Doctor D. Schwab's Advanced Peptide Technology and Alphasomes™ Nanotechnology Delivery System

Doctor D. Schwab skincare products use advanced proprietary Peptide Technology for superior product performance and Alphasomes™ Nanotechnology for targeted delivery of the active ingredients to where they matter most to your skin.

What is a Peptide?

Peptides are the cornerstones of a wide range of processes in the human body and occur naturally in every living cell. Peptides themselves are constructed from various combinations of the 22 unique amino acids (AAs) found in the body. Depending on the number of amino acids involved, these peptide structures go by different names: oligopeptides (2-20 AAs), peptides (fewer than 50 AAs), and proteins (50 or more AAs). With such a diverse set of structural combinations, peptides can serve as hormones, enzymes, and a variety of biological receptors and mediators, all crucial components for a healthy, functioning body.

Why Peptides in Skin Care?

Peptides play a key role in skin health and appearance. Everything from wound healing to skin regeneration and maintenance starts with peptides. Depending on their specific amino acid compositions, peptides can stimulate collagen synthesis, prevent inflammation, and regulate elastin and hyaluronic acid synthesis. Robust collagen production, inflammation reduction, and the maintenance of elastic, hydrated skin all correlate to a healthy and youthful appearance. Peptides have also been shown to interact with catecholamine, a natural neurotransmitter, to relax facial muscles and create smoother skin with reduced wrinkles. Try Doctor D. Schwab G.S. Ginkgosome to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and hide lines, while maintaining skin moisture.

What makes Doctor D. Schwab' peptides unique?

Doctor D. Schwab products utilize the most recent advances in peptide chemistry in the cosmetics industry. Their unique formulations employ bioactive peptides along with ultra-pure botanicals in critical combinations to synergistically promote skin healing and rejuvenation. These factors coupled with Doctor D. Schwab’s Alphasomes™ nanotechnology delivery system ensure maximum penetration of high-quality peptides for healthy, youthful skin.

As a follow up to our Skin Care Delivery Systems 101 blog post, we wanted to discuss our Alphasomes® Skin Care Delivery System more in depth.

Not long ago, skin care was as simple as soap, water, and sometimes, moisturizer. Today’s skin care involves effective, high-tech materials that not only cleanse skin, they also trap and hold moisture, clear skin, and reverse aging. However, the most effective materials become less effective if they can’t reach their intended target. The challenges of delivering these effective ingredients to the target area of the skin has led to skin care delivery systems which are a critical component in determining a product's effectiveness.

Alphasomes® Skin Care Delivery System Overview

Doctor D. Schwab’s Alphasomes® Complex created from Liposomes is an advanced soy-based Phospholipid delivery system that encapsulates active ingredients and enables them to reach the targeted cells for superior product performance. The development of this patent pending micro-emulsion skincare technology has led to the accurate and effective delivery of valuable active anti-aging ingredients that penetrate deep into the skin, releasing the ingredients where they can provide the most benefit.

Alphasomes® are from Natural Soy-Based Liposomes

Alphasomes® are created from Liposomes, which are tiny bubble-like structures made up of a lipid bilayer and are used to deliver effective ingredients at the cellular level. They are composed of naturally-derived phospholipids which mimic the properties of biological cells. These spherical structures are useful in skin care because they can encapsulate active ingredients and effectively deliver these active ingredients to the sites of action by fusing with the similarly structured biological cells.

The first patent application relating to Liposomes was applied for in 1974. By 1989, the excitement of this new technology caught on and there were more than 100 different Liposome cosmetic preparations on the market. Years of experience with these Liposomes led Doctor D. Schwab to create the next, more effective generation of Liposomes, initially introduced in 2004, called Alphasomes®. The heightened efficacy was made possible through the selection of compatible active ingredients.

Advantages of Encapsulation

40 years of research, formulation and manufacturing expertise has led to the refined selection of encapsulated active ingredients. Alphasomes® encapsulate active ingredients such as Apple and Grape Stem Cells, Peptides, Olive Extracts, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacin, Vitamins, Amino Acids, SOD (Super Oxide Dismutase), and stabilized Vitamin C.

One of the main advantages of encapsulating ingredients in the micro-emulsion delivery system is that there are many active ingredients, including plant extracts and vitamin that are difficult to stabilize. For example, there are some vitamins, such as Vitamin C, which are inherently unstable. Most cosmetics don’t feature stabilized Vitamin C, which then has a short shelf life since the efficacy of the Vitamin C degrades over time. However, when Vitamin C is encapsulated, it degrades more slowly since it isn’t exposed to oxygen. Such is the case with our stabilized Citrusome Vitamin C Night Time serum.

Created with Micro-Emulsion Technology for Advanced Delivery

Alphasomes® are created with a micro-emulsion technology which is a process that reduces the particle size of the key ingredients to the micron/sub-micron level. The drastic reduction in particle size allows the emulsion to spread in a thin, homogeneous layer across the skin therefore enabling these active ingredients to disperse evenly for advanced delivery and heightened results.

Time-Release Multi-Layer Delivers Active Ingredients Throughout the Day

The Alphasomes® also have a nest-like quality in that there are spheres within the spheres, which create a unique time-release system which releases active ingredients throughout the day as the layers of the delivery system dissolve. An example of this is Ginkgosome Day Time Serum which releases moisturizing ingredients throughout the day to keep skin hydrated and refreshed, significantly enhancing the moisture retaining capacity of the skin. We have found that this quality delivers a superior moisturizing action that can provide continuous moisturization around the clock with an effect that lasts at least 12 hours after the last application.

Makes Hard to Deliver Ingredients Possible

Besides enhancing penetration, Alphasomes® delivery system makes hard-to-use ingredients easier to formulate and deliver to the target area. Difficult to deliver active ingredients are numerous and include Peptides, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamins, Collagen and Essential Fatty Acids, all important ingredients to the Doctor D. Schwab product line.

How do you know if the active ingredients in your skin care are doing what they're supposed to? The best way for ingredients to reach their full efficacy is through a skin care delivery system.

You may not have realized that the ingredients in many skin care products sit on the surface of the skin and don’t penetrate past the surface of the skin. Why is it important for your skin care to penetrate past the surface of the skin? The top layer of the skin is typically comprised of dead skin cells which are ready to be sloughed away. Your skin care can’t do anything for you if it only reaches these surface cells – you want it to penetrate to reach the newer skin cells where it can affect change. How good is an ingredient or product really if it can’t reach the area it is intended to reach?

One of the unique aspects about the Doctor D. Schwab products is that they utilize a proprietary patent-pending skin care delivery system called Alphasomes®.

Here we break down the benefits of this delivery system and what it means to you.

Alphasomes® Skin Care Delivery System

1. Soy Based:

Doctor D. Schwab’s Alphasomes® Complex is a natural Phospholipid delivery system which is made of soy based hollow spheres.

2. Encapsulates Botanical Ingredients:

In the lab, these soy-based hollow spheres are created to hold specific active botanical ingredients, encapsulating different ingredients depending on the product.

Some of the active botanicals which are incorporated into our Alphasomes® include Apple and Grape Stem Cells, Peptides, Olive Extracts, Hyaluronic Acid, Niacin, Vitamins, Amino acids, SOD (Super Oxide Dismutase), and stabilized Vitamin C.

3. Stabilize Ingredients:

Many active ingredients are inherently unstable when exposed to oxygen, light or other pertinent conditions. Therefore, encapsulating these active botanicals is also important in preserving their efficacy to ensure they perform well over time.

4. Time-Release Multi-Layer:

An added bonus to our Alphasomes® is that the spheres have a nest-like quality in that there are spheres within the spheres, creating a time-release system so that the active ingredients are released throughout the day as the layers of the delivery system are revealed. An example of this is in our Ginkgosome Day Time Serum which releases moisturizing ingredients throughout the day to keep skin hydrated and refreshed.

5. Transports Ingredients to the Target Cells:

These spheres are created with a micro-emulsion technology to reduce the particle size of the molecules to enable them to get past the surface cells to reach the targeted cells, resulting in superior product performance.
All of these attributes result in younger looking skin because the active ingredients are able to penetrate into the skin to deliver the ingredients where they can affect change.

Top Selling Products with the Alphasomes® Skin Care Delivery System

Ginkgosome Day Time Serum
Citrusome Night Time Serum
Alphasomes® RC Rejuvenate and Correct Moisturizer
Eye Intensive Moist
Puff Away Eye Gel

Q: I've heard of ingredient sources that are either regrowable, reproductive, or synthetic. Can you shed some light on the differences between these?

A: It's a good question, as there is often confusion about these terms. They can all be considered natural ingredient sources, but are distinctively different. One way to describe regrowable ingredient sources is to say they are "life in suspension." For example, if you had seeds that were dormant in soil in an urn for a thousand years, you could add water and they would grow. If you add boiling water to the tea leaves forgotten in grandmother's cabinet for twenty years, the tea would still come alive with its healing, soothing, stimulating properties. Regrowable ingredients are found in many products you use every day. Ingredients derived from reproductive sources are drawn from non-alive sources such as oils, fats, or collagen recovered from animals. These appear in numerous common products. Synthetic ingredients are those created by humans through fermentation or other chemical processing alterations to natural products. Most sunscreens use synthetic ingredients. Although all three of these processes are natural since they derive, dead or alive, from nature, I believe our bodies are more attuned to accepting products from regrowable sources.

“Nature never dies. The natural ingredients have better benefits and no side effects.” Says Ursula Wagstaff.

Excerpts from an article originally published in Skin Deep, December/January 2007. Copyright 2007. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved. http://www.ascpskincare.com

We get the question frequently from people who haven’t yet tried the brand: “What is unique about the Doctor D. Schwab product line?”

What is Unique About the Doctor D. Schwab Product Line

In a nutshell: we have been researching natural ingredients over the past 25 years and have been creating natural products since before they were popular; all of our products continue to be made with pure, non-irritating, natural botanical ingredients, most of which are now certified organic. Not only do we use effective natural ingredients, we also incorporate the latest natural ingredients in our products such as plant stem cells. We take our Science + Nature stance one step further by creating our own peptides for the ultimate in purity and efficacy, as well as create our own soy-based skin care delivery system which encapsulates active ingredients and allows them to penetrate deep into the skin where it has the greatest effect. The result of all of this is organic products with salon quality results – products that are effective in reducing wrinkles, clearing blemished skin, and calming irritation.

Our Knowledge Based on Years of Research

Our scientists have researched the effects of sea extracts, plants, herbs and vitamins, utilizing the knowledge to create “one thousand different products from more than nine hundred ingredients.” The botanicals, herbal extracts, and natural vitamins provide exceptional results, improving skin health and appearance by revitalizing and regenerating. Powerful free radical exchangers enhance skin moisture and encourage the growth of new, healthy cells.

Certified Organic Ingredients

Our products feature Certified Organic ingredients along with natural peptides and vitamins. We are one of the few companies with a NOP certification to create organic products. Since we manufacture our own products, we can ensure the quality and efficacy.

Plant Stem Cell Technology

Many of our products (currently 14 and counting!) now contain breakthrough grape and apple plant stem cells. Grape Stem Cells, cultivated from the French Gamay Teinturier Freaux grape, and Apple Stem Cells, cultivated from the Swiss Uttwiler Spätlauber Apple, help to maintain and repair cells, protect against UV radiation, and slow and reverse the signs of aging. The extracts are all natural and the method of extracting them doesn’t harm the plants, which are rare varieties. Watch for further posts discussing this new technology!

Alphasomes® Skin Care Delivery System

Finally, one of the things that really makes our products unique is our natural soy-based Alphasomes® Complex, which is a Phospholipid based delivery system that encapsulates active ingredients and enables them to reach the deepest layers of the skin to affect change where it is needed.