What is it?
StriVectin-SD is a cream designed to eradicate stretch marks, but it's now being promoted especially as a wrinkle buster and the maker boasts that it's 'better than Botox'. US and European women reportedly lather it on from head to toe.
How did it morph into a face cream?
Supposedly, a relative of an employee accidentally applied the cream to her face (they get samples without instructions) and noticed an improvement in her skin texture. But manufacturer Klein-Becker says it always knew the cream had the potential to smooth crows feet and face wrinkles. Louis Rinaldi, managing director of product acquisitions, says trials were already being conducted before the story about the relative gained currency. 'The ingredients repair and replenish the molecules that make skin healthy and young.' Tests showed that the cream also thickened skin 1.6 times faster than retinol, without irritation or sun sensitivity.
What's so good about it?
The cream contains three botanical ingredients, Rinaldi says. One duplicates the natural amino acid found under the skin that promotes the production of collagen, a protein used by skin, tendon, bone, cartilage and connective tissue.
How popular is it?