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You’ve probably heard of retinol, peptides, and antioxidants… but what about zombie cells? OneSkin says its OS-01 EYE Topical Supplement targets cellular aging at the source — but does the science back that up?

And what actually are zombie cells? Do I have The Walking Dead under my skin? Let’s take a closer look.

What the One Skin OS-01 EYE Topical Supplement claims

OS-01 EYE is a targeted skin longevity treatment with the highest concentration of the OS-01 Senescence Blocking Peptide™, scientifically proven to support the ultra-delicate skin around the eyes.

What is the OS-01 Senescence Blocking Peptide?

As we age and our cells renew themselves by replicating, an increasing number of cells reaches a level where they no longer divide, but stop and lose their normal function. The older we are, the higher the number of these cells in the tissues of our body. The stop in dividing is actually one of the bodies safety mechanisms, as with each time a cell replicates, the chance of it replicating DNA damage that has not yet been repaired increases, and with that the chance of cancer.

These cells are called senescent cells or, more catchy, zombie cells as they are no longer alive, but (un) dead and can secret pro-inflammatory molecules that might contribute to further skin aging – the zombie disease spreads.

Senescent cells are a hot topic in the longevity world – if we would find a way to keep all our cells alive and healthy – the latter one being more difficult, we could go on and on without the troubles that often come with getting older.

The people behind One Skin, a group of female scientists, claim that during their research they discovered a special peptide that had the ability to reduce the amount of senescent cells in the skin by facilitating DNA damage repair and slowing their progression from early stage to late stage senescent cells, with the late stage one releasing the highest amount of pro-inflammatory molecules. This peptide is called OS-01 Senescence Blocking Peptide or, on your ingredient list, Peptide 14 or decapeptide-52.

Mind you, this is not a new peptide they made in the lab, it is one of many signalling molecules that were known before, but they identified it as especially good in targeting senescent cells and are now making it in the lab.

There are some studies done by the manufacturer, the latest one being a 12 week clinical study involving 22 female test subjects. This is a very small sample size, there are a few other flaws as well as results that weren’t that impressive from what I have seen. Now I have said before that I appreciate any brand that does research around their products and that we probably won’t get independent studies done on ingredients like that, so don’t let that deter you. Sometimes the decision if we want to use a profuct is based on the hypothesis more than on the data available. In this case though, the whole marketing and narrative around it don’t sit right with me, but that might be just me.

I would firmly put it into the: “Experimental ingredient, definitely not a routine staple” category.

Facts about the One Skin OS-01 EYE Topical Supplement

Prize and size

One bottle contains 20 ml, so less than a regular serum and more than a regular eye cream, and is available for 123,95 € on the website here.

Texture and smell

The cream itself is off-white, has no noticeable scent and a beautiful, silky smooth texture that sinks in within seconds.

How to use the One Skin OS-01 EYE Topical Supplement

As much as I love pump packaging though, I didn’t get along too well with this one. There were two main issues:

One pump gave me way too much product for both eyes (and I do take my eye cream all around the eyes and onto the eye lid, not just underneath it), so you had to be very careful when pressing it down unless you wanted to waste product – that hurts when 1 ml equals roughly 6 €! (More info: Are eye creams just a waste of money?)

And second: Even with using it every night, I still had a plug forming inside the opening where the product would harden – you know what I mean, the things that look like boggers when the air and the product react and you get one hard bit in the otherwise lovely and soft product. Maybe I was operating it wrong, maybe I had faulty packaging, but I just don’t think that should happen within 24 hours.

These complaints out of the way, the product itself is absolutely beautiful. A dream to apply, feels surprisingly rich, but still sinks in within seconds, no tackiness, no pilling, could be used morning and night as it worked under makeup as well. I personally put it in my night time routine, but you can put it wherever you want.

Ingredients of the One Skin OS-01 EYE Topical Supplement

Water solv, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Sorbitan Olivate emu, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Cetearyl Olivate emu, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter emo, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil emo 0 0–2, Cystoseira Humilis Extract aox, D-Panthenol so|h 0 0, Bentonite vc 0 0, Cetyl Palmitate emo 0 0, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer sii|aox|h, Caprylhydroxamic Acid chel, Sorbitan Palmitate emu, Cellulose vc, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seedcake Extract, Allantoin so 0 0, Fucus Vesiculosus Extract emo|so, Gluconolactone exf|chel, Niacinamide cci|sb|aacne|h, SH-Polypeptide-121, Sisymbrium Irio Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate aox 0 0, Sorbic Acid pres, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emo, Ubiquinone aox, Lecithin emo|emu, Decapeptide-52*, Sodium Chloride vc, Maltodextrin, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 cci|h, Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate pres, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate chel, Alcohol amic|solv|vc, Sodium Benzoate pres, Phenoxyethanol pres, Xanthan Gum vc

Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
Other than the Decapeptide-52 we already talked about, we have two additional peptides in this formula: SH-Polypeptide-121, claiming to stimulate collagen production, and Acetyl-Hexapaptide-8, also known as Argireline, aiming to relax the muscles and so reduce the appearance of expression lines. (More info: The benefits of peptides in skincare explained)

The initially rich feeling is most likely due to the Shea Butter, Squalane and different oils in the formula. You will find Glycerin and Hyaluronic Acid as humectants, Panthenol for soothing and Niacinamide for its many benefits. (More info: The benefits of Hyaluronic Acid in skincare explained, The benefits of Panthenol in skincare explained and The benefits of Niacinamide in skincare explained)

There are also a few plant extracts, with Coffee Extract being the one I wanted to mention separately, while Ubiquinone or Coenzyme Q10 offers additional antioxidant properties.

More info: How to read the ingredient list in your skincare products

Does it live up to its claims?

Well…

I am sure it has the highest concentration of their signature ingredient. I am just not sure that tells me anything in terms of how the product is going to perform for me. Doubts about the peptide itself put aside, higher doesn’t always mean better, sometimes a higher concentration will just give you a higher risk of irritation. And even if more is better here – how much higher is it compared to the others? Is the Body one 0.001, the Face one 0.0012 and the Eye one 0.0015? That probably wouldn’t make a difference in performance at all.

As for “support the delicate skin” – that is a no-claim, as you can’t say what that actually means in terms of being beneficial for the appearance of my skin.

How does it compare to…

Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum

I mainly picked Murad for comparison because it is an expensive eye cream, not because they are similar in ingredients. Murad is.a retinoid product with a beautiful texture that I can without problem use around the delicate eye area – if you have been around here for a while you have seen it in many of my skincare routines already. Now it isn’t as expensive as the One Skin one (still out of the budget of many skincare lovers though) and if you decide to splurge on eye cream, I would make it a retinoid one instead of one with an experimental peptide.

You can read my full review of the Murad Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum here.

Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend the One Skin OS-01 EYE Topical Supplement to?

The One Skin OS-01 EYE Topical Supplement has a lovely texture and a really nice ingredient list, but for me doesn’t warrant the hefty price tag of 124 € a bottle. The story behind their products and the one peptide aiming to reduce the amount of zombie cells in your skin is nice, but in my opinion not convincing enough to pay that much. And after using it consistently for two months every night, my eyes don’t look any less aged than they did before. If you have the money to spare and want a rich, but non-greasy and hydrating eye cream, go for it, but if it is results you are after, a retinol containing eye cream will probably give you more bang for your buck.

Shop One Skin here

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