If you are the kind of person who keeps track of the vitamins and supplements being sold at your local shopping center (and if you shop at Skin Actives Scientific it’s a safe bet that you are), then you’re probably aware of branch chain amino acids or BCAAs as the workout crowd calls them.

These branch chain amino acids are taken orally, usually as some kind of powder mixed into a drink. They are very popular with the athletic crowd for their role in promoting protein synthesis. If you have spent much time at all in a gym over the past five years, someone has likely promoted their use to you.

But like so many supplements that are aggressively marketed to us for internal use, are there any benefits for us to consider for our skin?

For amino acids? Certainly! And that goes for topical application as well. 

Now let’s take a second and drill down into amino acids and what they can do for your skin.

Amino Acid For Skin

At Skin Actives we’re very skeptical about vitamins reaching your skin. Thus, when we see people taking oral supplements for skin, hair, whatever, we’re dubious. 

The branch chain aminos you see marketed at you in big grocery stores are designed for athletes. Branch chain aminos have chemical structures that may trigger protein synthesis. This is great if you are trying to build muscle! Because the process of building muscle causes innumerable microtears in the fibers that constitute a muscle in your body, stimulating protein synthesis can potentially lead to what gym fanatics refer to as “gains.”

That’s great for muscle. But what about the rest of your body?

We asked our Founder, Dr. Hannah Sivak, to explain: 

“What are amino acids? They are natural chemicals, twenty naturally occurring amino acids are commonly found in proteins. They all have common structural features as well as unique ones that give each amino acid its distinctive properties.”

Well, as it turns out amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. Protein makes up somewhere between 15 - 20% of the human body and there is protein present in every cell. 

As we know from previous blogs, cell health has a direct bearing on the state of our skin. As cells become dormant or die, we experience the signs of physical aging. Contributing to your cell health is a vital way of maintaining the health of your skin.

Back to Dr. Sivak:

“Why topical amino acids? Because it is very likely that your skin cells don’t have enough of one or more of them to make up the proteins your skin needs.

Do you worry about collagen elastin etc.? Then worry about your skin having enough amino acids to build these very complex proteins. If you are not that young, I promise you that your skin doesn’t get enough amino acids to synthesize proteins. Just one amino acid missing will be enough to stop the whole factory!”

If you’d like to hear more from Dr. Sivak, check out her personal skincare industry blog here. 

Skin Actives Amino Acid Booster

At Skin Actives we’re happy to provide an all-in-one supplement to your skincare routine to help make sure that your skin is not limited in its regenerative ability by a lack of amino acids. Our Amino Acid Booster has been specifically formulated to provide the amino acids you need in the amount that your skin can utilize and benefit from maximally. 

These amino acids have been selected with the express intention of rebuilding your skin, rather than muscle fibers like the ones designed for the gym, or really another other internal organ. To make the deal a little sweeter, Skin Actives amino acids are “L” amino acids so your body will be able to use them. 

Finally, our amino acids are vegan so that people with ethical lifestyles will still be able to benefit from their use. We recommend mixing a vial of our Amino Acid Booster into a 4 oz jar of our Canvas or European Cream. 

Pairs Well With Aminos

But why stop there? 

Skin Actives sells a wide variety of products that will pair well with an Amino Acid Cream you make for yourself. The activity of the amino acids will combine with the power of the actives in these products. 

European Base Cream - With its silky texture and wonderful emollience, European Base Cream is the perfect vehicle to get the benefits of our Amino Acid booster to your skin. Packaged in a convenient 4 oz Jar so you don’t have to measure, just mix in a vial of our amino acids and you’ll be ready to go in no time.

High Potency EGF Spray - Our entire Advanced Restoration line sets Skin Actives apart with innovation. Containing 10x the EGF present in our other great products, High Potency EGF Spray is amazing to push recovery after a sunburn or a treatment. But consider taking your skincare routine into the stratosphere by applying first High Potency Spray followed up with the power of an amino acid boosted cream?

Collagen Serum - Our classic Collagen Serum is designed to support collagen synthesis. The amino acids available in an Amino Acid Boosted Cream will provide the building blocks your skin needs so that lack of amino acids is not a limiting factor. Apply Collagen Serum in your serum step and then lock in with your amino acid cream for superior results.

So that about wraps up this issue of the Skin Actives blog. Stop by on Tuesdays and Fridays to find new content with the latest in skin care in mind. Skin Actives strives to bring you real-world, science-based features that will help make you your own skin health expert. We don’t believe in miracles, fads, or gimmicks. We believe in the hard science necessary to keep you looking and feeling your best, no matter what stage of life you are in, or where you are in your skincare journey.

Right now Skin Actives Amino Acid Boosters are buy-one-get-one-free with the promo code BOGOAMINO. Don’t let this offer pass you by, it vanishes at midnight, Thursday 03/24,

But before you leave, stop by and sign up for the Skin Actives Community, our loyalty program where you earn points when you buy. Community members earn great coupons that add up to unbelievable discounts, and we even offer a few special promotions each year that only members of our Community program can see.

Thanks for reading!