As many of you have already noticed, Pea Extract has become a very popular skincare ingredient. But you are probably wondering, as many of  my patients have inquired, what exactly does this extract do for the skin.

First of all, it is important to know that the concentration of Pea Extract, as well as what part of the Pea Plant was used (i.e. Pea, Roots, Stem), yields a different effect on the skin. The majority of skincare products on the market today that contain Pea Extract, or pisum sativum extract, generally use a very low percentage to act as an added all-natural emollient. This provides a nice botanical moisturizer to the product. However, a new, highly advanced patented process puts the use as a moisturizer to shame. The pisum sativum extract found in the kaplanMD Perfecting Serum (its patented brand name is Extraliss) is derived from the pea plant’s roots and embryonic stem. What is derived from these parts is a type of protein, or extensin protein. The exciting thing about extensin protein is that it is plant-based, but has a similar composition to collagen. And collagen (one of the 3 main components of our skin and regulated by Estrogen) is responsible for giving our skin its strength and structure. In the course of skin aging, the polypeptide chains of collagen polymerize, or bind together. The result is “cross linking”, which causes wrinkling of the skin as well as reduction in skin elasticity. So basically, as our skin ages, it loses collagen, which results in thinning skin, wrinkling, loss of elasticity and firmness. As a result, ‘replacing’ this collagen, is an ideal anti-aging solution.

The Pea Extract contained in the kaplanMD Perfecting Serum formula does not act purely as an emollient, as in most other skincare products, but the extensin proteins form an extremely flexible, film-like layer on top of the skin. This increases skin elasticity and firmness, while improving skin texture, smoothness and moisture. Combined with kaplanMD’s Phytogenic Triactive Complex (of Soy, Grapeseed and Black Cohosh), which has been clinically proven to mimic the positive effects of estrogen on the skin, as well as balance the effect of hormonal imbalances on the skin, it helps to both preserve the collagen in the skin AND stimulate the growth of new collagen, making the kaplanMD Perfecting Serum the ideal anti-aging solution.