STAR-BULLETIN
A toned tummy can make you seem less fat, the logic goes.
Body fat is
the target of new
cosmoceutical formulas
They're not quite the miracles in a bottle that many longing-to-be-buff bodies are hoping for, but some new skin-sculpting serums do promise to target the appearance of fat.
Avon Solutions Cellu-Sculpt and Lab Series for Men's Ab Rescue Body Sculpting Gel are on the market in time for swimsuit season.
Both companies claim clinical tests show a reduction in at least the appearance of fat because of an improvement in the firmness and texture of the skin and a reduction of dimpling.
"The important part is reasonable expectations," says Rob Kalafsky, executive director of Avon's skin-care unit, overseeing global research and development.
"It's not a magic bullet so that you can eat all you want and not exercise but still look great. This is a product that helps treat a problem," he adds.
According to Avon, Cellu-Sculpt, which includes caffeine, gingko biloba and ginseng, will take up to an inch off the circumference of thighs if used regularly for four weeks. Cellu-Sculpt is said to work best on the thighs and buttocks because that's where a woman's skin is slack and has the most trouble supporting fat cells, Kalafsky says.
Ab Rescue, with an emphasis on the abdominal area, can offer up to 20 percent improvement in skin tightness, 24 percent improvement in skin's firmness, 36 percent improvement in skin's smoothness and 38 percent improvement in skin tone, the company says. The caveat, though, is that over the eight-week test period, those who used Ab Rescue also exercised regularly.
This formula uses caffeine, creatine, soybean protein and cholesterol-potassium sulfate among other ingredients.
Cellulite, Avon's Kalafsky explains, is the combination of the presence of fat and an abnormality in the way it packs. To create a slimmer appearance, fat production needs to be cut, and then the skin needs to be tightened and smoothed out so it won't sag.
Caffeine, a key ingredient in both products, stimulates skin cells. It has become a fairly common ingredient in skin-care formulas.
Increasing the activity of skin cells means an increase in production of collagen and elastin, which makes for firmer-looking skin, explains Matt Teri, vice president of corporate product innovation for Aramis, which owns the Lab Series brand.
Teri notes that creatine has been used for the past few years in the fitness industry as an internal supplement that helps muscles recover from the stress and strain of weight training, but a side effect of creatine is that it helps volumize skin cells.
If the foundation of skin is stronger and firmer, the fat cells are pushed away from the surface so what you see is toned skin, Teri says. Of course, he adds, it's even more attractive if under that skin are toned and sculpted muscles, which come from diet and physical activity.
Ab Rescue is designed specifically for men and the way men store fat, though Teri says women who have tried the product for three months have seen some positive results.
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Shiseido develops
slimming compounds
One of the better-known brands of cosmetics locally is Shiseido, which has its own theory of slimming compounds, called UCP, or the "Uncoupling Protein Theory," which it puts to use in its Body Creator Aromatic Gel.
STAR-BULLETIN
Shiseido's Body Creator Aromatic Gel sells for $50 at Macy's, Shirokiya and Sears.
Using "aromachological" technology, the company's researchers found that UCP burns neutral fat when activated by certain scents, such as those of grapefruit, pepper, fennel and tarragon. Neutral fat is the stuff that accumulates as adipose, or fat cells, which, according to the company's press materials, "causes a more rotund body shape."
The time to get rid of this fat is when it decomposes into free fatty acid that is burned off through activity such as exercise. If not burned off, the fatty acid is converted back into neutral fat again.
The researchers contend that the smell of certain scents stimulates the sympathetic nerve system to release noradrenaline, which, when combined with caffeine, burns neutral fat and free fatty acid without exercise.
In tests involving 100 women between ages 35 and 55 over a three-week period, 60 percent reported a slimming effect, 80 percent reported their cellulite was minimized and 91 percent noticed smoother skin.
The changes may be minute, but some people will do anything to avoid exercise. At the very least, you'll feel smooth and smell good and peppery. The product sells for $50 at Macy's, Shirokiya and Sears.
Star-Bulletin staff
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