Bottega Organica St. John’s Wort Soothing Lip Balm Highly Recommended by the Beautiful People of Whom You Know
It might have something to do with my OCD-germaphobe tendencies, but my first inclination isn’t normally to go for lip balm that’s in a tub, requiring that I use my finger to apply it. However, Bottega Organica’s St. John’s Wort Soothing lip balm is so fantastic it might change all that! As implied by the brand’s name, this product is made from organic ingredients. It glides on beautifully and was incredibly soothing on my lips in the dry, winter weather, wonderfully sealing them from the harshest winter elements and I expect it to carry me through the rest of the year successfully as well. The citrus scent is fresh and inviting, and the other ingredients, including St. John’s wort, apricot, olive oil and beeswax work their natural magic to moisten and sooth even the driest lips.
Bottega Organica’s product line is based on genetic research on aging and was created by a geneticist and physicians over dinner at, of course, an organic restaurant. This of course explains why their St. John’s Wort Soothing lip balm delivers on its promise of being especially designed for chapped lips. It is enriched with natural vitamins and soothing substances from apricots, St. John’s wort, and pure organic orange peel oil. Other great-for-your-lips ingredients include organic shea butter, beeswax and extra-virgin Ligurian (that’s Italian countryside) olive oil infused with medicinal herbs, fruits, flowers and organic essential oils. It applies easily, soaks in instantly to make your lips feel renewed. I found myself using it every time I came in from being outside and my lips stayed supple and moist, immune from the cold winter days outside.
Thanks to the unusually harsh winter we've faced this year, my lips have been constantly dry and chapped. However, Bottega Organica's St. John's Wort Soothing Lip Balm has completely healed them! Bottega Organica is dedicated to combining the research of renowned geneticist Dr. Andrea Alimonti with 100% natural anti-aging extracts derived from plants, resulting in a line of wonderful anti-aging products that you can truly feel good about putting on your skin! No harsh chemicals, dyes, or unpronounceable ingredients - just pure products, straight from nature. This lip balm, enriched with natural vitamins, as well as extracts from apricots and pure organic orange peel oil, in addition to the St. John's Wort, is truly remarkable. It feels extremely gentle going on and leaves lips feeling soft and nourished. It's truly been a lifesaver for me this winter, and I plan to keep it in my purse at all times going forward!
Nothing is worse than chapped lips and this winter seems to make them ten times worse. I've tried everything out there but nothing seems to really work. I was really amazed with how lovely Bottega Organica's St. John's Wort Soothing Lip Balm is. This powerful lip balm is healing, especially designed for chapped lips. It is enriched with vitamins and extracts from apricots, St. John's wort and pure organic orange peel. It lasts all day and really makes my lips feel fantastic.
There’s a base of fruit oil, beeswax and shea butter in this lip balm, and it seems to be a winning combination against those winter lips we all deal with. Infused with Citrus, apricot, sage, and St. John’s Wort, the Lip Balm by Bottega Organica is just as it claims: organic. With herbal extracts from their own farms, and under the watchful eye of a team of medical supervisors, Bottega Organica has developed a product line that will make you fall in love. The line is based on nature, directed by science in an effort to fight the good fight against aging. Ingredients are organic, in all purity, and combined in such a way that our skin cells react and are controlled by the herb and flower extracts that they use. In a luxury ambiance, with the optimum benefits from aromatherapy, their products deliver. The lip balm quenches, smooths, and repairs in a very short period of time. The imagination reels at the prospects, and you’ll want to discover their entire line, and process. If your lips can be this happy, imagine the rest of your face.
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While studying anti-tumor therapies, molecular geneticist Dr. Andrea Alimonti developed a screening method to detect the anti-aging properties of natural ingredients.
Dr. Alimonti screened thousands of natural substances for anti-aging properties and identified a handful of “Natural Inhibitors of Senescence” (NIS): natural substances with the potential of slowing the aging of human cells. Tested on human cell lines, these substances prolong cellular life and slow aging by inhibiting different types of cellular senescence and rejuvenate cells by regulating genes. The most active NIS is one of the over 900 species of sage: salvia haenkei.
In 2011, Dr. Alimonti and a group of doctors founded Bottega Organica™, to create a revolutionary line of 100% organic, all-natural skincare products with proven anti-aging activity.
Under the direction of Dr. Alimonti, optimal concentrations of powerful anti-aging medicinal plants (NIS) are blended with pure Ligurian olive oil, rich in anti-oxidants and natural vitamins. The same NIS, including powerful concentrates of salvia haenkei, are blended into proprietary formulas of non-oil based, hydro-soluble, vegan serums. These two natural vehicles, extra-virgin Ligurian olive oil and non-oil based serums, effectively deliver NIS activity (natural rejuvenating molecules) to the skin.
BOTTEGA ORGANICA MISSION STATEMENT: DESIGNED BY SCIENCE / MADE FROM NATURE
In keeping with a strong commitment to natural ingredients Bottega Organica tends to several hectares of fertile, uncontaminated land in the coastal regions of Liguria, Italy, where herbs and fruits with anti-aging properties grow wild and are harvested naturally, without pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
At Bottega Organica we use the purest and finest organic ingredients harvested from our own farm. Olives are cold pressed to create the base for our rejuvenating oils and we use steam extraction to obtain essential oils and flower waters from wild leaves such as lavender, sage and chamomile. Our research and development teams then creates unique anti-aging formulations which contain optimal concentrations of Natural Inhibitors of Senescence (NIS) blended into natural oils or rejuvenating organic and vegan serums for optimal delivery to the skin.
The doctors leading the Bottega Organica team believe that synthetic skin products carry health risks, are not planet friendly and do not offer the many advantages of fully botanical products, naturally rich in molecules with anti-aging activity.
While many skincare companies claim to offer natural products, the reality is that the milky base of creams and lotions contains plastic or, at best, an emulsion with synthetic ingredients and preservatives. Day after day, those preservatives and synthetic emulsifiers penetrate the skin, reach the bloodstream and spread throughout the body with potentially harmful effects. This is why Bottega Organica does not produce creams or lotions and relies instead on the simplicity and safety of pure olive oil, organic and vegan serums and spring water.
· All Bottega Organica products contain a blend of NIS, scientifically proven by Dr. Alimonti’s proprietary screening method to prolong the youthful appearance of human skin.
· Our products are free from synthetic fragrances, dyes, flavors or preservatives. Our products are 100% vegetarian and organic and we use no petroleum derivatives and no synthetic ingredients.
· We choose to limit the number of ingredients in our products, favoring science, effectiveness and natural purity. All listed ingredients are harvested in our Bottega Organica farm, or are certified organic from known growers or are natural components of organic essential oils. Always natural, never synthetic.
· Our products are designed to create customizable regimens in order to increase their efficacy.
· All Bottega Organica products are thoroughly tested under strict safety parameters, with no animal testing.
· All packaging is recyclable and made from 100% recycled paper with vegetable printing. Our store at 117 Christopher street in NYC, NY was built with 100% reclaimed wood, recycled and recyclable materials and vegetable based paint.
ABOUT DR. ALIMONTI
For the past decade, Dr. Alimonti has been recognized for his research, publications and lectures in the area of molecular oncology. He worked for several years at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NY and at Harvard Medical School in Boston. He currently serves as Director of Molecular Oncology at the Institute of Oncology Research in Bellinzona, Switzerland and is PD Professor in Oncology at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Dr. Alimonti published several pivotal papers about the mechanisms that regulate senescence*. His discoveries will lead innovation in anti-aging strategies and skincare for years to come.
Throughout his personal life and career, Dr. Alimonti had a strong commitment to a holistic approach to medicine and his partnership with Bottega Organica gave him the opportunity to use scientific knowledge to uncover the anti-aging powers of nature.
*CELLULAR SENESCENCE & AGING
Our cells are programmed by a “biological clock” that only allows a limited number of cell divisions. Cellular Senescence is the phenomenon where cells lose their ability to divide or replicate after about 50 cell divisions (also known as "replicative senescence" or the "Hayflick phenomenon"). Senescence cells become flat and stain positive (blue) for a typical marker of senescence known as SA-b-Galactosidase staining (Fig.1)1. Factors that can accelerate senescence include: radiation (photoaging), free radicals, metabolic stresses and oncogene (tumor causing) activation. Though they no longer replicate, senescent cells remain metabolically active and studies have shown that they can secrete substances that can cause aging in normal tissues2. Further studies have demonstrated that removing senescent cells provides resistance to age related diseases and decelerates tissue dysfunction3. This suggests that intervention that decreases the number of senescence cells in the skin or other tissues are effective in limiting the effects of aging.
CAUSES OF ACCELLERATED SENESCENCE
Radiation (photoaging)
Photoaging is aging of the skin (especially the skin of the face, ears, neck and hands) caused by over exposure to UVA and UVB rays. UVB rays can cause wrinkling by penetrating through the epidermal layer, increasing damage to elastin and collagen. Additionally, UVB rays are responsible for the formation of freckles, dark spots and precancerous lesions or skin cancer. UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin than UVB rays reaching the dermal layer and compromising the structural support of the skin. These rays can decrease the synthesis of collagen and elastin and can also lead to enlarged and damaged blood vessels often seen on the nose and cheeks.
Free radicals
Free radicals are highly unstable and chemically reactive molecules generated by exposure to UV rays, pollution, infrared radiation and lifestyle habits such as alcohol abuse and smoking. Inside the skin, free radicals damage cells, their DNA, and other vital cellular components. Over time, free radical damage leads to visible signs of accelerated skin aging, including fine lines, wrinkles, laxity, discoloration, and even skin cancer.
Metabolic stress
Metabolic stress such as high-calorie dietary intake, especially from highly processed foods of poor nutritional quality - empty calories - can increase the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are responsible for DNA damage. Studies have linked calorie restriction and sound dietary habits to reduced ROS and slower aging.
Oncogene activation
Oncogene mutation or over-expression and loss of tumor suppressor genes can trigger senescence in human cells.
“NATURAL INHIBITORS OF SENESCENSE” (NIS): HOW DO THEY WORK?
Natural inhibitors of senescence (NIS) are natural substances discovered by Dr. Alimonti and formulated according to patented technology (5) that have the potential to prevent human senescence. NIS can block different types of senescence, including the one known as replicative senescence, by slowing down the biological clock that defines the limited number of cell divisions. A decreased accumulation of senescence cells in tissue cultures has been shown to decrease the secretion of factors known to accelerate aging in normal cells. Figure 2 shows the effect of HAEN, one of the most powerful NIS identified by Dr. Alimonti, in blocking senescence. HAEN was originally discovered in a screening platform developed by Dr. Alimonti for the identification of pro-senescence compounds in Pten null cells with hyperactive PI3K/mTor pathway. These cells undergo a particular type of accelerated senescence known as PICS4. In contrasts to compounds that enhances senescence, HAEN was a strong inhibitor of senescence driven by Pten loss and was therefore chosen for its anti-aging activity. Cells treated with HAEN blended with natural oils and other anti-aging medicinal plants do not accumulate SA-b-Galattosidase (Fig. 2 right panel), which is a recognized marker of senescence. These cells remain younger for a longer period of time compared to control cells not exposed to NIS. Experiments done on human dermal fibroblasts, using passaging cells in cultures in the presence or absence of HAEN, demonstrated that untreated fibroblasts stop growing between passages 28-30. Cells, treated with HAEN however, continue to grow and duplicate. The number of senescent cells in culture also decreased by 50% when compared to control cells. These findings suggest that HAEN is an effective NIS that can slow down aging by counteracting replicative senescence.
Of note, treatment of cells with high concentration of HAEN for up to 3 months showed no sign of toxicity on human cells.
NIS are also effective in antagonizing accelerated senescence caused by UV irradiation. In these experiments, HAEN can block photoaging in human fibroblasts exposed to UVB radiations. The effect is already evident 24h after the irradiation of the cells as shown by the decreased percentage of SA-b-Galactosidase in cells treated with HAEN (Fig. 3). NIS can also change the gene expression profile of dermal fibroblasts (Fig.4). HAEN decreases the gene expression levels of IL1a in a three-dimensional model of reconstructed human skin. IL1 is the essential chemokine linked to skin inflammation. Moreover IL1 is essential in regulating paracrine senescence and experimental evidence demonstrates that cells lacking IL1 cannot enter in senescence when exposed to UV irradiation. Reduction of IL1 in the human skin protects it from inflammation and from the accumulation of free radicals. In conclusion, Dr. Alimonti’s proprietary formulas rich in NIS potentially counteract all contributors to accelerated senescence.
References
1. Nardella C, Clohessy JG, Alimonti A, Panodlfi PP. Pro-senescence therapy for cancer treatment. Nat Rev Cancer. 2011 Jun 24;11(7):503-11
2. Acosta JC, Banito A, et al. Complex secretory program orchestrated by the inflammasome controls paracrine senescence. Nat Cell Biol. 2013 Aug;15(8):978-90
3. Baker DJ, Wijshake T, Tchkonia T, et al. Clearance of p16Ink4a-positive senescent cells delays ageing-associated disorders. Nature. 2011 Nov 2;479(7372):232-6. doi: 10.1038/nature10600.
4. Alimonti A., Nardella C, et al. A novel type of cellular senescence that can be enhanced in mouse models and human tumor xenografts to suppress prostate tumorigenesis. J Clin Invest. 2010 Mar; 120 (3): 681-93.
5. Patent number: IT EP US BI4533R RM2013A000063 Inventor: Dr. Andrea Alimonti.
