Nu Skin?s AgeLOC doesn?t just cover up signs and symptoms of aging, but claims to deal with the very root of aging itself
FROM CREAMS to pills to surgery, different products have promised the ?gift? of youth?or, at least, a more youthful appearance.

So when cosmetics company Nu Skin Enterprises recently released its own anti-aging brand, one has to ask: What else is new?

?We [at Nu Skin] have discovered the key that reveals the genes that directly affect the aging process,? said Dr. Joseph Chang, Nu Skin chief scientific officer. With that discovery came AgeLOC, an anti-aging formulation developed to target those specific genes??age-related SuperMarkers??and restore them to younger state.

In effect, AgeLOC doesn?t just cover up signs and symptoms of aging, but deals with the very root of aging itself.

?We have 25,000 genes, and we (Nu Skin) know exactly which ones we need to affect,? said Chang. ?Other brands may say they also deal with genes, but they don?t know exactly which ones.? The technology was developed in partnership with scientists from Stanford University.

AgeLOC comes in a four-piece Transformation Set: Gentle Cleanse and Tone wash, Future Serum, Radiant Day sunblock with SPF 22 and Transforming Night cream. The products were launched at the recent Nu Skin Southeast Asia Regional Convention in Singapore.

As a daily regimen, start with the cleanser-toner, followed by the Future Serum, and, finally, the sunblock for daytime, and the Transforming Night before going to bed.

But for those too busy (or lazy) to go through the daily ritual, Chang recommended using even just the Future Serum. ?That?s our most powerful product, because it has the most concentration of ingredients,? he said.

Eight benefits

In just seven days, said Chang, AgeLOC can bring about eight significant skin improvements: youthful skin structure (brought about by stimulated collagen production); smoother skin texture; more even skin tone; reduced appearance of fine lines and wrinkles; increased skin radiance; reduced discoloration; and increased hydration.

These benefits are credited to AgeLOC?s key ingredients: pea extract, bamboo extract and glucosamine, a powerful blend which targets fine lines and wrinkles and increases cellular turnover; hyaluronic acid, a compound naturally found in the skin, which binds and holds moisture to the skin; and equol, which improves cell renewal and reduces structure-damaging skin enzymes.

?Our ingredients are all-natural and have been proven safe,? said Chang. ?My priority when I develop a product is to always make sure it?s safe. I have a personal responsibility; I don?t just make products for strangers, I make products that I am willing to recommend to family and friends.?

Commitment to change

A direct-selling company, Nu Skin has been around since 1984, when it was founded in Provo, Utah, by college friends Blake Roney (Nu Skin?s chairman), Nedra Roney and Sadie Tillotson. The three then consulted legal issues with another friend, now Nu Skin vice chairman Steve Lund.

?Blake approached me about doing some free legal work in exchange for some worthless stock from their startup company,? said Lund. ?What he told me then and what has been the philosophy ever since of Nu Skin is that a brand is only as strong as its products.?

?What differentiates our company is that we are committed to change, so that when people use our products 10, 20, 25 years from now, they will know that they are using the most innovative and efficacious products available,? he added. Presently, Nu Skin products are being sold in 50 markets worldwide.

Aside from the Transformation Set, Nu Skin has upgraded its Galvanic Spa with AgeLOC technology. The spa kit comes with a handy, programmable Galvanic machine and facial gels infused with the AgeLOC formulation. The whole spa procedure?where one applies the gel and uses the machine to massage the product on one?s face?takes less than 15 minutes.

Plans of developing AgeLOC supplements are also underway. ?Now that we?ve developed AgeLOC which can help people feel young on the outside, we?d also like to create something that will help them feel young from the inside,? said Chang.