I’m excited to announce a new product I’ve added to my offerings. It’s a lotion-like serum containing a Honey Bee “defensins” peptide.

This serum is:

• Antifungal
• Anti-Gram-positive bacteria
• Anti-Gram-negative bacteria
• Stimulates healing
• Stimulates secretion of MMP-9 by human kerotinacites

Honey Bee Defensin-1 is a keystone component for anti-aging skin and post-treatment repair.

You’ve undoubtedly heard of stem cells in connection with anti-aging skin care strategies. But many of us don’t know the process by which stem cells regenerate healthy skin or how stem cells already existing in the skin are stimulated to do so. So let’s take a deeper dive into the process.

When the skin is injured, the injured tissues undergo a multi-phase process from hemostasis to tissue remodeling. Defensins, a type of peptide, play a crucial role in the process. The injury stimulates the release of defensins, which triggers what is known as LGR6+ stem cells. These stem cells play a pivotal role in wound healing and may generate new fibroblast cells. Fibroblasts are specialized cells that produce collagen and other important structural components of the skin.

“After activation, LGR6+ stem cells physically migrate into the basal layer of the skin and create a new epidermis, and eventually, new, younger-acting skin,” according to Greg Keller, M.D., the author of “Clinical Data with Defensins,” presented at the Global Aesthetic Conference in Miami, Florida.

Defensins, like other peptides, are made up of chains of amino acids and have been touted as potential anti-aging ingredients for years. Many of the anti-aging products currently on the market contain peptides. The problem is that most peptides are too large to effectively penetrate the skin, rendering them useless as a topical ingredient.

Defensins, on the other hand, are small enough to slide down the hair follicle and into the skin, stimulating the LGR6+ stem cells, which create new keratinocytes within the epidermis of the skin. The result is a “fresh” layer of skin on the surface with fewer lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging.

Honey Bee Defensin-1 is available for private labeling alone or combined with Essential Growth Factor.