Delivery systems don’t deliver what they promise. That realization led Danyi Quan to transfer pharmaceutical techniques to the anti-aging category. Quan, who has a PhD in pharmaceutical science, began distinguishing herself in the field of skin care research while employed as a senior scientist at TheraTech (now part of Actavis), a leading company in advanced drug delivery systems. It was here, after being promoted to director of transdermal research that Quan began to experiment with transdermal drug delivery systems. Through this research she began to see how products on the market worked—or didn’t.
 

“From the polymer, to the ingredients, to the bonding, it was wrong,” she recalled.
 

Quan urged management to introduce a line of anti-aging patches. But when higher-ups declined, Quan began research on her own, creating formulas and products that ultimately led to the launch of AlureVé in January.
 

The AlureVé system promises to brighten, firm, hydrate and tone facial skin, because it reportedly increases the absorption rate of nutrients by as much as 55 times more than standard lotions, according to the company. AlureVé substantiates this claim with observable evidence produced through Quan’s specialized, pharmaceutical-level skin flux study, a study that she claims is too expensive and rigorous for most skin care companies. That incredible rate of absorption is made possible through a combination of a highly specialized delivery system, cold-process emulsification, and high-quality, natural ingredients.
 

Delivering Efficacy
 

According to Quan, the most important part of the AlureVé line is how science and engineering come together to create what she calls a time-released polymer matrix system. Instead of simply applying the product directly on the skin where some of the nutrients are absorbed through the pores and the rest blocked and evaporated, Quan has utilized a complex, liposome delivery system. This system allows the nutrients to be delivered precisely when and where the skin needs them, thereby displaying smart delivery.
 

“What happens is that when the polymer hits the stratum corneum, it feels if the skin is ‘thirsty’ or ‘hungry,’ this is from pressure,” described Kristen Knight, director of marketing, AlureVé.
 

The transdermal patch senses when skin is thirsty through a complex system of pressure sensitivity designed within the polymer matrix. When the polymer detects an area of the skin needing nourishment, it opens its bottom layer, allowing the actives to be delivered – via osmosis and the liposome system – through the polymer and down into the stratum corneum, which, according to Knight, is something no one else does. This process can happen as many times as it is designed for, during a pre-determined period of time. For the AlureVé line, the delivery system was designed as a timed release.
 

“She has created AlureVé with an eight-hour release mechanism in it,” stated Knight. “It infuses the epidermal layer through the stratum corneum, little by little, so as to ensure there is no toxicity – all night, every night. She [Quan] is one of the few people in the world who knows how to do a time-release system like this.”
 

Continuing, Dr. Quan stated, “For me to design an 8-hour patch is relatively easy, but it does not mean that other people know how to. You have a lot [to deal with] from methodology, formulation, how to load the drug, particle size, what kind(s) of polymer are best to enhance the time release, etc.”
 

As an added benefit, the transdermal delivery system minimizes what the pharmaceutical world refers to as “depletion,” the term given to represent the amount of nutrients that dissipate into the air and are wasted as a result of improper application.
 

A Cold Process
 

Cosmetic emulsions are usually accomplished through the simultaneous process of stirring and applying heat, an energy-intensive process. In contrast, cold processing is more expensive, but it is easier and requires no time for a cool-down phase. In addition, Quan asserts that cold processing also keeps ingredients active, effectively maximizing ingredient potency.
 

“Being in a pharmaceutical-based company, we always looked first at potency, then at efficacy…once heat is added, all the antioxidants, vitamins, and natural nutrition are significantly decreased,” she explained. “So, we designed this product for cold processing. All of our selected minerals and oils have a low melting-point.”
 

With the engineering of the cold process, it was critical to find binders with a melting point below that of skin, so that upon contact with the epidermis the binders can melt and release the ingredients within the emulsion. Coconut butter is one such binder that Quan employs to satisfy that requirement.
 

Despite the advantages of cold processing, Knight insists that very few manufacturers have really implemented this technique, essentially because most established skin care companies are simply unwilling to spend the time, energy, or money to re-tool, re-design, and re-test an entire formulation base and its accompanying manufacturing process.
 

Natural Selection
 

In determining which ingredients to include in her formulations, Quan spent a considerable amount of time researching ingredients that could accomplish the task of addressing anti-aging and be effectively emulsified through the cold process – a vital part of preserving ingredient potency and therefore, product efficacy.
 

As an additional layer of efficacy verification, Quan employs her patented, genomic test to affirm the effectiveness of specific ingredients. According to the AlureVé website, “[The genomic test] helps to measure the synergistic effect of ingredients on gene expression, revealing how formulas stimulate the behavior of young skin at the cellular level.”  
 

Quan is able to maintain product potency by including only FDA-registered, pharmaceutical-grade ingredients, which are all sourced from large US suppliers.
 

Manufacturing, filling and packaging all take place at the company’s facility in Draper, Utah, where Quan oversees every step of the process “to maintain the highest quality, safety, and purity standards,” she noted.
 

According to Quan, the only process that takes place outside the Draper facility is impregnating patches with the formula.
 

The line includes Day & Night Serum ($142/30mL), Invisipatch Night Cream ($109/15mL), and Targeted Treatment Patch ($144/8 pairs). All three products in the line feature micronized fresh water pearl powder, which reportedly promoteshuman skin superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity to help fight free radicals,e xtend cell life and repair and inhibit the synthesis of melanin. They also contain a proprietary complex of polyphenols and vitamins which are said to work synergistically to boost collagen fiber production, and nourish and soften dry skin. In addition, the AlureVé includes a blend of natural oils, as well as micronized retinyl palmitate oil. Quan holds more than 27 patents covering a variety of processes, technologies and delivery systems.
 

As AlureVé evaluates opportunities for global expansion, with an immediate eye on Asian and European markets, there is a strong interest in broadening the product lineup to not only include patches for different areas of the face and neck, as well as hands, but also to create entirely new corrective products (i.e., dark spot corrector, eye cream and day cream with SPF) and, potentially, even slightly less-corrective products (i.e., cleanser, toners and body lotions).
 

All products are available for purchase directly at AlureVé.com and through direct sales consultants. •