Rainbow Berry

Plants and animals found in the natural world have evolved entirely distinctive methods to generate the beautiful colors that we have all come to love. The colors found in plants, typically referred to as pigments, are produced by chemicals that selectively absorb and reflect light. On the other hand, the iridescent colors found in animals and insects, are a result of stacks of very fine, plate-like layers of material that bend and reflect light to produce a similar visual effect. For the first time in the plant world, the seeds of the Polliacondensata (Rainbow Berry) plant has been observed reflecting color using a similar method to that of a peacock’s feather or a butterfly’s wing and as a result, produces a more intense color than any previously described biological material.

The structure appears to be quite robust as the color of the fruit remains exceptionally brilliant for years after they are picked. How does this uniquely occur in a plant versus an animal? The substructures below the surface of the berry reflect circularly polarized light (left or right). Thiscircularly polarized light is highly characteristic of a chiral structure which is embraced by science. It is thought that Rainbow Berry’s ability to maintain brilliance is on account of an internal antioxidant which preserves the material from age related degradation. Our studies have shown this to be true. We have observed that extracts of Rainbow Berry seeds exhibit a powerful, dose dependent, antioxidant capacity when compared against trolox. Similar to Rainbow Berry seeds, our skin needs protection against age-related oxidative stress and damage. It is believed that the free radical scavenging benefits of Rainbow Berry will produce a layer of protection to help defend against harmful UV induced free-radicals and environmental stress yielding a healthier and younger looking skin.

Rainbow Berry (botanical discovery) + Spin Trap (intelligent antioxidant) = Botanical Science

As stunning as Rainbow Berry is in a formula, its antioxidant muscle is increased when paired with the intelligent antioxidant, Spin Trap (aka: PBN; N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone).

A Natural Difference has been manufacturing with PBN (N-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone) for 25 years because we have seen how this potent antioxidant skincare ingredient can improve the look and health of skin for the short- and long-term. But, due to the ‘science-fiction-like’ understanding of Spin Traps, it was difficult for people to grasp how a Spin Trap would work in a skin care product… even though they could SEE the amazing results after using our Spin Trap products. The following information should shed some light on why we carry products with Spin Traps and why your skin will thank you for it!

• “SPINs” are free radicals found in cells.  Free radicals are molecules that are the result of UV exposure, environmental and chemical toxins, etc. to the cells in our body.  They consist of unpaired electrons which make them very unpredictable and unstable.  They are a primary cause of aging and damage to cells.
• “SPIN TRAPs” are ingredients that can react with these free radicals, neutralize them, and thus make them relatively stable so that they cannot cause damage. But, these are not your ordinary ‘antioxidants’. We call them ‘intelligent’ antioxidants because how they respond to free radicals and how they can trap the destructive energy of free radicals.
• “SPIN ADDUCTs” are the stable end products that result from these spin traps reacting with free radicals.
• SPIN (damaging free radicals) + SPIN TRAP (PBN) = SPIN ADDUCT (neutralized end product)

What does the above information mean for your skin? It reveals that PBN scavenges and neutralizes free radicals differently than other antioxidants. However, now fast forward from the early 1990’s to the present. In the last few years other antioxidants have been shown to be as good at scavenging free radicals and at much lower doses than PBN.  But, and this is a big ‘but’, PBN has shown to have numerous benefits that are not found when using these classic antioxidants.  Research has proven that there were other mechanisms in play, which PBN controls, that in turn produce benefits in the cell other than simple neutralization of free radicals.

What are the additional benefits? PBN impacts signal transduction pathways that alter DNA genetic expression that can lead to damaging inflammation. In other words, PBN has been found to inhibit the protein complex (NF-kB) that stimulates and increases inflammation. Nice!Therefore, as you can imagine, a product paired with the beautiful botanical discovery, Rainbow Berry, and Spin Trap, has shown to give skin a gorgeous, instant flawless finish while improving skin for the long haul.

Yes, we understand that it is probably easier to grasp Mother Nature’s unique purpose for Rainbow Berry than the science behind Spin Trap. Needless to say, Rainbow Berry and Spin Traps are amazing, and dare we say a ‘marveldiscoveries’, in terms of how the work with free radicals on the skin. An easy way to remember the brilliance behind the combination of Rainbow Berry and Spin Trap is: