Review - ZO Olluminate Intense Eye Repair
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enjoys freebies · Wed Sep 03, 2008 1:56 am Quote

This is one product in the ZO skincare line that has probably been overlooked and is an absolute gem. I just love this eye cream as it is not greasy, absorbs very easily and does not make the eyes puffy.
I have tried many eye products that claim to treat just about everything but did very little except make my eyes puffy because they were too heavy and after seeming to be ok for a few days, gradually your eyes just start to puff up because the skin can’t absorb the heavy ingredients.

The consistency is a thick cream texture which can be smoothed under the eye and on the crows feet and then it is best to just pat it in until absorbed. It will leave the eye area nourished but with a very natural feel. It also leaves the eyes looking quite luminous and has a good firming effect.
I have not used it long enough at this stage to know how effective it will be on crows feet, but I do think it is going to be a winner.
The best effect is that the longer I use it, the better my eyes seem to look in that they appear wide open, bright and firm.
It is not meant to be used on the upper eye area or eyelids, only under the eye and on the crows feet area which also suits me fine.

Ingredients:
Aqua (Water), Xanthum Gum, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Polydodecanamideaminium Triazadiphenylethenesulfonate, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Butylene Glycol, Glycosaminoglycans, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Hydrogenated Olive Oil Caprylyl Esters, Glycerin, Retinol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Lecithin, Lavandula Stoechas Extract, Palmitoyl Oligopeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Carbomer, Cetearyl Glucoside, Linoleic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Mica, Polyvinylalcohol Crosspolymer, Polysorbate 20, Sodium Hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexyl Glycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).

Rating 5/5 for quality

3/5 for price
3/5 for packaging as it comes in a jar and I would much prefer a pump container as they have done with the other products in the line.

enjoys freebies · Wed Sep 03, 2008 3:41 pm Quote

Great review I ordered the Overnight Recovery Cream and the Daily Power Defense to use on my NuDerm maintenance. This might be the next purchase

enjoys freebies · Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:16 pm Quote

This is great news....I have yet to find an eye cream that I think actually works, so I might have to give this a try.

enjoys freebies · Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:54 pm Quote

the second ingredient is xantham gum, which I think is the "active" which creates the tightening effect as it dries.

enjoys freebies · Thu Sep 04, 2008 3:17 am Quote

miranets wrote:

the second ingredient is xantham gum, which I think is the "active" which creates the tightening effect as it dries.

I think there may be more to it than just that one ingredient because usually products that have just one ingredient like that, the effect doesn't last. With this product, the firming effect lasts all day and improves day after day, the longer you use it.

enjoys freebies · Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:49 am Quote

Another product I have to try! Is there a reason why not to use it on the upper eye area?

enjoys freebies · Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:55 am Quote

bushy wrote:

...With this product, the firming effect lasts all day and improves day after day, the longer you use it.

Maybe it's from the peptides, which are also in Matrixyl 3000 (Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 and Palmitoyl Oligopeptide)?

enjoys freebies · Thu Sep 04, 2008 10:03 am Quote

I thought this was an interesting article on the ZO line...it really underscore's Dr. O's committment to the product line.

Here are a couple of interesting quotes:

Quote:

"What I want to do is launch an awareness campaign," he said, suggesting that women have made it easy for the skin-care industry to take advantage of them by inventing the phenomenon of "sensitive or delicate skin" that can only be addressed with "special" products.

"Scientifically, that's the most stupid thing ever said about skin," he said. "A baby's skin was made to tolerate everything, and no child or man has ever complained about sensitive skin, only women.

"Most women don't know their skin type, anything about their skin, so when they go and buy something, they're buying blind."

The self-treating often exacerbates problems by throwing the skin's natural balance of water, protein and lipids off-kilter.

"I could have started a consumer line 15 years ago, but there was not enough technology out there to help us. Nothing would be effective; nothing was going to work and I could not work on something I don't believe in."

His aim is for healthy skin with all the attributes of a baby's skin, in which all cells are active and producing elastin and collagen, which give it vitality. He said the skin cells start losing function at 25, and topical solutions thus far have only helped to make skin feel better, without addressing the underlying breakdown.

"Whatever you put on skin, if the cells are sleeping, it's not going to work," he said.

The secret of ZO is retinol -- a form of vitamin A that reawakens the skin cells -- in a 1 percent concentration, 10 times the industry standard. He said a minimum 0.7 percent concentration is needed to have an effect.

"Retinol is a problematic substance utilized very poorly in skin-care products because of its negative features," he said. "In high concentrations it causes irritation, burns, makes the skin turn red and itchy. It breaks down when you mix it with water or oil. It's difficult to formulate, which is why the industry started to use peptides, lipoic acid, Q10."

Obagi's research led him to encapsulate retinol in a way that makes it effective without adverse side effects.

"I didn't have to do this. I don't need the money, but this is a legacy line that I'm doing for the love of skin. I was a pathologist before I became a dermatologist. I've studied skin when it was alive, dead, cancerous, burned and I've always been amazed by how it's so capable of renewing itself.

"All great ideas come from a simple idea, but it takes observation, love and someone who would work hard to find answers."

http://starbulletin.com/2008/08/21/features/story02.html

enjoys freebies · Thu Sep 04, 2008 8:29 pm Quote

rileygirl wrote:

Another product I have to try! Is there a reason why not to use it on the upper eye area?

It says to only use it under the eye and on the crows feet at the side. It is quite thick to apply and can be easily smoothed under and at the side of the eye, then patted to finish. Because of the consistency, you could really only pat it on the upper eye area but I am always careful to stick to instructions regarding eye products. If it was ok and useful to put on the upper eye area then I am sure they would say so.
I have never had a need to put anything on my upper eye area. I don't have any wrinkles there or any other problems but then, I don't wear eye makeup which I believe causes most problems in the upper eye area.

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 1:01 am Quote

This sounds like a nice eye cream and I'm looking to try something with the peptides from Matrixyl 3000 in it, so I might give this one a shot. Also glad to see there's no "parfum" in the ingredients list, like there is in some of the other ZO skin care products.

I wish it could be used on upper eyelids/below the brow area! I need something to firm up and tighten that area, until I can afford a browlift/upper blepharoplasty. Wink

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 3:30 am Quote

if that's his "mission" i dont get why he would put something in there that is possibly cytotoxic to fibroblasts

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:37 am Quote

edenfield wrote:

if that's his "mission" i dont get why he would put something in there that is possibly cytotoxic to fibroblasts

What ingredient are you referring to, edenfield?

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:11 am Quote

good news! just curious why we can not apply on the upper eye area

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 11:30 am Quote

hx32, I asked that question above. See below.

bushy wrote:

rileygirl wrote:

Another product I have to try! Is there a reason why not to use it on the upper eye area?

It says to only use it under the eye and on the crows feet at the side. It is quite thick to apply and can be easily smoothed under and at the side of the eye, then patted to finish. Because of the consistency, you could really only pat it on the upper eye area but I am always careful to stick to instructions regarding eye products. If it was ok and useful to put on the upper eye area then I am sure they would say so.
I have never had a need to put anything on my upper eye area. I don't have any wrinkles there or any other problems but then, I don't wear eye makeup which I believe causes most problems in the upper eye area.

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 11:32 am Quote

Maybe it's the Lavender extract:

"Topically, lavender oil is cytotoxic. It increases photosensitivity as well. A study demonstrated that lavender oil is cytotoxic to human skin cells in vitro (endothelial cells and fibroblasts) at a concentration of 0.25%. Linalool, a component of lavender oil, reflected the activity of the whole oil, indicating that linalool may be the active component of lavender oil . The result of another study showed that aqueous extracts reduced mitotic index, but induced chromosome aberrations and mitotic aberrations in comparison with control, significantly. Aqueous extracts induced breaks, stickiness, pole deviations and micronuclei. Furthermore, these effects were related to extract concentrations."

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:05 pm Quote

Interesting, thanks Caboodle. I think a lot of products use lavender oil. Off the top of my head, I know that 302 uses lavender oil in some of their products.

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:15 pm Quote

caboodle wrote:

Maybe it's the Lavender extract:

"Topically, lavender oil is cytotoxic. It increases photosensitivity as well. A study demonstrated that lavender oil is cytotoxic to human skin cells in vitro (endothelial cells and fibroblasts) at a concentration of 0.25%. Linalool, a component of lavender oil, reflected the activity of the whole oil, indicating that linalool may be the active component of lavender oil . The result of another study showed that aqueous extracts reduced mitotic index, but induced chromosome aberrations and mitotic aberrations in comparison with control, significantly. Aqueous extracts induced breaks, stickiness, pole deviations and micronuclei. Furthermore, these effects were related to extract concentrations."

This is what 302 says about lavender oil (and yes, they do use it in their products)....I would assume that the concentration in high end products is at a level that provides the benefits and avoids the negatives. (but I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV....)

Quote:

Lavender Oil
An essential oil that has established its utility in numerous well-controlled studies as an analgesic agent (soothing effects) and stabilizer of over-reactive, under-performing skin.

http://www.302skincare.com/products_ingred_glos.html

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:08 pm Quote

"I would assume that the concentration in high end products is at a level that provides the benefits and avoids the negatives."

Yep. I see it in a lot of "natural" and "organic" products; hopefully the lavender extract is a miniscule amount; all I can find are scientific studies showing it damages fibroblasts, but that homeopathically it can 1) irritate skin or 2) be a mild antiseptic or anti-inflammatory. Any published studies combatting the fibroblast damage studies?

I like Rosemary extract better Smile

:

"Chronic UV exposure is responsible for long term clinical manifestations such as photoaging and photocancers. One of the major events involved in the development of skin photodamage is up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1). In this study, the effects of a water-soluble extract of Rosmarinus officinalis (Ro) on the expression of UV-induced MMP-1 were investigated. Using MMP-1 promoterreporter gene constructs, Ro extract was shown to inhibit UV-induced up-regulation of MMP-1 gene transcription. The anti-MMP-1 effect was confirmed at the protein level in dermal human fibroblasts exposed either to UVB, UVA or Solar Simulated Radiation. Zymographic analysis on casein and gelatin gels revealed that Ro extract more specifically targeted MMP-1 compared to MMP-2. Using a 3D-skin model exposed to Solar Simulated Radiation, anti-MMP-1 activity was confirmed together with a photoprotective effect at the morphological level. Finally the release of cytokines IL 1α and IL6 which participate in the up-regulation of MMP-1 induced by UV exposure could be prevented by the Ro extract. All together, from molecular to tissue level, these results illustrate the ability of the Ro water-soluble extract to inhibit UV-induced MMP-1 and its potential benefits in preventing cutaneous photodamage."

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 6:19 pm Quote

Maybe Donna from Zo can weigh in on why they use lavender. I'll PM her to stop by here.

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 6:47 pm Quote

(and I still plan to give the eye cream a try...)

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 7:06 pm Quote

caboodle wrote:

(and I still plan to give the eye cream a try...)

Me too...

enjoys freebies · Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:15 pm Quote

Thanks for your interest and dialogue. I have asked Justin Morgan, our VP of PRoduct Development, to address your questions and concerns about lavender oil.

As for the use of the eye cream on the upper lids, I assure you that it can be applied to the entire periorbital area without any problem. It's good to get that kind of feedback from you--thanks!

Donna Queen
President

enjoys freebies · Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:33 am Quote

bushy wrote:

...It also leaves the eyes looking quite luminous and has a good firming effect...they appear wide open, bright and firm.

Bushy do you think it's the mica in it that is making things seem luminous? I'm cautious as to how "reflective" tiny bits of mica can be, having a strong dislike of any sparkly or reflective stuff on my delicate and sometimes crepey undereye skin. Not that I think the mica would be sparkly, but do you know what I mean? Would you be so kind as to describe more what you mean by this leaving your eyes looking luminous and bright?

enjoys freebies · Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:05 pm Quote

The Lavandula Stoechas Extract is a component of an ingredient used in the Olluminate Intense Eye Repair from ZO Skin Health. The ingredient is a combination of Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride and Lavandula Stoechas Extract. As for its concentration, the Lavandula Stoechas Extract is a fraction of a percent which is significantly below the cytotoxicity level stated in the study.

The combination ingredient is a liposoluble extract with the following characteristics:

Lifting effect by blocking neuromuscular contractions

Tensor effect by increasing the expression of the proteins that bind keratocytes with each other

Strengthens the cutaneous barrier

With regard to lavender oil / essential oils and cytotoxicity it's very important to keep in mind that in-vitro cytotoxicity does not take into account absorption rate through intact stratum corneum.

I hope this helps.

Justin Morgan
Vice President - Development
ZO Skin Health, Inc.

enjoys freebies · Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:15 pm Quote

Justin, that helps tremendously...thanks!

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