Bioavailability: Why Some Skincare Products Don’t Work for You.

Your Skincare’s ONLY Method for Efficacy.

Bioavailable, anyone?

Have you ever heard the term ‘bioavailability” when shopping for a new skincare product? Why should this term matter? Does it even matter at all?
According to PhaFix.com, “bioavailability is the degree to which a drug or other substance becomes available to the target tissue after administration”. This remains true when it comes to your cosmetic and skincare products as well.

Long story short, bioavailability determines how much your skin is actually absorbing the products you are laying on your skin (AKA, results versus nonn-results).

We sat down with b.glen Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Brian Keller for an in-depth and simplified discussion on bioavailability.

Dr. Keller, could you explain, in simple terms, what bioavailability means when it comes to skincare products?

Bioavailability is a term that refers to the amount of an ingredient that gets absorbed into and through the first layers of the skin to perform its intended activity. For example, if an ingredient is considered ‘bioavailable’ we can assume that some of the ingredient gets into and through the stratum corneum (the outer layers of the skin) and causes a biological change.

How long (if long at all), should someone wait to determine if the skincare product they are using is ineffective before discarding?

I usually recommend that a skincare product should be given at least a

30-day trial in order to assess whether, or not, it has produced some intended skin effect or change. Some products can produce a visible, positive change in 7 days while others not at all. If it is a reputable product brand give it at least 30 days.

b.glen’s proprietary solubilizer, QuSome is the foundation for the brand. How does QuSome impact/improve bioavailability?

One simple way to understand this is to say bioavailability=solubility. Another way to view this is to say that if an ingredient is not dissolved, either partially or completely, it is not bioavailable. In addition to being a great dissolving agent (ingredient) QuSomes encapsulate the ingredient and facilitate better bioavailability (penetration).

Does the dose of an active ingredient matter as much as the bioavailability of said ingredient(s)?

Solubility, and thus bioavailability, of an ingredient is the most important parameter for a cosmetic ingredient. Even if we were to increase the dose 10x, 20x or 30x, but the ingredient was not able to be dissolved it would not be effective.

On the other hand, if we can improve the bioavailability, like we can with QuSomes, the opposite is true, we can reduce the dose and get the same effect. This can be a big advantage with all ingredients in terms of costs, ease of formulation and manufacturing, particularly with ingredients that can cause unwanted reactions as the dose is increased.

We stand proud by our products, which have been clinically proven to be effective for all skin types with the enhancement of QuSome penetration technology.
Shop b.glen Skincare here.