 Strivectin and Strivectin-SD Review
The Fraud of Klein-Becker's Stretch Mark "Cure."
Source: Cosmetic's Cop Bulletin by Paula Begoun.
StriVectin-SD is the product that started the whole "better than Botox" craze.
It went from email spam and ads in Parade magazine to prominent shelf space in Nordstrom and Sephora.
Interestingly enough, StriVectin didn't start as an anti-wrinkle product.
Rather, its original claim to fame was for eliminating stretch marks. However, the only studies proving StriVectin's benefits for stretch marks were paid for by Klein-Becker, the company that distributes StriVectin. That's about as reliable as a Marlboro coming out with a study that says cigarettes are safe.
Though there is no way to be sure, it seems Klein-Becker simply decided that the market for a stretch mark product wasn't as lucrative as one for an anti-wrinkle product.
So the company modified their ads, stating they were surprised to find that not only was StriVectin-SD getting rid of women's stretch marks, but it also got rid of their facial wrinkles, and we now have the astounding "anti-wrinkle breakthrough of the decade."
Regrettably, they do not have to back up this claim with supportive research to sell this kind of hyperbole.
All any company has to do is claim their product will get rid of wrinkles and women will buy it in droves, as evidenced by the fact that StriVectin-SD has been the best-selling product in department stores since November 2003, with sales topping $30 million between January and June 2004
The con is on, and many consumers are buying it (literally and figuratively).
Perhaps the most enticing part of StriVectin's ads are the portions that read, "The active formula in StriVectin-SD has recently been shown in clinical trials to significantly reduce that category of fine lines and facial wrinkles that can add 10-15 years to your appearanceY´and even reduce the dark circles under your eyes ....without irritation, painful injections, or surgery."
Another statement reads "in fact, [StriVectin-SD] is the only topical formulation clinically proven to effectively confront every aspect of wrinkle reduction."
It is easy to debunk all of this overblown nonsense by pointing out the product's lack of sunscreen; perhaps StriVectin overlooked the voluminous research about sun exposure's deleterious, wrinkling, and discoloring effects on skin.
That omission alone puts their claims in the category of overstatement and nothing more.
The two studies quoted in StriVectin's ads were presented at the 20th World Congress of Dermatology, held in July 2002.
These papers examined the effects of the ingredient palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 (one of the ingredients in Strivectin, though they advertise this ingredient with the name Pal-KTTKS) and compared it to vitamin C and retinol.
Of course, according to them, palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 won. However, there is no published research substantiating the results, the studies were from the ingredient manufacturer, and StriVectin declined to send us any documentation.
Further, presenting a paper at a dermatology meeting is not the same as having your information published in a medical journal with strict protocol standards.
With lack of substantiated research but a strong desire to capture baby boomers' dollars, Klein-Becker has taken these claims and almost single-handedly created a market for "works like Botox" products.
StriVectin-SD is supposedly preferable because of its long-term results versus the short-term results (and repeated treatments) of Botox.
A Dr. Nathalie Chevreau is quoted in the ad, saying "the cumulative effects of using a product like StriVectin become more noticeable every day, and ultimately lasts longer than Botox."
Chevreau is hardly an impartial source-she works for Klein-Becker! Further, Dr. Chevreau is a licensed dietician in Utah, a fact that is conveniently left out of StriVectin's ad because it would conflict with her credibility as a medical doctor speaking about the legitimate benefits of an antiwrinkle cream.
If you are still wondering if there is any way possible that StriVectin-SD might somehow be better than Botox, the short answer is no-and that means no way, and no how.
It certainly isn't better than the daily use of an effective sunscreen! StriVectin is merely a moisturizer with some very good emollients, water-binding agents, antioxidants, and peptides.
Unfortunately, this product also contains peppermint oil, a problematic skin irritant. I suspect this was included to make the skin tingle (a sensitizing reaction) to create the impression that the product is "doing something" to the skin.
StriVectin-SD won't alter the wrinkling on any part of your face, in the long term or in the short term.
Riding on the success of StriVectin-SD, several cosmetic companies have created their own products claiming to be better than Botox or better than cosmetic corrective surgery.
Source: Cosmetic's Cop Bulletin by Paula Begoun.
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