Botox celebrities
Bright and incredibly relaxed. This is how Kate Middleton's face appeared in front of photographers' lenses just hours after giving birth to her second child. Her recently revealed secret is the same as that of other celebrities, such as Michelle Obama, Kim Kardashian, and Carla Bruni. It is a new cosmetic that mimics the action of botulinum, but uses a completely plant-based active ingredient.
The plant comes from the Amazon
"The product that smoothed the face of William's consort is a gel that contains a molecule derived from Acmella Oleracea, a plant native to the Amazon," explains Giulia Penazzi, cosmetologist and author of Come sono fatti i cosmetici (Edra). "This ingredient has a relaxing activity on the muscles that lie under the skin, and reduces the contractions that are at the origin of expression lines. Just a small amount is enough to achieve an action similar to that of Botox."
The effect is almost immediate
Studies on spilanthol, that is, the active ingredient that is extracted from Acmella, have shown its effectiveness both in vitro and directly on the skin, particularly on wrinkles around the eyes. The effect is almost immediate and lasts 8-9 hours, then the muscles resume contracting normally. Spilanthol also has a stimulating action on collagen fibers (they stretch and make the skin firm and tight) and on fibroblasts, which are the connective tissue cells that produce new elastic substances. Increased facial plumpness is usually noticed after 28 days of use.
It should be used every day
The gel should be used like a day cream: it is massaged in until completely absorbed, insisting especially in the areas where wrinkles appear with movements from the bottom to the top and from the center of the face outward. Today several formulas contain Acmella: it is easily identified in the list of ingredients (Acmella Oleracea extrat) but, for the concentration to be adequate and the lifting effect to be evident, it must be in the first half of the list. To try the product that launched the plant-based botulinum fad, just buy it online. It is called Biotulin and costs 49.90 euros for a 15 ml bottle (biotulin.com). Cheaper, compared to real botulin, but most importantly risk-free.
