O Cosmedics in-depth details

It is my greatest pleasure to bring you O Cosmedics, fast becoming Australia’s leading professional clinic-only skin care brand. O is a successful collaboration with leading scientists around the globe and local cosmetic chemists. Australian made and owned, O is based on decades of scientific research, clinical data and supporting papers. I left no room for error when creating O. Using the purest combination of medical grade ingredients, cosmetic science and our very own world exclusive V8 Peptide Complex™, O Cosmedics was designed with three things in mind: aging, biomimetic technology and the principles of Corneotherapy. O is precision skin care that works on the threshold of medicine to treat the five major causes of aging; Collagen Breakdown, Inflammation, Glycation, Photo Defence and Oxidation. Our goal is to retain or regain skin health and skin youth!
 

O talks to the cells via biomimetic technology that mimics the cell function and optimises its activity. Unlike "feel good, smell good" cosmetics with insignificant levels of active ingredients, O uses ingredients that have a perfect affinity with the skin. Used in their recommended doses they trigger cellular activity in order to change cell behaviour bringing them out of early retirement.

O’s Corneotherapy values set it ahead of the rest in the knowledge that the skin, the body’s largest organ, is treated with care making sure it is not over exfoliated and the skin integrity and skin barrier are respected at all times. O is chemical preservative free, void of any nasties and never tested on animals.
 

Three things can happen when you start using O:

1. Your skin loves it immediately and you become an O addict.
2. Your cells refute it. Your skin may flush, tingle and/or flake. Don’t panic, simply introduce the products slowly; this is a sign your cells are annoyed with you for making them "get back to work."
3. Your skin may look older – perfect! This means the underlying redundant cells have moved to the surface. Your Clinical Aesthetician can perform an enzyme peel that will reveal your new and amazing skin! The best part? 2 and 3 will ultimately bring you back to 1.

We are fortunate enough to live in a world of advanced technology and medical breakthroughs allowing us to age proof our skin and kick aging to the curb. Thank you for trusting Australia’s most sophisticated skin care brand – in return we give you confidence, healthy, youthful and radiant skin!
 

Yours in skin health,

Marie Enna-Cocciolone

Founder & CEO

The Movement

O Cosmedics stands for skin health, skin youth and skin confidence. We believe in feeling happy in your skin no matter what age or stage of your life you’re in. For us, the best and most rewarding part of doing what we do is seeing you in your happiest, healthiest skin possible and knowing that skin confidence helps empower you to be whoever and do whatever your heart desires.

We believe there is no better face for our brand than YOU. Real people. Real results. Real skin health transformations. That’s why we’ve made a pledge to never use professional models (though with an O Cosmedics skin routine you may not always be able to tell the difference), no heavy editing or filters. Just YOU and your beautiful, healthy skin.

To support this, we launched the O Cosmedics Confidence Movement on Facebook. It’s a community of O Cosmedics fans across the country who we offer opportunities to join us in creating genuine content with real people who understand, connect with and love what O Cosmedics stands for. We’re turning O Cosmedics users into models for a day so that together we can be the catalyst for change and give our brand the face it deserves – you. 

The Science

Party out front, business down the back
Rather than claim the Holy Grail on barely-there volumes we’ve formulated O with potent, concentrated active ingredients. O’s cosmedical approach uses the purest combination of medical grade ingredients and cosmetic science and blends it harmoniously with nature. O Cosmedics has the worldwide exclusive rights to the V8 Peptide Complex™ and no other company worldwide can use it! The complex is highly regarded among skincare professionals for forging the way in proven anti-aging results. Found in all O products (excluding the pure C + BHA powder) V8 Peptide Complex™ works behind the scenes on the essential cell structure to age proof your skin and accelerate healing and rejuvenation, giving you ultimate skin health and skin youth.
 

O is further powered by OLIVEM®1000-Crystal Skin a BIOMIMETIC restructuring agent. BIOMIMETIC is a fancy word for “mimics” hence O only uses cream bases that have the ability to mimic the structure of the skin barrier layers (technically referred to as the skin lamellar bi-layer lipids).  So what does this mean to you I hear you ask? Free of emulsifiers, the BIOMIMETIC nature of O creams and serums will ensure the skin’s barrier is healthy and strong, support optimal hydration levels hence is in a position to ease and prevent serious skin concerns, prevent irritation, inflammation and weakness as well as support the transportation of potent active ingredients into the deeper layers of the skin making it an anti-aging force.

But wait, there’s more!
O uses next generation, intelligent antioxidants that protect the cells from free radical damage. Micro Encapsulated Retinol O’s skin renewal weapon which assists the skins regeneration, renews skin tone, supports collagen production and diminishes the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Phytokine found to be more efficient than Vitamin A in collagen activation, boosts the skins repair mechanism; restores its protective barrier and dramatically reduces inflammation.  Cococin accelerates cell growth and MultiSal Salicylic Acid next generation BHA, which deposits high levels of salicylic acid into the skin to dramatically increase the moisture content at cellular level and the good news is it keeps working in the skin for two hours after application. It’s like drip-feeding your skin! Resveratrol, Niacinamide, mega doses of SNAP-8 and Hyaluronic Acid and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! (for a detailed list of ingredients please see our ingredients glossary).

And if that’s not enough O is Chiral (a purification process that identifies the most effective part of the ingredient molecular and is injected into O in its most pure and potent form), ORGANIC where possible and best of all contains no nasties, so NO Parabens, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrance or colour, no SLS, chemical fragrances and kept all animals out of the lab! Put simply, O corrects the passage of time and lays the foundation for timeless beauty. There are few who can lay claim and back that with irrefutable proof. We’ve taken the O range through its paces to make sure it stacks up to what you’d expect from a high performing product. Based on international research and clinical data there’s no room for error. O represents precision skin care. No surgery or needles, simply a daily commitment to feeding your skin with the very best in skin science.

The Cosmedical Difference

When choosing the right skin care solution it is important to understand what your ultimate goal is. In the past skincare has been more about relaxation than skin correction simply because technology was not as advanced or results driven as it is now. Actives focused on hydration and nourishment and not skin function and cellular optimisation. As a result of international innovation and medical contribution our choices are many hence understanding the different categories of skincare is integral.
 

Cosmetics

This is the category that most of us know and use when we don’t know any better. Cosmetics are normally luxe (price ranges from $5.00 - $500+ a product), they feel beautiful (because they are laden with silicone), smell great (because they have added fragrance and colour) and have a hint of active ingredients (so that they can make claims of being much more than they could ever truly honour). These products are packaged in gorgeous bottles and jars and are more often than not endorsed by a paid five star celebrity (that we know can’t be using the brand if he or she looks as amazing as they do). These products are sold over the counter because they are safe. They are safe because there isn’t much of anything in them and nothing can go wrong. Beautiful to use but no skin benefit here. Oh and beware of these brands many use high levels of silica, mineral oil, petroleum, parabens, SLS …just to name a few.
 

Cosmeceuticals

“Cosmeceuticals refers to the combination of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products with biologically active ingredients purporting to have medical or drug-like benefits. Dermatological research suggests that the bioactive ingredients used in cosmeceuticals have benefits beyond the traditional moisturizer…” So what we are hearing here is that unlike cosmetics that have insignificant levels of actives cosmeceuticals are the first category of skincare that can make a skin difference. Whilst they may look and feel like a cosmetic they tend to have the nasties removed (some better than others) and they use the right amount of active ingredients that can make a visible skin difference. Cosmeceutical treatments are indulgent and relaxing without compromising on results.
 

Cosmedics / Cosmedicals

Cosmedics is the acknowledgement of medical science and its entry into skin treatment as recent as only the last couple of years. Through medical research scientists have discovered, developed and engineered active ingredients, peptides and antioxidants that have the ability to retain and regain normal skin function and cell optimization.

Furthermore the discovery of biomimetic bases and peptides as well as the encapsulation of active ingredients ensures optimum delivery of these ingredients at cellular level. Cosmedics isn’t skincare rather skin medicine. Unlike cosmetics, cosmedics requires a skin expert to tailor a personal skin health prescription for every skin, this will ensure the skin has a chance to acclimatize to the actives and avoid sensitisation.
 

Cosmedics may cause visible responses in the skin all part and parcel of an “active” medical grade action. Cosmeceutical and Cosmedics have been developed to combat the five major causes of aging. Without an active approach these five causes and their domino effect would be left untreated and ultimately lead to deterioration of skin health, ultimately resulting in compromised skin function, cellular activity and visible aging.

The Causes Of Aging

Australian made and owned, O Cosmedics is a successful collaboration with leading scientists around the globe and local cosmetic chemists. O is based on the purest combination of medical grade ingredients, cosmetic science and our very own world exclusive V8 Peptide Complex™ and was designed on the threshold of medicine to treat the five major causes of aging:

1. Collagen breakdown

Represents 75% of the skin’s dry weight. The quantity and the quality play a major role in the skin’s appearance. Slowing down the breakdown and degradation of collagen fibres is vital to skin youth.

2. Photo Defence

Repeated exposure to ultraviolet light (UV radiation) from the sun accounts for almost 90% of symptoms of premature skin ageing, skin damage and skin cancer. The sun is carcinogenic and harmful to the skin. Just a few minutes of sun exposure each day over the years can cause noticeable changes to the skin. "Photo aging occurs over a period of years. With more and more exposure to the sun, something very significant happens. The skin never forgets, just like an elephant. And with each insult, it loses its ability to repair itself, and damage accumulates. Scientific studies have shown that repeated ultraviolet (UV) exposure breaks down collagen and impairs the synthesis of new collagen. The sun also attacks our elastin. Sun-weakened skin ceases to spring back much earlier than skin protected from UV rays. Skin also becomes loose, wrinkled, and leathery much earlier with unprotected exposure to sunlight." This process will also multiply and increase the size of wrinkles.

3. Oxidation

This process starts with free radicals which are highly reactive small molecules that can damage virtually any molecule in the body, including the important cellular structures found in the body’s largest organ – the skin. This kind of free radical damage leads to generation of even more free radicals which create havoc in every layer of the skin hypodermis, dermis and epidermis.  Our bodies have been built with internal antioxidants, but they are not enough to protect our skins from irreversible breakdown.

4. Inflammation

This is the skin’s first line of defence against foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Inflammation also initiates the tissue healing process and limits the damage to skin cells caused by everyday chemicals and pollutants. Whilst it is helpful in the short term, excessive (chronic) inflammation is one of the most common themes in early onset skin ageing. Subtle signs include skin sensitivity, redness and irritation. 

5. Glycation

Sad to say sugar does make you age faster. Glycation causes the skins proteins (like collagen and elastin) to lose their ability to function normally and is now well recognised and heavily implicated in accelerated skin ageing. Glycation occurs when excess bodily glucose molecules link to the skin’s collagen and elastin fibres. This cross linking can form chemical bridges between proteins. Glycated fibres can become rigid, less elastic and have reduced regenerative ability which can lead to damage such as laxity, cracking and thinning skin.

The Skin DNAtest

SkinDNA™ takes the guesswork out of skin care instead using science to identify the most suitable skin ingredients and treatment modalities based on your DNA.  At its core, SkinDNA™ uses the correct ingredients and treatment modalities to effectively target your genetic blueprint and ensure you never waste a single cent again on products or treatments that don’t work for you!

Performed exclusively by O Skin Experts, the revolutionary DNA laboratory test examines 16 genetic markers (SNPs) in 5 categories associated with skin aging:
1. Firmness + Elasticity: Identify if you are a carrier of key genetic variations associated with accelerated collagen loss even before the signs have become visible
2. Wrinkling: Not often discussed, Glycation affects collagen and elastin fibres glycation and is now well recognised as a leading cause of accelerated skin aging
3. Sun Damage + Pigmentation: The sun’s UV rays are one of the most significant causes of premature skin aging. An individual’s genes play an important role in determining how well their skin can naturally cope under the strains of the sun
4. Free Radical Damage: Scientists now believe that free radicals are causal factors in nearly ever known disease, from heart disease to arthritis, cancer to cataracts. In fact, free radicals are a main culprit in the aging process of the skin itself
5. Sensitivity + Inflammation: Excessive inflammation is one of the most common themes in early onset skin aging. While it is a helpful response in the short term, if inflammation continues, it can play a negative role. Often subtle, the signs include skin sensitivity, redness and irritation

The SkinDNA™ test takes just two minutes and three simple, easy steps to unlock your skin secrets:
1. Collect: A swab from the inside your cheek will be collected and sent to the accredited SkinDNA™ lab for analysis
2. Diagnose: Within 7 days you will receive a comprehensive SkinDNA™ Report, analysed and explained by your O Skin Expert, that ranks each genetic marker low, medium or high risk. From these results a customised skin health plan, combining product, supplements and modalities will be created
3. Prescribe: Using the results from the SkinDNA™ Test your O Skin Expert is able to confidentially recommend an appropriate routine to prevent and correct skin concerns and preserve a more youthful looking skin
 

With more than 15,000 DNA population wide samples from various groups stored entirely in-house, SkinDNA™ is leading the way in Dermal DNA Science. The collaboration of geneticists, cosmetic physicians, skin scientists and volunteer study participants commenced their work in 2006 with two principle objectives: (1) to identify the genetic factors that contribute to age-related changes in the skin; and (2) to identify actionable pathways available for each of those genetic factors in order to help each and every individual worldwide preserve a more youthful looking skin.

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Take a closer look at the SkinDNA™ Test Categories :

Firmness + Elasticity:  Keeping the skin firm, plump and wrinkle-free, collagen is the principle structural protein of the skin. Like many components of the body, collagen undergoes continuous turnover, being produced and recycled on an ongoing basis throughout your life. When you are younger your body makes more collagen than it loses, but after the age of about 40, collagen loss can accelerate leading to a decline in the health and appearance of your skin. Our genetic predispositions play a big role in determining both the speed of collagen production and breakdown. Key variations in this genetic category can identify if the rise and fall of collagen is in balance or if the breakdown of collagen predominates, which can result in the appearance of premature wrinkling, aging and sagging of the skin.

Glycation:  If you're like most people, then no one has ever told you about glycation. Affecting the ability of collagen and elastin fibres to function normally, glycation is now well recognised to be a leading cause of accelerated skin aging. Our genetic predispositions play a big role in determining serum glucose levels. Key variations in this genetic category play a key role in preventing glycation of your skin. It is responsible for controlling serum glucose levels, energy intake, and energy release. Having variations in this gene can alter your body's ability to maintain normal glucose levels and interfere with energy metabolism, both of which lead to glycation. Glucose is the sugar your body uses as its main source of fuel, if not metabolised properly, glucose can bind to your skin's collagen and elastin fibres, forming abnormal chemical bridges that cause tissue damage. This process, called glycation, causes your skin to become rigid and lose elasticity and impairs your skin's ability to regenerate, which leads to skin laxity, cracking, thinning, redness and inability to self-repair.

Sun Damage + Pigmentation: Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun accounts for 90% of the symptoms of early skin aging, skin damage and skin cancer. Every time your skin is exposed to UV light, skin damage occurs. The cumulative effect of repeated sun damage causes epidermal DNA damage, persistent inflammation, and oxidative stress negatively affecting the health and appearance of your skin. Our genetic predispositions play an important role in determining how your skin can naturally cope under the strains of the sun. The SkinDNA™ Test can reveal if your skin has a greater or lesser natural genetic solar protection factor (gSPF™), and based on your results can provide you with a unique, enhanced skin care protection strategy that is specially designed to provide the utmost protection for your skin based on your genes.

Free Radical Damage: Scientists now believe that free radicals are causal factors in nearly every known disease, from heart disease to arthritis, cancer to cataracts. In fact, free radicals are a major culprit in the aging process of the skin itself. Research at SkinDNA™ has shown that the amount of antioxidants in your body is directly proportional to the healthy long-term appearance of your skin! Free radicals are highly reactive short-lived molecules that can damage virtually any molecule in our body including the important cellular structures found in the body's largest organ, the skin. Not all people have the same amount of these powerful free radical scavengers. A number of skin related genetic variations have been found to alter the production of antioxidant protecting molecules and your SkinDNA™ score is the single most powerful indication of your body's genetic antioxidant abilities.

Sensitivity + Inflammation: Ever wondered why your skin becomes sensitive in the winter or why your skin breaks out in the heat? How about developing skin rash or rosacea after applying perfumes or skincare? Many of these redness and sensitivity issues are instigated by your bodies first primal defence, inflammation. Your genetic predispositions play a big role in determining the supply or the over-supply of inflammation production. Key variations tested in this category can identify numerous over-reactive inflammatory mechanisms that cause skin irritations.