Review MICOXAN Regenerating Cream 20 ml

What it is used for

Ingredients

Let us examine the most significant ingredients in order of quantity as stated on the label. Here is a brief summary for the sake of space. For the full text, studies and bibliography, just click on the ingredient and, if you want to go deeper, it is perhaps a little complex reading because these are scientific studies, but it clarifies the ingredient/health relationship.

The formulation is quite complex and uses 30 ingredients.

Glycerin.  Trivalent alcohol, hygroscopic. Glycerine is the trade name when the percentage of glycerol exceeds 95%, but the names are mostly used to identify the same product. Its purpose is to moisturise and soften the skin, preserving it from ageing or roughness.

Urea.  A component of the skin's natural moisturising factor, it plays an important role in preserving the moisture and integrity of the skin. It is used as an anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal agent. It also plays the role of a penetration enhancing agent in this cream.

Cetearyl Alcohol is a chemical compound used in cosmetics to give a creamy consistency. it can be used as a lubricant, emulsifier and thickener.

Glyceryl Stearate, polyethylene glycol ether, of vegetable origin. Anionic surfactant with an emulsifying function, i.e. a substance that tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved and acts as an emollient to formulate gelled lipid phases in order to improve colloidal stability. Emulsifiers also have the property of directly influencing the stability, sensory properties and surface tension of sunscreens by modulating their filmometric performance.

Allantoin  is a natural compound and an important metabolic intermediate in most living organisms, including bacteria, fungi, animals and in a genus of plants in the Dioscoreaceae family, called yam or yam. It is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.

Palmitic Acid is a saturated fatty acid, found predominantly in palm oil and is also present in the human body, fruit and animal fats. It acts as a cleansing agent, emollient and emulsifier in cosmetic personal care products. Emulsifiers have the property of reducing interfacial tension and also directly influence the stability, sensory properties and surface tension of sunscreens by modulating their filmometric performance. Emollients have the property of enhancing the skin barrier through a source of exogenous lipids that adhere to the skin, improving barrier properties and protecting against inflammation.

PEG-100 Stearate is a chemical compound, an ester of stearic acid and polyethylene glycol. It acts as an emollient, non-ionic dispersing emulsifier.

Sorbitan sesquioleate is a chemical compound obtained synthetically by the esterification of sorbitan (dehydrated sorbitol) with fatty acids. The fatty acids used to synthesise sorbitan esters generally include palmitic acid, lauric acid, oleic acid and stearic acid. Sorbitan esters are non-ionic lipophilic surfactants that are commonly used as emulsifiers and stabilisers in the formulation of cosmetic creams.

Glycolic Acid,   α-Hydroxyacid. α-Hydroxy acids are commonly used in creams and personal care products as anti-ageing substances and produce an improvement in epidermal and dermal structures.

Stearic Acid long-chain dietary saturated fatty acid, included in skin care products as a non-ionic emulsifier, solubiliser, and lubricant.

Salicylic Acid. Used in cosmetic formulations as a skin-conditioning agent, it also has the function of enhancing the percutaneous penetration of certain agents such as vitamin A and is a preservative agent commonly included in skin creams and other personal care products in order to inhibit the growth of microorganisms.

Arginine is an alpha-amino acid, one of the 8 essential amino acids in the human body. It is involved in protein synthesis and helps hormones maintain a healthy body and skin, and is involved in the biological processes of the immune, cardiovascular and growth systems. Studies on arginine in the medical sector concerning its use as a tissue regenerator have led personal care cosmetics companies to include arginine in many creams and various preparations with the function of tissue regeneration, rejuvenation, elasticity and skin defence.

Coco-caprylate,  ester with emollient function of C8-10 fatty acids linked to C12-18 fatty alcohols. 

Parfum ingredient with an inviting but cryptic name. I don't think even the manufacturers of this chemical compound know all its components. A fragrance. They may be natural products, but most are of chemical origin. No manufacturer declares which chemical compound is behind the cryptonym 'Parfum'.

Phenoxyethanol,   ether and aromatic alcohol produced by the reaction of phenol and ethylene oxide at high pressure and high temperature. This chemical compound is considered toxic to the epithelial cells of the Meibomian gland, which secretes the human tear film, the main source of lipids, through its ducts. It should therefore not be used around the eyes. So be warned to use this cream only on your nails and wash your hands well before touching your face.

Tocopheryl acetate is the chemical version of Tocopherol acetate. In cosmetics it acts as a humectant when vitamin E is applied to the skin, neutralising free radicals. An excellent component.

Carbomer, chemical compound derived from acrylic acid that is used as a stabiliser, thickener and emulsifier in cosmetic products.

Benzyl Alcohol is a natural aromatic alcohol used in cosmetics as a flavouring agent, solvent, preservative, viscosity decreasing agent and perfume fixative.

Ethylhexylglycerin is a multifunctional additive for cosmetics and is used as a strengthening agent in combination with Phenoxyethanol to achieve better protection against microbial growth. It is a recently recognised contact allergen, however, no severe contact allergy cases have been reported and it is within the average range of low-allergenic preservatives.

Triethanolamine, chemical intermediate for anionic and non-ionic surfactants, softening wetting agent and emulsifier. It is considered an allergen.

Anthemis nobilis flower oil. The oil used by Anthemis nobilis is derived from three components of this plant, the flower water, the flowers themselves, the flower extract and the flower powder. These four ingredients act as both fragrance and skin conditioning agents. Concentrations are generally around 10% in cosmetic formulations and no cases of toxicity, irritation or sensitisation have been reported so far.

Limonene is a flavouring terpene commonly used as a fragrance in cosmetics to pleasantly scent products containing it. It can be obtained from lemon, laurel, bergamot, kumquat, geranium and many other flowers. In cosmetic applications, as limonene is easily oxidised on contact with air, there is a risk of skin allergy. Reading many reviews concerning the cosmetics industry, limonene, like linalool, or linalool, are mentioned as dangerous components, but this is not the case. It is the oxidation of the product that can be potentially dangerous, as limonene, in cosmetics, is processed in a non-sterile manner and in contact with components that can accelerate the oxidative process. For this reason, it is one of the chemicals that can cause allergies and must be written on the label when its percentage exceeds a certain value. So always remember to close the cap of the cream after each use, precisely to avoid oxidation.

Citrus Lemon Fruit Oil is known for its antimicrobial and antioxidant activities as well as fragrance.

Dehydroacetic acid is a chemical compound which, although it appears on the European additives list, cannot be used in EU countries as a food additive because it has unknown effects on human health. This is a rather strange detail concerning food, while in cosmetics it is a preservative used to prevent the growth of bacteria and moulds and acts as a photosensitiser.

Disodium EDTA It acts as a chelating agent and pH regulator in cosmetic formulations. Chelating agents are known to be cytotoxic and weakly genotoxic, but not carcinogenic.

Benzyl salicylate, a rather innocuous fragrance, but which has been found in quantities in marine waters.

Citral.  It is a fragrance, a synthetic perfume that is added to cosmetics, detergents and other products both to perfume the product and to act as an antifungal agent. Citral is a safe and stable ingredient for the skin. 

Citronellol has shown good tolerability on the skin due to its low permeability and low skin penetration potential. It is added as a fragrance to liquid soaps, shampoos and other personal care products as a rose-scented cosmetic essence. As far as safety is concerned, the risk of sensitisation to this ingredient is possible, but very low.

Coumarin  At the bottom of the label, then in a very small quantity, another fragrance.

Conclusions

In this cream, whose purpose is to regenerate the nails, there are 5 ingredients which, in a cream aimed at improving the horny layer of the face. would be inadvisable. The nails have very different characteristics to the epidermis, so the risks that the 5 ingredients could represent are practically non-existent or of minimal value. It is only necessary to remember to massage the nails with latex gloves so that the cream does not get into the fingertips and, even more importantly, that no contact occurs between the cream and the areas of the face closest to the eyes. This is because of the rather aggressive action of Phenoxyethanol. So, excellent cream that will give the desired results, but must be handled with some precaution.