|
||||||||
  |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DNA skin cream: New science or scam?
(CNN) -- Is it the next generation of skin care science or an expensive con? Everything from ancient herbs to sheep placentas have been used to make skin creams -- now, it's DNA. Lab 21, with headquarters in New York, claims that by taking DNA samples from customers it can provide a personalized skin cream based on specific variations of five genes related to skin sensitivity and aging. Some dermatologists are calling it snake oil. "There is no one formula. Every formula is unique," said Charles Ryan, chief scientific officer with Lab 21. "It really depends on your individual skin as to what we put in. ... Unlike mass products that try to put in a single active ingredient and then try to sell it to everyone, we don't do that at Lab 21." The only way to get the formula is to visit one of their shops, open at 14 malls in seven states. After answering a 10-minute online questionnaire about their skin -- about ethnic origins, pore size, climate, hydration -- customers get the inside of their mouths swabbed for a DNA sample. The test and the sample are sent to a lab to be analyzed, with customized skin creams generated based on the results. The tub of cream even has your name on it. But the personal treatment comes with a hefty price tag: $250 for a 1.7 ounce jar of the DNA cream. "(It's) not that expensive when you consider what women shell out over time," Ryan said. But will the DNA cream really work? No way, according to several geneticists and dermatologists interviewed by CNN. Some even called it snake oil, misleading to consumers. "If they're (consumers) expecting that they're going to buy a product that's genetically programmed for their skin, this won't accomplish what they're hoping to accomplish," said Richard Myers, a human genetics professor at the Boston University School of Medicine.
Experts say knowing about genes doesn't mean a thing -- for example, doctors have known the genes for Huntington's disease and breast cancer for years, but haven't come up with cures to those diseases. "Simply studying a DNA sample when we don't know which genes are regulating skin care is science fiction," Myers added. The company said they're not surprised by the criticism. "We've only been on the market for about four weeks with the technology," Lab 21's Ryan said. "But in a very short time, ... people are going to better understand specifically what we're doing." President and CEO of Lab 21 Nathaniel Benson said the company has spent millions advancing skin care technology and has made significant progress. "We filed one patent, which, quite frankly, is the first patent filed in this field," he said. "And we are working on three others. And that is a very, very major accomplishment." There's also another issue looming over the company -- privacy. On the swabs the consultants take at the shops is a complete set of an individual's genetic information. A lab could tell whether or not a person had genes for all sorts of diseases. Lab 21 says they'll keep all genetic information private, and their Web site claims the genetic samples are destroyed immediately after the analysis is complete. Myers says this issue could have long-term consequences. "Who would have access to the DNA in the future? What if the company goes bankrupt? Would they actually sell the DNA commercially to someone else in order to make money?" Lab 21 promises not to do any of those things and says it identifies samples by bar code to keep confidentiality. But others are suspicious, wondering if modern science can really help find the fountain of youth. "This may be the future of skin care," Myers said. "but it is not the present of skin care."
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
