37 Extreme Actives for One-Step Skin Care

Neiman Marcus (both Mazza Gallerie and Tysons Galleria) provided me with generous samples of 37 Extreme Actives ($295), a skin-care line new to Neiman Marcus. I've had enough of the cream in my samples to test it day and night for the last two weeks, and I am unusually impressed.

Developed by Dr. Macrene Alexiades-Armenak, 37 Extreme Actives was designed to replace the cocktail of products many of us use on our skin every day. The technology behind the product allows a huge number and variety of proven anti-aging ingredients to be active and stable in a single cream. The list of ingredients convinced me to try it. Once I did, I found I loved it.

In a field crowded with anti-aging products, why did Dr. Alexiades-Armenak introduce another? As a scientist who both practices dermatology and conducts research, she realized how unmanageable and confusing it was becoming for people, with so many new active ingredients continually being developed, that you need to buy multiple products every month and layer them on in order to do the most for your skin (ouch - that sounds familiar). Patients would dump the department store counter onto her desk and beg, “Please tell me which of these is worth using and when!”

It was plainly obvious to Alexiades-Armenak that it was time to create a single product that contained all of the key ingredients that were proven to yield cosmetic results to the appearance of the skin in the most important aspects of anti-aging: antioxidant, anti-wrinkling, anti-discoloration (red and brown), DNA and cellular repair, boosting of appearance of skin thickness, and smoothing texture. The challenge was inventing a single product that contained all today's proven ingredients or actives in a way that micro-targeted each ingredient to its specified location in or layer of the skin.

She did that by creating a patented, comprehensive array of microscopic packets addressed to the locations in the skin where each ingredient is designed to work. She calls this “rational skin-care design.” The ingredients are active and stable together in a base that is friendly to all skin types and skin problems, coherently and intelligently designed to target every aspect of skin aging. She likes to say that 37 Extreme Actives "does the thinking for you!"

You simply need to apply a small amount morning and night after cleansing the skin. I found the white cream spread quite easily and left a nice feeling of protection on my skin. I learned pretty quickly after quickly spreading it over my lips that I don't like the taste, but then the doctor didn't design it to be ingested! I am a slap-dash treatment applicator; I can never use too much, so I spread liberally! I solved my taste issue by avoiding my mouth and applying the cream to the corners of my mouth without getting it on my lips. I don't want you to think that the taste if disgusting - it's not. It's just slightly medicinal.

Even though Dr. Alexiades-Armenak designed 37 Extreme Actives to replace your serum, moisturizer, and eye cream, I have not used it as an eye cream. It might be perfectly effective - and I'll probably try it - but my skin around my eyes is so sensitive I haven't jumped over that psychological hurdle just yet. I've been using it on my face and neck.

37 Extreme Actives is said to be safe for all skin types and effective for both sensitive skin and acne patients. I can personally testify to its non-irritating properties on sensitive skin. I can't give you any advice if you have acne. Try to get your hands on samples. Alexiades-Armenak made a concerted effort to include only USDA-certified, organically grown plant extracts, and the cream is paraben-free, propylene glycol-free, and fragrance-free. It was developed without animal ingredients or testing, and it's made in the United States with only U.S.-sourced ingredients (no potentially tainted Chinese ingredients!).

If you are looking for one product that comprehensively treats all the various categories of skin aging with the largest number and variety of potent actives proven to deliver results to the skin, you really need to get your hands on 37 Extreme Actives. The "One-Step Skin Care" works. I work hard to protect and nourish my skin, and it's quick to let me know if it doesn't like what I'm using on it - or if it starts to feel deprived of an ingredient in my usual cocktail. That hasn't happened.

Because I'm an ingredient junkie, I'm going to list all the active ingredients here. The list is impressive - the reason 37 Extreme Actives is unique. If you are an ingredient junkie like me, you are going to study this list. No one else has produced an all-in-one product like this, and I wonder if "more is more profitable" might be the reason.

DNA Defense
Acetyl Tyrosine
Proline
Adenosine Triphosphate
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (delivery)
Arabidopsis thaliana extract (roxisomes)

Cellular Restoration
Helianthus annus (sunflower) seed oil
Resveratrol
Adenosine Triphosphate
Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate
Arginine
Aspartic Acid
Glycine
Alanine
Serine
Valine
Proline
Threonine
Isoleucine
Histidine
Phenylalanine
Soy
Acetyl-Tyrosine

Anti-Brown Discoloration
Arginine
Aspartic Acid
Glycine
Alanine
Serine
Valine
Proline
Threonine
Isoleucine
Histidine
Phenylalanine
Ergothioneine
Soy
Acetyl-Tyrosine

Anti-Red Discoloration
Bisabolol
Coffea arabica (coffee) seed extract
Theobroma cacao (cocoa) extract
Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) leaf extract
Caffeine
Chrysanthemum parthenium (feverfew) extract
Soy

Anti-Wrinkle Appearance
Acetyl-Tetrapeptide-2
Resveratrol
Sodium Hyaluronate
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Tremella fuciformis (mushroom) extract
Helianthus annus (sunflower) extract

Antioxidants
Ferulic Acid
Resveratrol
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Tocopherol
Helianthus annus (sunflower) extract
Santalum album (sandalwood) extract
Phellodendron amurense (bark) extract
Hordeum distichon (barley) extract
Coffea arabica (coffee) seed extract
Theobroma cacao (cocoa) extract
Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) leaf extract

Collagen Building
Acetyl-Tetrapeptide-2
Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate
Sodium hyaluronate
Acetyl-Tyrosine

Skin Barrier Fortification
Dimethicone
Glycerin
Soy Lecithin
Sodium Lactate
Sodium PCA
Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate
Squalane
Helianthus annus (sunflower extract)

Damage Reversal
Tremella fuciformis (mushroom) polysaccharide
Resveratrol
Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) leaf extract
Ferulic Acid
Acetyl Tyrosine
Proline
Adenosine Triphosphate

Emollient/Moisturizers
Dimethicone
Glycerin
Trimethylolpropane tricaprylate/tricaprate
Helianthus annus (sunflower) extract
Soy Lecithin
Santalum album (sandalwood) extract
Hordeum distichon (barley) extract
Sodium PCA
Sodium lactate
Squalane

Anti-Rough Texture
Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide (mushroom extract)
Ferulic acid
Phillodendron amurense (bark) extract
Resveratrol
Coffea arabica (coffee) seed extract
Theobroma cacao (cocoa) extract
Ilex paraguariensis (yerba mate) leaf extract
Helianthus annus (sunflower) extract

An amazing list! While there are a few double-duty ingredients like dimethicone, the list of unique ingredients is long. Many of them are superstars in state-of-the-art skin care. 37 Extreme Actives is pricey, but if you add up the cost of all of the products you are using on your skin day and night, you might find that it's a bargain!

You can purchase 37 Extreme Actives from Neiman Marcus or directly from the DRmacrene Web site, where you will find videos and lots of information. If you live anywhere near DC, you'll have an opportunity to meet Dr. Macrene Alexiades-Armenak at Neiman Marcus at Mazza Gallerie on December 9. They are booking individual consultations from 2:00 to 5:00 pm! You can call to book one of those appointments at (202) 966-9700, extension 2411. I'd love to go, and I'm going to try to make it.

I've got to purchase my own jar of 37 Extreme Actives. My friends are going to get tired of giving me samples!

Photos courtesy of Dr. Macrene Alexiades-Armenak