Weird Science

I don't spend a lot of money on skin care. It's not because I'm cheap or don't think it's important but it's because I have fairly oily skin and the really expensive creams and exfoliants either make me break out or make me even more prone to shine than I already am (when I did that two day shoot with the Style Network a few years back we literally had to stop every 10-15 minutes so the make-up artist could powder me down). So I stick to the highly effective Neutrogena Deep Clean Gentle Scrub ($6) and Purpose oil-free moisturizer with SPF 15 ($9).

Which is why it's so surprising that I just shelled out $75 for an eye cream. No, my eyes aren't in bad shape. You can't see my crows feet unless I break into a Cheshire cat grin but I believe in preventative measures (which is why I won't leave the house without sunscreen and use moisturizer despite not having dry skin). So when someone told me about the virtues of Neocurtis Lumière I was interested. I was told it won't irritate your skin no matter how sensitive your skin might be (no little white bumps like some of the heavier eye creams). I was also told by a particularly passionate user that it will soften even the sharpest crows feet although what attracted me the most was the claim that it would reduce dark circles and puffiness (problems which I am occasionally plagued by).

So I went online to do some research and what I discovered tripped me out! Neocurtis (a San Francisco based company) imports this stuff from Switzerland where it was originally developed. They use something called PSP® or Processed Skin Cell Proteins. What that means is they developed this eye cream using fetal skin tissue.

My first thought was, "Wait a minute, we're having knock-down-drag-out debates over whether or not it's ethical to use stem cell research to find a cure for Parkinson's Disease but we can use fetal skin to develop eye cream? REALLY? But apparently the skin graft used to develop this cream was actually taken from a patient during a period of scarless wound healing. Scientists then used the cells in that skin sample to "harvest" more cells and now, from that one little bit of skin, they have created billions of skin cells that they're freezing and harvesting and...well distributing. In other words when you use this cream you're actually taking new skin cells and putting them on the old skin cells around your eyes.

It's weird. It's a little creepy and I just have to try it. My passion for the bizarre is just to intense for me to pass this up. Besides, new skin cells seems more natural than say, oh, I don't know, injecting toxins into your face. The product is very popular here in LA (of course) and those who use it never fail to rave about it. I don't know how well it will work on my skin but I promise to let you know after I've been using it for a few weeks.

Fetal skin cells...seriously trippy.

Kyra Davis
Bestselling Author of:
The Sophie Katz Murder Mystery Series,
and
SO MUCH FOR MY HAPPY ENDING
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