Exosomes are one of the biggest trends in skin care as of late and have a big role to play in the future of regenerative medicine. Primarily utilized after in-office treatments like lasers and microneedling to accelerate skin healing and optimize results, they are also making their way into at-home products. A new exosome serum from the just-launched brand SickScience is targeting that little pocket of stubborn fat under the chin. Called ShapeShift V-Line Jaw Defining Serum ($58), it takes what we know about exosomes in skin care and flips it on its head.
Now the brand’s cofounders, Merve Yildirim-Canpolat, PhD and Polen Koçak-Denizci, PhD met in college more than 10 years ago in their first chemistry class. Both have backgrounds in genetics and bio-engineering, and PhDs in biotechnology. While working on research to cure a rare type of cancer, they discovered the power of exosomes. One thing led to another, and SickScience was born.
The Exosome Technology
“Exosomes are like communication tools for the cells, like the ‘youth messengers of cells, let’s say. We were conducting studies with exosomes from different sources, including human stem cells, and eventually we began working with plants,” says Dr. Koçak-Denizci. “After 10 years of research, we created NX35, our proprietary biomimetic exosome technology using plant-derived exosomes. We can now change the code of exosomes and we can change their target abilities. In a way, we now consider ourselves coders of this technology.”
SickScience created its own isolation technology to successfully isolate the exosomes from the plant cells. “We also created our own stabilization technique, which allows us to keep our exosomes stable for more than two years at room temperature. And for those who don’t know, exosomes are usually not stable at room temperature,” adds Dr. Koçak-Denizci.
How ShapeShift Serum Works
There are limitless applications for NX35, but the first SickScience product—a vegan gel-serum—is utilizing it for contouring. “What ShapeShift does is retarget lipid droplets without harming the fat cells,” explains Dr. Koçak-Denizci. “We’re targeting the excess fat storage under the chin and on other areas of the body. Normally products like this only increase firmness or elasticity with peptides or caffeine, but this product works at a molecular level and also has an effect on the actual fat. It is designed to make a more snatched jawline.”
“We tested hundreds of exosomes to find which one had the message for this application,” adds Dr. Yildirim-Canpolat. “It’s like we have this exosome library, and we know the lipid content and protein content of each one, and what it can do. The exosomes in this product are from pineapple stems.” Other benefits include a reduced appearance of wrinkles and crepiness, and increased hydration.
The jawline and under-chin areas are notoriously tough to treat with at-home products. However, this one claims to give visible results in as little as four weeks. “One bottle lasts about eight weeks if you use it twice a day, which is what our clinicals are based on,” says Dr. Yildirim-Canpolat. “Once you’re happy with your results, you can start using it once a day.” The formula is also free of fragrances, dyes and silicones. It is dermatologist-tested for skin safety, too.
The Clinical Studies
“We conducted clinical studies in Spain and Poland for eight weeks on 31 participants at a third-party verified testing facility,” says Dr. Koçak-Denizci. The majority of people—92 percent—experienced a reduction in fat under the chin. They also said their skin looked and felt more nourished. More than 90 percent also said their skin was smoother and there was an increase in firmness.
The brand also tested the product on the belly and the thighs, targeting fat reserves. “After eight weeks, there was up to a 5-centimeter decrease in the belly area, and a 2-centimeter decrease in the thigh area,” Dr. Koçak-Denizci adds.
