Water & Akebia Quinata (Chocolate Vine) Stem Extract & Aphanizomenon Flos-aquae (Algae) Extract & Wine Extract & Lactobacillus Ferment Lysate & Saccharomyces Lysate
GentleGuard IQ is a comprehensive natural active ingredient that fights against pollution. It is designed to cover all aspects of a pollution protection strategy: the removal of deposited pollutants, repairing and restoring skin barrier function, and counteracting the damaging effects of pollution.
Skin is the largest organ of the human body, and any factor affecting skin health impacts the body as a whole. Air pollutants damage the skin by inducing oxidative stress through free radicals and metal ions. Pollution weakens the skin’s natural barrier resulting in higher and deeper penetration of pollutants, which, in turn, affects the integrity of skin structure. The damaged barrier also leads to higher trans-epidermal water loss, resulting in poor skin hydration affecting the rigidity and firmness of skin. GentleGuard IQ works to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier and improve hydration, and helps fight against pollution by chelating metal ions and preventing oxidative damage.
Bio-Hacked BCR™ is a proprietary fermentation technology combining biome-friendly probiotics, Lactobacillus plantarum and Saccharomyces boulardi, with prebiotic superfoods. The process yields a POSTBIOTIC broth brimming with micronutrients that are supportive to the environment of the skin microbiome. It is a clean and sustainable methodology that extracts a full spectrum of plant derived actives with enhanced bioavailability to boost efficacy and accelerate the onset of benefits to the skin.
The Bio-Hacked fermentation of this unique ingredient combination of akebia stem, blue algae, and wine extract delivers a multi-faceted approach to natural pollution protection.
Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) is among the most primitive life forms on Earth. In general, it contains a significant amount of lipids, vitamins (A, C, E, K, B1, B2, B6, choline, biotin, niacin, folic acid) and it is rich in essential amino acids. The capability of blue-green algae to survive in severe habitats has been related to its adaptive protective mechanisms. It has the ability to biosynthesize a variety of polysaccharides, many of which have been proven to possess skin-protective effects, such as preventing the degradation of essential components of the skin barrier and extracellular matrix.
The akebia fruit is also known as chocolate vine, due to the fragrance the flowers emit. Studies have reported that akebia fruit is rich in bioactive components that play a part in anti-melanogenesis, antioxidation and free radical scavenging. Studies done on akebia fruit using human dermal fibroblasts demonstrated antioxidant and anti-glycation activity, which protects the skin against oxidative stress and inhibits cellular aging.
Wine polyphenols exhibit strong antioxidant properties in comparison to low molecular weight phenolic compounds. Antioxidant properties of wine polyphenols can result from their free radical scavenging activity, but their ability to chelate transition metal ions, especially Fe(II) and Cu(II), are especially important in the fight against pollution.
