Melatonin is especially interesting as a potential anti-skin aging substance as it is a small molecule, inexpensive, well-tolerated and a direct and indirect antioxidant as well as a regulator of mitochondrial metabolism.
Makes me wonder if one could usefully (and safely) apply melatonin topically; if the molecule is small enough, with a bit of transcutol, well… that would be easy to mix up.
I myself can’t tolerate melatonin orally, except at teensy doses, but topical applications are generally thought to have localized effects. Hmm.
There are several skin penetration enhancers that can be used to improve the absorption of powdered melatonin through the skin. Here are some commonly used options:
Transcutol® (diethylene glycol monoethyl ether): Known for its excellent solubilizing properties and ability to enhance skin penetration
Propylene Glycol: Widely used in topical formulations
Ethanol: Often used in combination with other enhancers to improve skin absorption
Oleic Acid: A fatty acid that can disrupt the skin barrier and enhance the penetration of active ingredients
Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO): A powerful penetration enhancer that can increase the absorption of various compounds through the skin
Awesome. I just found this which is older from 2012 but still seems positive although I’m not a scientist.
“Regarding clinical application, exogenous melatonin should rather be used topically than orally, since orally administered melatonin appears in rather low levels in the blood due to prominent first-pass degradation in the liver, thus limiting skin access.84 Topical application might be meaningful, since melatonin can penetrate into the stratum corneum and build there a depot due to its distinct lipophilic chemical structure.85Therefore, endogenous intracutaneous melatonin production, together with topically applied exogenous melatonin or metabolites can be expected to represent one of the most potent antioxidative defense systems against UV-induced skin aging.25,29-31”
I have been using the Elevai serum with exosomes for about a year and my skin seems to love it, but this serum with the addition of rapa is quite appealing.
I have been using a 1% melatonin lotion on my scalp since 3 weeks without any negative reaction. (I upped the dose). I use a self made lotion with similar ingredients as Bryan Johnson, he uses 0,1% melatonin
Just watched this interesting and informative video of Amitay Eshel, co-founder and CEO of Young Goose. I didn’t previously know some of the information, such as advantages of topical NR and NMN over NAD+ or niacinamide, for example, or that topical spermidine plus spermine and putrescine is more effective than just spermidine. Or that certain marine algae extracts were senolytic or senomorphic.
Has it occurred to you that this might just be BS? Topical niacinamide has a ton of evidence and clinical studies behind it. NR and NMN do not. And a quick google search shows that this guy sells… topical NR and NMN products… what are the chances!
Yes - I wouldn’t rely on that site/ that company for recommendations. Did you look at their bios?
As @relaxedmeatball mentioned - Niacinamide has a lot of good science behind it for skincare, but not the other ingredients. I’d listen to some podcasts of skin care chemists who, ideally, who are reviewing the scientific literature and sharing what they are learning, not just trying to promote their products. These podcasts are reasonably good from what I can tell, skin care chemists and dermatologists:
Amitay Eshel is an entrepreneur in the biohacking and beauty industries, with over a decade of executive experience in health, wellness, and beauty, as well as business development consulting.
As Co-founder and CEO of Young Goose and host of the Young Goose’s Biohacking Beauty podcast, Amitay drives innovation in wellness by focusing on performance optimization and skin health. A renowned speaker and wellness expert, he has been featured on various podcasts and at events like Biohacking Congress and KetoCon. Outside of work, Amitay enjoys martial arts, mindfulness, cooking, traveling, and studying history, always staying informed on the latest in health and longevity.
Anastasia Khodzhaeva
Anastasia Khodzhaeva is a biologist and biohacker currently serving as Chief Marketing Officer at Products4Problems. Graduating summa cum laude from Florida International University, she has experience in lab research on liver fibrosis and breast cancer, as well as leadership roles in health, wellness, and beauty start-ups.
Need to find out if they ship to the UK. Didn’t accept my mobile number as valid and no option to enter international dialling code. Not hopeful but gonna try
Foreign nationals are allowed to see US providers especially because it’s a cash visit. You need a “doctor” visit to obtain the topical rapamycin since it’s a script. Maybe Musely doesn’t want to violate some European laws by shipping the substances.
After lots of trial and errors, we are now using a water bath with an immersion heater (like for sous vide cuisine). This allows for a very precise incubation temperature control. Before that we tried yogurt makers but their temperature regulation is very poor and you can’t control it.
We make several gallons of probiotic yogurts, kefir, etc. per week with A2 protein whole milk.
For instance here we are incubating a gallon of probiotic yogurt at 39ºC (102ºF) for 36 hours (to have mostly no lactose left. Kefir is around 12~18 hours otherwise it’s too thick). My GCM shows no glucose spikes when eating yogurts and kefir made that way.
