The skin care industry has seen its fair share of success stories over the past decade, with products from mass to prestige luring consumers with the promise of younger looking skin. Jules Zecchino has played a role in developing in quite a few of them, such as Elizabeth Arden’s Ceramide Capsules, Clinique’s Turnaround Cream and Estée Lauder’s Perfectionist, to name just a few.
 
Zecchino was the chief scientist and head of innovation and applied research at Estée Lauder for 18 years and he’s held roles at Avon and Elizabeth Arden too. In addition, he created products that Estée Lauder Inc. was awarded the MarieClaire Prix d’ Excellence—known as the Beauty Industry’s Oscar—not just once, but five years in a row.
 
Today, Zecchino leads the research team at Skyler Brand Ventures (SBV), a bioscience-based skin care incubator.  As chief technical officer at SBV, Zecchino has been left unfettered by the business, shareholder constraints and COGS (Cost of Goods) that can typically impact what happens in a corporate R&D department. 
 
The result is Erasa XEP-30, the flagship product of SBV’s new company BioMimetics Laboratories Inc. Company officials say it “exemplifies the power of biomimetics,” the development of synthetic materials that mimic the structure and function of naturally occurring substances for the purpose of solving complex human problems.
 
And while he may be biased, Zecchino considers Erasa XEP-30 “the most technically advanced anti-aging concentrate in the high-end professional product performance arena.” 
 
Fueling the formulation are three neuropeptides.
 
The first is XEP-30, which was developed exclusively or BioMimetic Laboratories Inc. with Activen SA, based in Switzerland. It is billed as more powerful version of the XEP-18, a synthetic biomimetic snail neurotoxin with the ability to relax expression lines.
 
Next is Argireline(acetyl hexapeptide-3) from Lipotec, which targets the same molecular pathway as Botox, resulting in gentle wrinkle relaxing effects. 
 
The final neuropeptide is Infinitec’s exclusive delivery system, X50 Myocept, which targets two synergistic peptides for additional activity. Zecchino told Happi it is new to cosmetic formulations.
 
Erasa XEP-30 also includes a proprietary whey protein which contains TGF-beta and other collagen-boosting growth factors that stimulate cell activity encouraging skin renewal and rejuvenation; niacinamide; 97% pure glabridin (an anti-inflammatory and skin lightening ingredient found in licorice root extract); and creatine, which provides energy to cells, promoting health and increased metabolism of cells, which in turn, assists in building more collagen. Proprietary polymers and microspheres even skin tone and reduce the appearance of wrinkles for a more immediate appearance benefit on the skin.
 
Another benefit?  It can cut the clutter in one’s skin care regimen.
 
According to Zecchino, Erasa XEP-30 has been created to deliver a total activity of anti-aging benefits that would normally require three or more products. Erasa XEP-30 diminishes fine lines, wrinkles, expression creases it provides firming, retexturing, dark spot reduction including under eye circles, redness and pore size reduction.
 
So could Erasa really be the next big thing in anti-aging skin care? As a scientist, Zecchino pointed to lab results as evidence.
 
According to SBV/BioMimetics Laboratories, in a 14-day trial conducted by AMA Laboartories, Erasa XEP-30 performed “with amazing results across multiple measures.” Independent testing reported, on average, a measurable 64% reduction in the appearance of wrinkles, with the top quartile seeing more than 90% reduction.
 
Specifically, clinical test results revealed crow’s feet wrinkle reduction of 74.28% after two weeks and front under eye wrinkle reduction of 65.10% after two weeks.
 
And as Paul Wahlgren, managing director of SBV, puts it, additional evidence is coming by way of unsolicited customer testimonials that have been flowing in since Erasa XEP-30 was quietly launched in mid-May. 
 
Currently, Erasa XEP-30 is being sold online at www.erasaskincare.com, but Wahlgren and Zecchino said they are exploring possible retail locations. The price point is currently $160.