The Science

It's also about a holistic view of health and well-being. Our formulations are based on an understanding of the way skin works and its relationship with overall health. One of our skin care regimens should be part of a healthy lifestyle supported by diet, exercise and contemplative practices to reconnect us with our natural rhythms. All of these factors have an effect on skin health and beauty, and all are a part of Anna's holistic approach.

Anna's Gone Chiral! After serious research one evening, I stumbled across a break through article... and a lab that supplies me with a chirally correct spin trap base that I hand blend into every product. This is a huge advancement for Anna's! This is the same lab that private labels for CosMedix, Sircuit, and maybe Kyra skin care. So don't be fooled with their hype, low active volumes, diluting water, parabens, and resulting high prices. Chirally Correct Luminessence-Luminess-LumiClear with Spin Trap These lines represent one of the best beauty gifts that has been given to women in decades - each product performing to exceptional standards within days - versus weeks, months or never! In the February 3/2000 edition of the Financial Post, a feature story on the aging baby boom market predicted that a new breed of cosmetics with pharmaceutical properties "will come to the market in five to ten years." That new breed of cosmetics is here now! The incredible effectiveness of Luminessence is based on the use of optically corrected organic compounds, and as such, Luminessence products are true cosmeceuticals - pharmacologically active products that blur the line between cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. This means Luminessence is years ahead of the mainstream market and effectively renders 99% of over the counter skin care products obsolete. Why must optical compounds be "corrected"? The science of optically corrected organic compounds is called Chirality, which is taken from kheir, the Greek word for "handed". In short, the science of chirality began with Louis Pasteur, who discovered that biologically active molecules often occur in two mirror-image forms called isomers or simply stated - hands. You could visualize these "hands" as �sides� whose only similarity is that they look alike. Although they are stereo images of and the chirally incorrect side is Dr.Jekyll. The process of unzipping or separating these two sides, is called "chiral resolution", and the end result is that the chirally correct side can be isolated and used in highly beneficial ways, and the dangerous rogue side discarded. When a compound has not been chirally corrected . . . . . . It can cause devastating side-effects in the human body, and the reason that pharmaceutical companies are spending upwards of $100 billion annually on both chiral research and the "chiral correction" of their drugs, is because they now know that many of the unfortunate side-effects of prescription drugs are caused by chiral incorrectness! Today, the FDA in the United States has mandated the "chiral correction" of the top 100 selling prescriptive drugs. Further, they will not approve any new drugs that are not chirally resolved. Human beings are both chirally sensitive and chirally pure . . . . . . And at this point in our human evolutionary history, the biochemistry of the human body is becoming increasingly chirally selective and chirally pure - partially due to environmental attack and toxin overload. Luminessence works because it actually addresses the chirally pure nature of the human body on a molecular level. Remember, "chiral incorrectness" and the use of petroleum byproducts are the two principal reasons that mainstream skin care really can't offer us any hope of delivering meaningful results. On the other hand, if an active ingredient is chirally correct - meaning it has the right optical activity so as to be recognized and "fit" the chemistry of the human body, it will do the job nature designed it to do. Welcome to the future of true anti-aging skin care, and all the future breakthroughs that chiral science can and will make possible! WHY Has Anna's Gone Chiral? Having had direct interfacing with the FDA in board room meetings at the medical device plant where I was QA supervisor, I knew the FDA works very slowly. If they mandated a ruling to the drug companies, with all their powerful lobbyists and connections, then we should take heed. I had first introduced PBN Spin Trap over two years ago but did not fully understand or realize it's impact on skin care formulas. When I read the article below, a light bulb lit up and it all clicked together: Article by Nigel Allan "...these brands which you are all discussing - Sircuit, CosMedix, and so on - are all made by the same company in Arizona - CoValence. Zed Labs is a front and not a manufacturer of these products. How do I know all this? I co-created the first chiral line in 1998 in partnership with the lab in Arizona who subsequently took my work and sold many of my ideas and concepts to other people after our partnership dissolved. They were entitled to since they owned the formulations, but the intellectual property of much of the writing was mine, although no one seems to care. Phrases like 'chirally correct' were coined entirely by me, Nigel Allan (I formerly marketed CoValence's products in 1993-94 via Enrich Intl under my brand name, aeon.) Anywhere you read phrases like 'pronounced ki-rul, from the greek word meaning hand' are my phraseology (I studied Greek at university). I first mentioned the idea of creating chirally correct cosmetics to Mike Bollman - formerly of Bollman Molecular aka CoValence - back in early 1997 and we set up a company together in Vancouver called Technoire Laboratories where I launched the 'Chiral' line via our own mlm company. Mike and Linda Bollman and I had a disagreement since he changed his mind and no longer wanted to sell via mlm, which caused me and my fledgling distributor base enormous problems. I then sold the products under a new name via Life Dynamics in Vancouver in 1999 and called them Isomer. Working there was Morag Currin, who now works for CoValence. The packaging with the holographic labeling was mine and it has been copied since ....the descriptions of chirality and ingredients on all these companies' websites are my words taken from my own writing for my distributor manuals...they have no right to use them. I can prove this since I have the original documents written in 1998...bottom line is despite their ridiculous claims to have created their own lines themselves the ingredients descriptions and nomenclature has the Bollman or CoValence 'fingerprints' all over them, much like DNA. CoValence are private people and don't like publicity so they used me initially and now they use Shan Albert of Zed Labs to appear to be the manufacturer. But they are all from the same stable. I no longer work with CoValence as you can gather but they do make very nice formulas,nevertheless as a creative person I resent people using my ideas and wording and concepts without giving proper credit which is why I have spoken up. I have moved on to other pastures in skin care now since the chiral story was never developed with the purity of my original vision. By the way Supernatural is also the same products. My friend Taylore Sinclaire started buying from CoValence after I parted company with them in 1999. I believe Taylore sold Supernatural to another company last year (Natural Health & Beauty Solutions). Bottom line, use your eyes and do not be taken in by marketing BS of a so-called doctor saying he created such and such. The ingredients and descriptions tell the whole story and you can tell where it was made. Now you have the facts and not urban myth." Nigel, we have not met. I learned so much from your articles, it was all my little esthetician mind could take in. Sorry you were caught up in the politics and the greed of the corporate world, it abounds. A huge thank you for your research which has made my little products so much better! Skincerely, Patricia

What is Chiral? It is the yin and yang of chirally-pure botanicals.

�Chiral� means that the left and right �spin� of a molecule fits the skin�s receptors precisely like a hand-in-glove for absolute absorption and penetration. Skin is the body�s largest organ and has millions of chiral receptors dictating these precise instructions.

If the product is not chirally pure, you are merely forcing the incorrect molecule into the skin where it will either be rejected because it is not recognized by the cell or it will link up improperly and will not give the best results. In extreme cases it may even cause adverse reactions.

Just as a left hand cannot fit into a right glove, a key will also not work without having the right shape of a specific lock. Chirality is the mirror image of molecules. Our philosophy reflects the natural harmony of chirally-pure botanicalstm ingredients with both Nature and the skin.



DMAE can have dramatic anti-aging effects on the skin. DMAE allows for face lift-like benefits as well as other long lasting anti-aging contributions when applied to the face or taken as a supplement.

To understand how DMAE is capable of delivering results, it is important to understand what causes skin to sag, and the science behind DMAE that allows it restore tone and tightness in our products.

DMAE occurs naturally in small amounts in the brain and is important in the process that creates the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from choline and acetyl coenzyme A. Acetylcholine was one of the earliest neurotransmitters discovered, and allows for the communication between nerves and muscles. This important chemical sends the message from the nerves to the muscles to allow them to contract.

Unfortunately, as the body ages, the effects and production of acetylcholine diminish. The effect this has on the muscles behind the face is that they begin to lose their tone, causing skin to appear to sag.

When DMAE is applied to the skin in a cream or treatment, DMAE can combat these signs of aging. This is because the acetylcholine that DMAE produces, works to increase muscle activity, thereby toning and strengthening the muscles behind the face.

We understand the power of DMAE and have included it as a key science in our anti-aging products. One example is the Luminessence line. This line not only includes DMAE, but alpha lipoic acid (ALA). ALA is a powerful antioxidant that protects skin at the cellular level from damage associated with free radicals. Because of this, ALA can help reduce wrinkles, fine lines, pore size, puffiness, and discoloration.

DMAE is not only face firming, but helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, simply by being added to the skin.



PLANT STEM CELLS - A New Ingredient Technology

Recent advances in the process of producing plant stem cell cultures has yielded a range of new ingredients for cosmetic (topical treatments for acne and anti-aging) and nutritional dietary applications. This new ingredient technology offers many benefits for product formulation and exceeds standard botanical extractions in terms of quality, purity and performance.

Plant Stem Cell Ingredients and Process:

* GMO-free.

* A sustainable eco-friendly technology which allows utilization of even the most rare plant species without harm.

* Provides superior purity and quality free of heavy metals, pesticides, aflatoxins and other environmental contaminants.

* Rare active antioxidants and other molecules of interest can now be standardized at high concentrations; cell lines can contain up to 1000 times the active molecule concentrations as compared to plants.

* Exclusive and custom stem cell lines can be developed to meet customer needs.

* Plant Stem Cell Ingredients are safety tested for both cosmetic and nutritional applications, these ingredients meet and exceed Certified Organic and Bio-Eco Cosmesis guidelines.


References
1. THE 2001 NOBEL PRIZE IN CHEMISTRY
2. UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF CHIRALITY
3. CHIRALITY IN LIFE


Thank you for visiting Anna Bellina!