"You Look Lovely in Chiral"
written by Christopher Beaumont & Casey Clair 2005
What's the first thing you think of when you hear about Enantiomers vs. Racemic molecules in Chiral Technology? Let me guess; Was it beautiful, healthy skin? No? Well, it should've been, because this thing called Chiral Technology is (forgive the pun) changing the face of skin care, as well as many other industries.
The word "Chiral" (rhymes with spiral) refers to a phenomenon discovered by Louis Pasteur back in the 1850's. While looking through a microscope, he observed that molecules were divided into two asymmetric sides that were mirror images of each other. Think of it like a pair of hands facing each other, mirror images that fit together perfectly. Pasteur chose the term "Chiral", from the Greek word "chir", which means hand. Chiral technology, or molecule separation (single Enantiomers), is what we are talking about here.
Now, if you're like me and you ditched chemistry class on a semi-regular basis, all this is getting a little thick. But hang with me, I promise I'm going to show you how all this Greek is going to give you healthier, happier, more beautiful skin, and clean your oven! .... just kidding about the oven.
All molecules are made up of two sides; there's a left side, referred to as the "L" side, and a right side, referred to as the "D" side. ("L" stands for left side and "D" stands for Deuterium, which is Greek for right.) Are you with me so far? Really?
Now here's where it gets interesting: the receptors in our bodies, whether they be skin cells or brain cells or heart cells, perform much, much better when they connect up with a specific, matching half of the molecule. We also know that our body receptors are selective (some are exclusively "L", others exclusively "D"). When an "L" body receptor connects with a "D" side of an ingredient molecule, bad things can potentially happen. Conversely, when an "L" body receptor connects with an "L" side of an ingredient molecule, it's a perfect match (or fit) and very good things happen, all the way down to the cellular level. The bottom line is, with the use of this "molecule separation" technology, you get the full benefit of the ingredient, and you have pretty much eliminated the potential for adverse reactions.
By separating the molecules and designing products that fit perfectly with the body cell receptors, the products are just more effective with better results. It really is just that simple.
Whether you know it or not, you're already making use of Chiral Technology every time you take a vitamin pill. The reason that your Vitamin E is listed as "D-Alpha Tocopheral" is because your body cell receptors connect to the "D" (right-handed) half of the Vitamin E molecule, which results in the full effectiveness of the Vitamin E. When it comes to Vitamin C, read the fine print and you'll see that it should always say "L-Ascorbic Acid" (the left-handed half), for exactly the same reason.
Some of the most remarkable advances in Chiral Technology have been developed by major pharmaceutical research facilities. The hugely popular and effective drugs, Lipitor, Zocor, Nexium, and Prilosec all utilize Chiral Technology. Because these drugs are Chirally Correct, you're getting a better response with fewer side effects. Not only that, the suggested dosages of Chirally Correct products will be lower. For instance, if it takes two ordinary (non-Chirally Correct, also known as "Racemic") Ibuprofen to alleviate a particular symptom; it will only take one Chirally Correct Ibuprofen tablet to produce the same result. Why? Because your body will absorb more of the medication if only the "proper" half of the molecule is being delivered. And you'll also be saving your body the wear and tear of processing the extra, non-essential half of the molecule. As a matter of fact, the FDA recently ruled that it will not approve any drug in the future unless it has been "Chirally Resolved".
So, what's all this got to do with the promise of beautiful, healthy, youthful skin? Everything.
When a skin care company makes use of this cutting edge technology and creates a line of Chirally Correct products, they're bringing you the very best combination of nature and science. One such company leading this revolution is SircuitŪ Cosmeceuticals. The term "Cosmeceuticals" refers to the marriage of cosmetics to pharmaceuticals. SircuitŪ Skin has developed an entire line of 100% natural pure product treatment and anti-aging products for skin and hair, containing no parabens, no extra added fillers, no artificial colors or fragrances, no animal testing, and all utilizing the very latest in this breakthrough Chiral Technology.
What this means is that you will be getting body friendly products that are perfectly matched to your skin's needs. They will be far more effective, and your skin will absorb them on a much deeper level. Also, you will be using far less of the product because Chiral Technology actually boosts the effectiveness of the ingredients. (Remember the Ibuprofen example?) Perhaps the greatest benefit of these products is that your body will not be asked to process the "wrong-handed", and potentially damaging, molecules. When you use a run-of-the-mill, over-the-counter (non-Chiral, "Racemic") skin care product, every molecule in that product contains both the "L" and "D" sides, or the whole molecule. The result is that you end up with a lot of unwanted, unusable molecules left over in your system, and not a very effective product. These "extra" molecule sides are the ones that can cause irritation, stress, and inflammation. Over a long period of time, they can even become toxic. This is one reason why so many people are allergic, or become allergic over time, to certain cosmetics and skin care products.
When you use Chirally Correct products, you're not only delivering the right "part" of these ingredients to your skin, you are ensuring that the wrong "parts" of these ingredients don't even get invited to the party.
Someday all skin care products will be made Chirally Correct; it just makes sense.
You'll be getting all of the good stuff, and none of the bad stuff. And isn't that the idea? Especially when we're talking about something as important as your skin! But you don't have to wait until "someday". There are a few, forward-thinking companies out there that are making use of these advances right now, today. If you look, you can find them. Once you do, and once you see and feel the difference, you'll never go back to your other skin care products again.
So, that's it. That's Chiral Technology in a nutshell. If I've saved even one face from the ravages of over-the-counter hell, then my time has been well spent.
Thank you. And -- class dismissed.
