Augustinus Bader: Detective Story
Today we will analyze a cream you asked for, find out if it is worth its money, and choose an alternative.
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So, this is cream from AUGUSTINUS BADER
Well, it was not an easy task. Sorry for being too geeky, but there was no other way here.
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What’s inside
You will see a very standard, good base of the cream, without silicone and mineral oils (eco-addicts or those who love more natural ingredients will enjoy it). This formula may moisturize the skin rather well. It’s a mixture of emollients and components that imitate our intercellular lipids — ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids. The product also contains panthenol, superoxide dismutase, and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8, which is a good addition to the base.
But still, that doesn’t explain the $ 299 price!😱 You can buy the whole routine for six months for this money (on Black Friday sales).
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This cream could easily be replaced by cream from Biossance, Paula, Cerave, etc., which moisturize the skin well
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But there is a “but” here
IL mentions TFC-8 🙄
This ingredient is labeled in violation of global ethical rules: any ingredient must be listed by the international name (INCI name) and not by the trade name (trade name often means a mixture of several ingredients). It is absolutely unclear what it is; Dr. BADER himself said that this is a patented complex of elements that are very beneficial to the skin. We are not satisfied with this explanation
Dr. Watson, we’re starting our investigation!
We searched through the patents registered by the AUGUSTINUS BADER brand and found information about testing a cream with tissue-protective peptide. It indicated the composition of TFC-8. In this mixture, we see an oligopeptide. It is some form of an EPO-like molecule.
The matter is that in our body, there is a very powerful substance — erythropoietin. It has exceptional skin regeneration properties (proven by research). But the side effects are serious, and therefore, it is not used externally. The goal of scientists is to find a substance similar to erythropoietin but without its side effects. It’s almost like retinol and bakuchiol, which is like retinol but without side effects. Based on the research indicated in this patent, oligopeptide (the active part of TFC-8) is apparently an EPO-like molecule that is not erythropoietin but can involve similar processes. They are the stimulation of regeneration processes, stimulation of collagen, normalization of melanin production, etc. (reduction of wrinkles, moisture, elasticity, smoothness, and even skin tone). Therefore, the manufacturer’s statements about this cream are so promising. And the price is the same as for products with growth factors. It looks like a puzzle is solved.
Our verdict is that even growth factors, like this peptide (TFC-8), are partly controversial and ambiguous. On the one hand, on the part of the manufacturer, such a price can be justified for using a rather rare ingredient. But on the part of the buyer, we are not sure if it can justify the price since there are other products, for example, based on retinoids (benchmark), which show excellent results. It has a perfect moisturizing base but a controversial ingredient, although interesting in our opinion. After all, bioengineering is the future of cosmetology. Of course, we do not dissuade you from using this cream, and we want to ask about your experience with this cream (brand).
Also, we found costing SH-POLYPEPTIDE-72 in the database, which is listed as a copy of Erythropoietin. We found this polypeptide in eyebrow and eyelash growth serum formulations (mixed with other growth factors).
