This is a few months old, but its a very compelling study:
Researchers testing a pterostilbene-based anti-aging cream found it greatly improved skin firmness, elasticity, and wrinkle reduction compared to a control.
Also, I think it would be fairly easy to start incorporating into skin care now. Its very cheap. Pterostilbene for Antioxidant & Skin Brightening – Bulk Naturals
The results were not bad, but not huge (an improvement around 13% is probably not visible to most people, as shown in the wrinkle measures). Perhaps best to add this with other compounds that have equal or larger benefits, like niacinamide, etc.?
A new 2025 clinical trial reports that a 0.1% Pterostilbene-containing topical emulsion, applied twice daily in a split-face design over 28 days, significantly improved multiple skin-aging measures (wrinkle volume, elasticity, collagen and epidermal thickness) compared to a control emulsion.
This is a 28-day, double-blind, split-face clinical trial in 31 Chinese adults (age 32–53) with visible facial aging (sagging, reduced elasticity, wrinkles). The test product was an oil-in-water emulsion base with 0.1% pterostilbene (from Pterocarpus marsupium bark extract); the control was the identical base without pterostilbene. Each subject applied pterostilbene to one half of the face and the base to the other half twice daily for 28 days.
Objective endpoints:
Key findings for the pterostilbene side vs baseline at 28 days:
The control base produced only modest, mostly small improvements (e.g., R2 +2.2%, forehead wrinkle area –3.3%), interpreted as limited placebo/vehicle effect. Pores on the control side enlarged over time (likely seasonal heat), whereas pore area on the pterostilbene side was relatively stabilized and significantly smaller vs control at both 14 and 28 days.
Pterostilbene is a methylated analog of resveratrol; like resveratrol, it may modulate nutrient-sensing/signaling pathways (e.g. SIRT1, AMPK) that intersect with autophagy and mitochondrial biogenesis. Although this trial does not explore molecular markers, the observed increase in collagen and elastic fiber fluorescence could reflect enhanced extracellular matrix (ECM) maintenance, perhaps via reduced oxidative damage or improved matrix turnover. By analogy to other polyphenols that activate autophagy and support proteostasis, pterostilbene might promote dermal maintenance through enhanced autophagic clearance of damaged matrix components and support for fibroblast function. That said, none of the classic longevity axes — systemic mTOR/AMPK, mitochondrial function across organs, vascular health, or immunologic pathways (e.g. cGAS-STING) — were assessed.
Cost-wise, pterostilbene cream is likely inexpensive relative to systemic longevity drugs (e.g. rapalogs), with low marginal cost per application; from a “cosmetic ROI” perspective, the structural improvements over weeks may justify use — but from a systemic longevity standpoint, benefit per dollar is probably minimal or nil without systemic absorption and multi-organ impact.
Conclusion: Overall, this paper is good evidence that 0.1% topical pterostilbene is a cosmetically active, tolerable ingredient with modest but measurable short-term anti-aging effects on facial skin structure and appearance. It does not yet establish pterostilbene as superior to current gold-standard actives, nor does it link these changes to systemic or deep “longevity” outcomes; it remains, appropriately, a cosmetic anti-aging study.
3.2 Outcomes and effect sizes
3.3 Conflicts of interest and external validity
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| # | Supplier / Vendor | Sizes / Pricing (Publicly Listed) | Approx. Cost per Gram |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PureBulk, Inc. | 100 g container listed at $21.45 → Pterostilbene - Powerful Antioxidant & Longevity Enhancer – PureBulk, Inc. | ≈ $0.21 / g |
| 2 | Mega Resveratrol (Amazon) | “Mega Pterostilbene 99% Pure” bottle $64.60 (≈120 g equivalent) → Amazon.com: Mega Pterostilbene, 99% Pure, Micronized Trans-Pterostilbene, 250 MG - 120 Vegetarian Capsules. Excipients Free. Manufactured in The USA. : Health & Household | ≈ $0.54 / g |
| 3 | Bulk Naturals Wholesale | Example listing: 5 g for $17.50 → Pterostilbene for Antioxidant & Skin Brightening – Bulk Naturals or eBay listing: Pterostilbene | eBay | ≈ $3.50 / g*(small-batch premium)* |
| 4 | Vita Actives(Stilvon™ pterostilbene) | 99% trans-pterostilbene. Pricing varies by size (typically $30–$40 for ~100 g equivalent). → Stilvon - Pterostilbene powder | Vita Actives | ≈ $0.30–0.40 / g (mid-size estimate) |
| 5 | BioSynth(Research-use supplier) | CAS 537-42-8; catalog FP15443; pricing varies, often higher for small-lot chemical-grade orders. → https://www.biosynth.com/p/FP15443/537-42-8-pterostilbene | ≈ $1.00+ / g*(varies by size)* |
Best price-per-gram in U.S.-friendly retail.
At ~$0.21/g, you can produce a 0.1% pterostilbene cream for roughly 2 cents of active ingredient per 100 g — extremely cost-effective for DIY formulations.
Most convenient “consumer pack,” ideal for first-time experimenters.
At $0.54/g, still inexpensive — a 0.1% 100 g cream uses only $0.054 worth of compound.
Great for very small tests (5–10 g), but cost/g is high.
Small batches allow easy pilot experiments, but not cost-effective long-term.
Higher traceability than typical consumer supplement vendors, often worth the premium if purity consistency matters to you.
Research-grade chemical supplier; highest QC, highest documentation, highest price.
https://www.biosynth.com/p/FP15443/537-42-8-pterostilbene
Useful when reproducibility, batch documentation, and purity verification matter more than cost.
Confirm:
Most vendors vary batch-to-batch.
Products may be marketed as:
This affects:
Pterostilbene is:
Best practice:
Explain some ways a person would create their own DIY pterostilbene cream that would function similarly. What are considerations in making this cream, shelf life, etc.?
It is reasonable to try to make a mixture of pterostilbene with some reagent and then mix with a pre-existing skin cream like Cetaphil?
Yes — it is chemically and practically reasonable to mix pterostilbene with a suitable solubilizing reagent and then blend that concentrate into an existing commercial cream such as Cetaphil Daily Moisturizer or Cetaphil Cream. This is one of the simplest DIY routes, and many home formulators do exactly this with lipophilic actives.
However, you must handle three technical constraints to avoid a gritty, unstable, or ineffective mixture:
Below is a concise, practical, formulation-science explanation.
Pterostilbene is strongly lipophilic (logP ~3–4) and essentially insoluble in water. Cetaphil is an oil-in-water emulsion with limited free oil phase.
Therefore:
It will float, clump, or remain undissolved → minimal bioavailability.
These are all compatible with Cetaphil’s emulsion system and will not break preservatives at small percentages (<10%).
Example: 100 mg pterostilbene → 100 g final cream.
If you want precision:
Cetaphil is relatively robust.
DMI, propanediol, and squalane will not break the emulsion at small doses (<10%).
Avoid:
These can separate the cream.
The base cream’s preservative system (usually parabens + alcohols) will remain functional unless diluted >15–20%.
Your addition (1–5%) is safe.
Pterostilbene is more stable than resveratrol but still oxidation-sensitive.
Expected DIY shelf life:
Stir well. Even distribution matters for dose-consistency.
Low. Pterostilbene is milder than retinoids.
Patch test first.
Often 80–90% as effective if:
Using Cetaphil is a practical, cost-effective way to approximate the 2025 study formulation.
That said, a purpose-built oil-in-water emulsion with optimized penetration enhancers can outperform it slightly.
Just tell me the target strength and the exact Cetaphil product you’re using.
Would transcutol work as a solven in preparing a DIY mixture for use with cetaphil?
Yes — Transcutol® (diethylene glycol monoethyl ether) is an excellent solvent and penetration enhancer for preparing a DIY pterostilbene mixture that can then be blended into a base cream such as Cetaphil. In fact, from a formulation-science standpoint, Transcutol is one of the best possible choices for solubilizing lipophilic actives like pterostilbene while maintaining emulsion stability.
Below is a precise, technical explanation.
Transcutol has a high solubilization index for polyphenolics and lipophilic compounds such as:
It can dissolve pterostilbene more effectively than:
Transcutol is widely used in topical pharmaceuticals and cosmetics because:
It increases:
This helps pterostilbene actually reach the viable epidermis/dermis, increasing the chance that its antioxidant/ECM effects occur.
In short: Transcutol both dissolves the active and helps drive it into the skin.
Use approx:
Add your PTB/Transcutol solution into:
Transcutol can be added up to 5–10% of total formula volume without destabilizing Cetaphil.
For a typical 100 g batch:
Pterostilbene is more stable in Transcutol than in water-based systems.
But still avoid:
Recommended shelf life:
Airless, opaque pump packaging is best.
In a typical 0.1% PTB preparation, you will be using 1–3% Transcutol, which is well within the comfortable and safe range.
Yes — Transcutol is one of the most effective and formulation-sound solvents to use for a pterostilbene-in-Cetaphil preparation.
It provides:
If you’d like, I can give you:
Tell me your target potency and container size.
Would it be feasible and reasonable to use Pterostilbene and a few other well-validated compounds for skin health and aging (like Vitamin C, Niacinimide, hyaluronic acid, etc.) to a DIY formulation with transcutol and then added to a premixed cetaphil cream as a way to create a cost-effective and effective skin cream for personal use?
Yes — it is feasible, chemically reasonable, and often highly cost-effective to combine pterostilbene + other well-validated dermatologic actives (vitamin C, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, etc.) into a DIY transcutol-based concentrate and then incorporate that into a pre-made cream like Cetaphil.
However — the formulation details matter a lot, because each ingredient has different solubility, pH, and stability constraints. If you respect those constraints, you can absolutely make a high-quality “actives-enriched” cream comparable to many commercial anti-aging formulations, at a tiny fraction of the cost.
Below is a practical, formulation-science evaluation.
Yes, feasible and reasonable — but you must match each ingredient to its proper solvent and pH environment.
Pterostilbene dissolves best in Transcutol, DMI, squalane, or MCT oil, and is fully compatible with Cetaphil’s oil-in-water emulsion.
Niacinamide is water-soluble and compatible.
Hyaluronic acid is water-soluble and compatible.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is the only tricky one.
A transcutol-based “master concentrate” is a very good approach for lipophilic actives (pterostilbene, retinol, squalane-soluble antioxidants), but not for water-soluble ones unless you separate phases.
Classic L-ascorbic acid:
However, vitamin C derivatives are compatible:
Preferred forms:
For a Cetaphil-based DIY formulation:
→ THD (oil-soluble) and MAP/SAP (water-soluble) are best.
Make a mini-concentrate:
This creates a clear, stable oil-phase additive .
Cetaphil is a robust emulsion and tolerates additives very well when total added volume is modest.
because they include:
You can replicate these ingredients at 5–10% of the price:
| Ingredient | Typical Cost per 100 g DIY cream |
|---|---|
| Pterostilbene (0.1%) | $0.02–$0.05 |
| Niacinamide (2–5%) | $0.03–$0.10 |
| HA gel | $0.05–$0.15 |
| Vitamin C derivative | $0.15–$0.60 |
| Transcutol (few mL) | $0.05–$0.10 |
| Cetaphil base | $1–$2 |
Total cost: ~$1.50–$3.00 per 100 g, comparable in quality to $80–$150 branded creams.
Yes — it is entirely feasible, reasonable, and scientifically sound to build a multi-active, cost-effective anti-aging cream by:
Executed properly, this DIY formulation can rival or exceed the functional profile of high-end commercial creams — at a small fraction of the cost — while leveraging validated longevity-/dermatology-relevant pathways (antioxidant defense, ECM remodeling, hydration, barrier repair).
If you’d like, I can now produce:
Tell me which direction you want.
what additional chemicals, and compounds might make sense to try in a DIY skin cream to maximize skin health and longevity, minimize senescent cells, and wrinkles?
Follow the original’s phased approach to maintain stability:
This builds on the original’s antioxidant/collagen/hydration profile by adding senolytic (quercetin/fisetin/EGCG) and barrier-support elements, targeting senescence at the cellular level while minimizing wrinkles.
Using bulk powders (e.g., from online suppliers), here’s an estimated additive cost per 100g cream (at recommended concentrations; base Cetaphil ~$1–2):
| Ingredient | Typical Cost per 100g DIY Cream |
|---|---|
| Quercetin (0.2%) | $0.05–$0.15 |
| Fisetin (0.2%) | $0.10–$0.30 |
| Bakuchiol (0.5%) | $0.20–$0.50 |
| Vitamin E (1%) | $0.05–$0.10 |
| Ceramides (0.5%) | $0.15–$0.40 |
| EGCG (0.3%) | $0.05–$0.15 |
| Caffeine (0.5%) | $0.02–$0.05 |
| Astaxanthin (0.05%) | $0.10–$0.25 |
| Total Add-On Cost | ~$0.72–$1.90 (bringing full cream to $2.22–$3.90) |
This keeps it far below commercial equivalents ($50+), while rivaling high-end senolytic-infused creams.
I am considering adding Pterostibene to my ‘unique ingredients’ serum. Something like this (w/ help from Gemini and Grok):
Transcutol P – 50%
C12-15 alkyl benzoate (Finsolv TN) – 28%
Pentylene glycol or ethoxydiglycol – 6% (this is the key co-solvent that lets you hit 4% GHK-Cu without haze)
Squalane or hemisqualane – 8%
Vitamin E TPGS – 3% (rapamycin saviour + mild solubiliser)
Ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate – 2%
GHK-Cu (lyophilised powder, ≥98% purity) – 4%
Rapamycin – 1%
Pterostilbene – 1–2%
And then I can still layer on my more typical skin moisturizer formula with HA, Niacinimide, Ceramides, etc.
Will it work if I replace Cetaphil with CeraVe?
I think so. They are extremely close in their design… I use both, interchangeably.