, slightly more elastic, and slightly less wrinkle depth) are worth the cost of the product ($68 for 28 servings). is needed.
If that sounds like a good value to you, go ahead and add it to your cart. But if I were you, I would also add hyaluronic acid serums and ceramide moisturizers to my cart. “Topical ceramides improve skin barrier function and skin hydration, while topically applied hyaluronic acid helps absorb water and plump the skin,” says Katta. “There’s definitely a lot of research being done on that.”
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