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Savannah
Foreign. Hello, guys. Happy Monday. It's just a special month. We have so many guests on the podcast, lots of skin care talk and we're so excited. Tyler's here. Of course he's not sick. Thank God. And then we have a special guest today. Would you introduce yourself to our. Our besties?
Eduardo Perez
Yes. Yes. Hi everyone. My name is Eduardo Perez and I am the chief scientific officer of Signal Biosciences. Most of your folks will know us not through Signal Biosciences, but we're the creators of Epicurus, the skin care brand. Like the clean, non toxic, luxury medical grade skin care line that's, you know, that I know this podcast is a fan of. Thank you very much for the support. So I've been with Signum since straight out. I was a fresh pup out of grad school in 2006. Been there almost 20 years now, so.
Savannah
Wow.
Eduardo Perez
Way before Epicutus was even a dream or anything for Max and myself and their team. So just doing.
Savannah
Most people that have been with a company for 20 years, you can tell they're tired and run down. But when you work 20 years with a skincare company, I guess you just look like this. You look amazing.
Eduardo Perez
Ah, thank you very much.
Savannah
The skin looks phenomenal.
Eduardo Perez
Well, I appreciate it. It's thanks to a lot to Epicutus. And as you know though, just knowing the skin being, you know, being careful, applying the spf. Right. Sun protection and I came from a bacterial background. That's what I worked on in grad school. But then starting at Signum, I just started learning the skin, the basic three layers and how it all works. And you know, 20 years later, you know, here we are now. So. But thank you very much. Thank you very much.
Savannah
Love that. So before we get into all of the fun stuff, because we have a surprise for you guys. Like this episode is the. Is going to be the first time anyone's hearing about, I think what we're going to talk talk about today, right?
Tyler
It depends on when we release it.
Savannah
I think we're gonna release it first. We want to be first, obviously. But I wanted to ask you, what is your favorite product that you have helped create?
Eduardo Perez
That's a tough one.
Savannah
Only one.
Eduardo Perez
Can I cheat and say two? I have to only pick one.
Savannah
I'll give you one, but then like I'll give you like a runner up.
Eduardo Perez
All right. My favorite is the lipid serum, which is probably the most popular answer.
Savannah
Yeah.
Eduardo Perez
But the one I think I use most is the oil cleanser.
Savannah
Really? I love to hear that. That's amazing.
Eduardo Perez
It's essentially my daily face wash. Right? So it's, you know, morning after the gym or, you know, after the gym and then at nighttime before I go to bed. Right. So it's three times a day. The lipid serum, I'm using it twice a day, so. But I'd say, you know, favorite lipid serum.
Savannah
Me too. Lipid serum and lipid mask, they're tied for me. So I guess I have to give you a pass because I'm the same way. I'm like, and lipid body treatment, I cannot live without that. And then honestly, Hyvia, because it got my mom off Le Mer. After literally giving her like 57 different good professional grade moisturizers, there was nothing that could curb her La Mer appetite until Hyviea. And I was like, please just use something that actually does something for you and feel. She's like, I just want it to feel heavy. And she loves Hybe, so that's awesome.
Eduardo Perez
That's.
Savannah
So that's my claim to fame, is getting my mom off Lemire. And that was like pulling teeth.
Eduardo Perez
And I'm so thrilled to hear that because a lot of times, you know, we're. We're scientists in the lab and we were kind of working on Hyvia still before Epicutus was a thing. We were just kind of interested in the fact that, hey, you know, there's these chia seeds. I had read a book on kind of running, Born to Run, and it talked about this group of people that lived in Mexico, the Tarahumara. They were like these, this, this group, this tribe in Mexico that would run like 20, 25 miles a day. And their main protein source was chia seeds.
Savannah
I was like, that's crazy.
Eduardo Perez
These people run barefoot for like 20 miles a day. There's gotta be some good. That style. That's just their way of life. In this book, they describe this tribe of people and they run like 50 mile races barefoot. And I was like, you know what, let's try. Let's break down chia seeds, extract the oil and see if there's anything good if we apply it to skin. And kind of like five years later, you know, Hyvia in, in, in the cream. And here, here we are today.
Savannah
So that's amazing.
Eduardo Perez
It's a lot of work behind the scenes before the final product, but that's what my, my team and I and, and you know, for Max, our CEO up top, right? We're kind of a. We were a research and development company, a biotech company way before we were A skincare company. Right. So that's kind of. It's our roots. Right. And it's kind of in our DNA.
Tyler
Yeah.
Eduardo Perez
Science fun.
Tyler
We had Max on the podcast, and he basically said that this was all created more or less because he has really reactive skin.
Eduardo Perez
That's correct.
Tyler
Yeah, that's what I thought. So everything is like. I mean, lipid serum is, what, eight ingredients?
Eduardo Perez
Yeah, that's right. And one of them is water. Right. So it's really seven.
Tyler
Yeah.
Savannah
That's amazing. And it's such a good product. Like, lipid serum has changed my life, changed my skin. It's helped my son with his eczema. I mean, I will. I would drink it if I could.
Tyler
Yeah, no, I remember. I don't know if this podcast has come out yet, but I was, like, talking about my love for it, and remember, I was like, I have a back bar at home. And you were like, I don't even want that.
Savannah
I know. I was like, where do I have.
Eduardo Perez
The big eight ouncer? I think it's.
Savannah
I took the lipid body treatment back bar because that's, like, I drench myself in that morning and night. And I love that because it also has the chia seed, which works in a different way. So kind of. I know this is not the topic of the podcast, but I, like, pick your brain, because I have you here. So what is the hyvia, which. I know this, but for them, hearing it from you is so much more impactful. The chia seed extract and the cream for the face. The hyvia versus what the chia seed is doing. And Lipid body treatment.
Eduardo Perez
Yeah, so. So for the. For the face, the chia seeds is helping strengthen our. Our barrier function and help to help hydrate the skin. Right. So we've shown that there's a really important. Oh, gosh, this might get too scientific.
Savannah
No, go for it. The sds love it. This is continued education for a lot of people.
Eduardo Perez
So there's these. These important water channels in our skin called aquaporins. Right. So Aquaporin 3 is the most prevalent one in skin. So what hyvia does is when we apply it on our skin, it helps to up the number of these. Aquaporin 3. So the more Aquaporin 3 you have in your skin, the more hydrated it's going to be. I don't know if that sounds.
Savannah
No, no, that's. That's perfect. You did beautiful.
Eduardo Perez
And then. And then for the lipid body, we also found out that it has a lipolytic Activity, Right? So essentially help kind of destroy fat cells, which will then help help with tightening. Tightening the skin as well. So.
Savannah
And that product blew me away, honestly. The lipid body treatment. Like, when at first they were like, oh, like, it can help with, like, stubborn fat and, like, loose skin. I was like, you know, everyone says that it is crazy the amount of text messages I get, especially, you know, since everyone's on GLP1s and they're losing weight really quick. A lot of people are struggling. Loose skin, it is insane how much it snatches you. And, like, even for me, you know, I didn't get to start using it till I think Cyrus was about one is when it came out. Maybe one and a half. I'm so bad at time, but I wasn't, like, freshly postpartum, but it helped so much with my own stomach. Everyone's like, did you get a tummy tuck? Like, literally, I had a breast augmentation or breast reduction after I had my son, and I went in for my follow up, and my surgeon was like, did we do a tummy tuck? And I was like, no, shouldn't.
Tyler
You know?
Savannah
He was like, you look so good. I was like, I know. I was like, it's literally lipid body treatment. And now his office carries it, which is amazing. But such a good product, guys. And for cellulite, loose skin, stretch marks, I mean, everything, it's phenomenal. I've seen such good results, too, with some of my older clients. Elbows and knees. It's really. I mean, it really is insane. There's so many body products. Everyone right now is coming out with the body products, but I've never seen anything tighten skin, like lipid body treatment. Like, it's honestly unbelievable.
Tyler
And y'all were the first for the companies.
Eduardo Perez
Exactly. And that's kind of like hearing these stories is what makes it all. It kind of invigorates myself and my team in the lab because a lot of times we don't hear this feedback, right? We're just kind of creating these novel ingredients and these novel formulations, and then it's kind of. It's handed off to the sales team and the marketing team. So I don't get this. Every once in a while, they'll let me out in the wild. They let me go to an amp spa or an aad, but most of.
Savannah
The time, they're like, you're too good to be out and about. Like, we need you in the lab.
Eduardo Perez
Exactly. So they keep me in the lab. You know, Max keeps me there with the. With the ball and chain there, making sure we're pumping products. Now I'm juggle with Max. Max, like I said, he's been my boss for 20 years and you know, I'm still there and loving working there.
Savannah
So that's a testament. You can make it 20 years, you can make it anywhere. Right? Yeah.
Eduardo Perez
So hearing your feedback, it's kind of keeps us going because our lab and I think one of the things that kind of sets apart Epicutus from all of these other brands is that we have like an active R and D program. So we have our products, but we're still working on other novel technologies to kind of continue to change the game. Right. And bring benefits to your customers and just people around the world, you know, as, as our brand continues to grow and, and we can expand globally as well. So that's kind of like what we're really passionate about.
Savannah
Well, yeah, it's such unique products too. You know, I think it's very curated and it's very bespoke what you guys have created. I mean, it's not like you' throwing out, you know, things that have already been done. Like Arctogenin is revolutionary. I've never heard of that ingredient in my entire life until you guys. So before we get into the exciting thing, can you kind of speak to that? Because I feel like that's a new one for you guys and I talk about it all the time, but I mean, you helped create this, so who better to hear it from?
Eduardo Perez
Oh yeah, thanks. Yeah. So Arctogen is an interesting again, it's kind of like this 5, 6 year journey before the product comes out. So we were so, you know, obviously for, for skin brightening and kind of, you know, affecting pigmentation, you got your vitamin C, your Kojic acids, your hydroquinone. Right. And a few other things like niacinamide. So. But there hasn't really been a lot of innovation in the space. Right. Kind of. I know it's kind of. We're kind of going back to this word innovation and R D, but so what we were thinking six or seven years ago was, you know, it'd be nice to try and come out with something that's different and works, but it's not toxic. Right. Hydroquinone works, but it's toxic. Right. Kojic acid is irritating to the skin. Right. So could we develop something that works that's non toxic and safe to skin? That's kind of like a through line of all our products. Right.
Savannah
Like that's your ethos. Yeah, yeah.
Eduardo Perez
Right. The lipid serum you could put on, like, fully ablative skin, or you can use it as a glide. Right. For example. It's not going to be irritating in any way. So anyway, that's where kind of where we started. And I just started looking around, just reading scientific literature and like, what are some natural extracts that have been shown to brighten skin? So kind of stumbled upon our lead formulator, My Sonori Tomorrow is Japanese, and burdock seeds are really, really big in Asia and specifically Japan. So I started looking into it and, you know, kind of long story short, I had. I read some literature that said that it was good for skin brightening. So then we just started breaking down the extract and we saw that Arctogenin was kind of one of the main ingredients. And we tested that and saw, oh, wow, it can really help to brighten skin. So kind of like, spin that forward. Four years later, we developed, like, a novel patented extract so nobody can copy it. Right. It's novel to us in our lab. And then we ended up launching the product. Right. So, but again, it takes again, like five, six years before you see it from, like, kind of the bench all the way to the. To the product.
Savannah
I love that you say that because we talked with one of our dermatologist friends earlier, and a lot of people think, you know, these products are just being, like, pulled out, whipped out in like, five seconds. And that's what's so amazing, is like, you know, you have to know what's going to be, I guess the trend or the buzz or whatever is going to be innovative six years from now, you know, and so you kind of have to think ahead of the game, which can be hard, you know, and especially when you're putting so much money and time into creating something. Like you're like, hoping to God that, like, no one beat you to it and no one's going to get it out before you get it out. So, yeah, Arctogenin has quickly become one of our client favorites. I love it. I love it. I mean, it really is, like, such a good thing on its own. But I also love boosting it with other products. Like, it kind of. It just amplifies the results of, like, your retinoids as well for skin brightening and everything. So she plays well in the sand pit. And that's what I love about all the products is they play really well with other products as well.
Eduardo Perez
Yeah. And you mentioned the people, people being able to whip up products. You can, but I think a lot of times what the companies are doing just Kind of insider thinking about how these manufacturing companies work. A lot of these formulations they already have ready to go off the shelf, so those you can whip out in six, nine months. But it's like everybody's using them the same formulation. They're just putting. It's like a private label, and they just put a different name. But it's all basically the same ingredients. Right. It's like the same thing. So there is no innovation. It's just kind of like, hey, we're ready to go. Slap a. Slap a label on it and you can go. Right?
Savannah
Yeah.
Eduardo Perez
You kind of want to do the exact opposite of that. Right.
Savannah
Which I love. Yeah. It's, like, new, it's curated, it's custom, and it's completely yours.
Eduardo Perez
Yep, exactly.
Savannah
Okay. I think we've kept them anticipating long enough, so I'm gonna let you pull the cat out of the bag. So tell us why we are here today. What are we talking about?
Eduardo Perez
Yeah, so we're here to talk about a new publication that we came up with. Again, these publications do take a long time to get peer reviewed in Dermatology Journal. So we've already kind of teased Lipid serum. Right. As kind of being our favorite product. Well, the main ingredient. And I like that you guys have done this. You actually say the full chemical name.
Savannah
We got to Tetramethyl hexadecimal sex and cysteine. That's my next kid. I'm like, if I got it. I was. I remember. Were you at the office that day where I was, like, saying it in a voice note, and then I, like, made my rap. I was like, I need someone to say this. And they got Maxwell to say it on a voice memo for me. And I just listened to him. Yeah. Saying it over and over again until I was, like, perfected. And it's my favorite word.
Eduardo Perez
That's fantastic. So tetramethyl hexadecinal 6. Or let's call it TSC for the rest of this podcast for everybody else. Right. So. So TSC is our hero ingredient, or the main ingredient in the lipid serum and how it functions. So, you know, we know that it helps to reduce inflammation, it helps strengthen the barrier function, and they had a couple other activities that we don't talk about as much, but we know it protects collagen indirectly by blocking MMP. So MMPs are kind of enzymes that'll go in and chew up your collagen. Right. So if you're doing a procedure to promote collagen expression and elastin expression the last thing you want is mmps around to go in and chew it up. Think of it like little Pac man or little Miss Pacman will go in and trip with collagen. So we knew that TSC could protect collagen that way, could reduce inflammation and help strengthen barefront. So what we were thinking was it would be really cool if we could kind of pair it or how would it work with retinol, tretino and different, different retinoids. Right. So in this study what we did is we, we wanted to set a high bar. So we use tretinoin, which obviously is stronger than, than let's say a retinol. And we went to like a 0.2%.
Savannah
Oh, wow.
Eduardo Perez
Right. So really, you know, you get some redness, you get some really flaking and dryness of the skin almost, you know, 24 hours, 48 hours later. Right. During the study, what we did is we put TSC with the tretinoin. Wow. It didn't affect negatively any of the act the benefits of the tretinoin. But what we published is that it helped reduce the erythema or redness, which we were kind of expecting because, or hoping because it reduces inflammation. So we saw about a 60% reduction in erythema over five days. And what was really cool in the before and after photos is that we saw also saw a reduction in the flakiness and dryness of the skin. Right. And it's kind of like, I think it hits back to like, because TSC can also helps with hydration. Right. Helps with barrier function repair. If the barrier is better. Right. Your skin's going to be drier, healthier, and that'll kind of help better with the, the dryness and the flakiness as well as the inflammation. So that was really, you know, really fun study. We had kind of seen it before we did a clinical study. We had played around with it in the lab ourselves, just putting it on our skin. Just this is what we do. Right. It's kind of like, yeah, in the lab. So we're like, oh, wow, this, this could work. But you know, we can't publish this. We need to actually do a full on clinical study to get it published. No one's going to want to see before and afters of of my forearm.
Savannah
We literally were just talking about that. That's so funny with Jacqueline in our previous podcast about how a lot of companies, you know, it's just like in their bathroom. And so it really is cool that you guys, you know, did the work and have the clinicals to show and prove its efficacy.
Tyler
Yeah, we basically just did a breakdown of the difference between different white papers and clinical studies and you know, have. Is it peer reviewed? Is it published in a journal? Is it like, does it check all these boxes? Which it doesn't always have to, but.
Savannah
Like that just gives it a little bit more validity.
Eduardo Perez
Yeah, yeah, no, no, 100%. And it's like, I agree and I think, I think it's important, especially with a brand like ours where science, we're kind of. Science is one of our pillars. Like we need that. Right. That's kind of like a main driver for us. Kind of like how, how we were built, right. As a biotech company to then develop the skin care line. So yeah, so we published this and you know, we've published on all our hero ingredients tsc, we've talked about IV Arctogenin. Right. If anyone wants to Google them or go to the website, we have all publications, they're all peer reviewed clinical studies, you know, for every single one. Right. Because we actually, you know, we take the time. Right. We're kind of developing this before we even know what the product. Sometimes you don't even know what the product's going to be yet. Right. But we're just trying to develop new Actives. Right?
Savannah
Yeah, I think that's really important to note too because I think a lot of people, you know, don't realize that like a lot of the products out there, like it's just run of the mill ingredients all kind of in a bottle together. But you guys are really searching for a proprietary patented ingredient, something that hasn't been done before. And then once you get that, you're like, okay, how is this working? What is it doing? And then putting it into a formulation with supporting ingredients. But like again, lipid serum, that star is the tsc. Like that's, you know.
Tyler
Well, it's also that like I feel like lipid serum tackles so many things in one product and does it effectively while most other lines, if not every other line has a product for this and a product for that. But like when you're addressing inflammation at the root, you're addressing.
Savannah
And that's why it's so hard when people are like lipid serum or this. I'm like, well, lipid serum helps with everything. Like I always say, you know, I like to call it, I don't know if you've heard me say this before, but I call it liquid ibuprofen.
Eduardo Perez
I heard you say that.
Savannah
Yeah. Because I mean it really is. And you know, when you really think about inflammation, it's. That's the root of so many skin concerns, whether that's pigment or aging or eczema reactive skin, acne prone skin. I don't know if I said rosacea and redness, but I mean, everything. And lipid serum is helping lower that inflammation. And of course, to your point, too, protecting the collagen, which is. I usually don't talk about that point as much, but I'm going to now. And it does something else with blue light, right?
Eduardo Perez
Yes, yes, yes. That's TS14. That's a different compound. So Hyvea works with blue light.
Savannah
So HYV is the blue light. Okay.
Eduardo Perez
Is the blue light. You know what? TSC might. So here's a cool thing. Like, we discovered TSC all the way back in 2008.
Tyler
Wow.
Savannah
I was like, it's been around a while.
Tyler
I was nine.
Eduardo Perez
Yeah, I'm dating. I'm kind of dating myself now. My age. Right.
Savannah
2008. We were.
Tyler
I was nine.
Savannah
You were nine.
Eduardo Perez
I'm gonna say. Were you guys born yet? No joking, right?
Savannah
No, seriously.
Eduardo Perez
So. But I mean, like, we're still discovering new activities. So it's like this real cool, safe molecule, but it's like multifunctional, which is why we can do the lipid serum with just eight ingredients, because we don't need to do, like this kitchen sink approach and throw 30 different extracts in there.
Savannah
And a lot of them is marketing. Like, a lot of people, like, they want to throw niacinamide in something because it's a buzzword and because they, you know. But is it really enhancing the formula? Is it really moving the needle? Probably not. It's just there because it's, you know, and that's why going to an esthetician and someone that understands product formulation and somebody that values, you know, that you learn so much more because it is so hard to just see things at the surface. And then when you're able to meet with people like you and kind of get deeper into the industry, you start to realize, you know, a lot of stuff is smoke and mirrors. And what you really focus on is, you know, proprietary ingredients and things that do more than just one thing, and really products that stand for themselves. And I think that's what's so cool about each patented ingredient that you guys have, and proprietary ingredient. It really stands on its own. It doesn't need a bunch of, like, sidekicks.
Eduardo Perez
Right? Yeah. Yeah. Then that's kind of like our philosophy. Right? And as we kind of go through this, and we carefully select the ingredients, like you said, that support. And then, you know, we're just kind of continuing to do R and D to see what else are these molecules capable of. Right. What are they doing right? And also, like, what are they not doing right? Because we don't want to, like you said, just put something in there and hope it works or doesn't. Right. So kind of keep the ingredient list short, small, because, you know, the more ingredients you put on in a formulation, the more chance someone can have a reaction to it or get sensitized to something. So we want to kind of just stay away from all that. Right.
Savannah
I love that.
Eduardo Perez
That's kind of like one of our kind of our secondary goals. But it's kind of like what's kind of going into our thought process as. As we're trying to develop these formulations here in the lab.
Savannah
I love that. That's amazing. And something I've noticed a lot. So I don't have too many people that will come in on accut. I have had a few, and lipid serum has been their saving grace. I mean, truly it has. And so they're like, is there anything I can do? Because they're like, I want to get treated. I'm like, I can't treat you, you know, while you're on Accutane, and I don't want to treat you for six months. But they're like, what products can I use? And typically, I'd be like, nothing, you know, like just a hydrating serum. But I'm able to get them on a couple Epicutus products and know that it's going to support their skin during that journey and then will be something that they're on after, too, once we get them on more actives in clinic and all of that. So. But I'm really excited about this study because, you know, retinoids have. They're really irritating, and people have a lot of issues with them. So it's gonna be a game changer for people to now have that published and know that they can, you know, add lipid serum and use this and lipid mask while they're starting tretinoin or Retin A or whatever it be and not have to deal with all of that, you know, dryness. I mean, every day I get on TikTok and I see people talking about, like, I just started, you know, tretinoin or Retin A and my face is falling off, and I now can go comment be like, lipid serum.
Tyler
Well, it's also, I think, even More amazing because something Savannah always talks about is how skin, like, your skin, craves consistency. And with products like a stronger Tre or retinol.
Savannah
I'm so proud of you saying this right now. Damn, he listens to me. I feel like a proud mom.
Tyler
But I mean, just like the fact that you need to use it once every three days or once every other day, if that, and you still probably have some of that irritation and something that you guys are able to give people where they can have the consistency of increasing their cellular turnover with a retinoid, or try it or whatever, and be consistent.
Eduardo Perez
I love that type 100, I think, like, and when we launched, a lot of the time, a lot of the feedback we were getting was, hey, should I use lipid serum or should I use this retinol product? Let's say, for example, right? And another kind of nice thing about this, it's not an either or, right? You kind of. I think the lipid serum can stand on its own, but it does play well, play nice or play well with others, right? So it's not like this either. Or you can actually now. And now we have the proof. Before, I was kind of hopeful that we should show this, but it's like, hey, yeah, it actually. They actually do work well together. So use your retinol. Use your tretinoin. Use, you know, whatever retinoid you're using at whatever dose. And we now can show that, you know, the lipid serum, when you pair it will actually bring you benefits. So you kind of get this, like, two, one, this one, two punch right of these, right?
Savannah
And I always like to say to, you know, whatever we're exfoliating or breaking down, like, we have to rebuild and protect. And. And that's literally lipid serum. Using it with a retinoid, you know, the retinoids helping break down. It's also, you know, we know, too, it is going to help build collagen as well. But is it protecting collagen? No. That's why lipid serum comes in for that and reduces that irritation. And I am not a fan of skin cycling. I've always said, you know, what Tyler was saying, consistency is key, especially when it comes to pigmentation, aging and acne. Like, you really gotta be consistent with stuff. It's. You know, I always say it's like going to the gym. You know, once you get your dream body, you don't just stop using or stop going to the gym. You're gonna, you know, lose your abs, you're gonna lose your booty. So you know, same thing with skincare. You gotta stick with what has given you those results and to get to where you want to be, you want to be consistent with it. Your skin respects consistency and what it's being fed daily. So being able to use a stronger retinoid every single day and minimize irritation and dryness and flakiness is a game changer and it's just going to yield better results and long term benefits.
Eduardo Perez
Yeah. Yeah. We're really proud about the study and really proud that we can like kind of bring this science and this activity to folks through these products to help them kind of have a better skin. And as you know, and you know, when you're in a, when you have a good skin routine and your skin is feeling better, you just kind of feel better about yourself. Right. And just kind of the outlook of everything changes. Right. You're like, you're more likely to go.
Savannah
To the gym more, you know, and be consistent too. Yeah. Not fall off the wagon or be like, oh, yeah, I have this prescription for my derm that I use once, maybe a month because it makes me so drier. You know, it's gonna just help with compliance too, which is so, so, so important. Yeah.
Eduardo Perez
Probably the biggest hurdle you feel getting people just to keep. Stay on a routine or start a routine and stay on the routine.
Savannah
Right, Exactly. Yep. That's. I think the biggest thing is like, you can lead a horse to water, you can give them the best regimen, but they have to drink it every single day for it to, you know, do what it needs to do. It's not like, okay, I did my regimen good two times a week. You know, it's really, I think everything in life is how we show up for ourselves consistently. Whether, you know, it's our daily movement or, you know, what we read or what we're consuming. I think everything really just comes down to those small actions that we make every single day at adds up. It's, you know, I love those clients. They always make me laugh. They want to come in and they do like a heavy laser and like get the Botox and the filler and like then like neglect everything else. And I'm like, the ones that slow and steady will always win the race than just high impact, you know, and I think we're learning that too with workouts and things like that. You know, it's better to have consistent movement in your body daily than like work out hard once or twice a week. You know, it's that slow impact and commitment that makes a difference So I know you guys can't really talk about this, but I know that there are going to be some fun things coming out. I am really, really excited. We'll have to definitely get you back on the podcast whenever those launch. I am really, really excited about this. I heard it first about it, Gosh, when I had dinner with Max and Lisa. How long ago? Gosh, when was that? That was before you worked for me. So like over a year.
Eduardo Perez
Oh, wow. Okay.
Savannah
Yeah. One of them I knew about, the other I had no clue. So I'm really, really excited for both. Do you have timeline for us? When?
Eduardo Perez
Yes.
Savannah
When. When is this happening?
Eduardo Perez
So I believe you guys. I'm sworn to secrecy here, but I guess we can tease a little bit here at AMSPA. And what about 10, 12 days now we will be launching a new product.
Savannah
Both or one.
Eduardo Perez
One product at AMSPA.
Savannah
Okay.
Eduardo Perez
In like 10 days or so. Right. I think amsoil is like April 10th.
Savannah
Yeah, it's.
Eduardo Perez
I don't know. I cannot believe this release is gonna be out.
Savannah
But I'm sure we'll have this one probably out next week so we can have it before. Yeah.
Eduardo Perez
So if you come to the Epicutus amp Spa booth and I think we'll be doing kind of a vip. A VIP meeting with yourself and your team, Savannah for this product. We will have it at our booth and if you come to the event, you will also get this product. What I can say I can't. Let's see. I don't want Lisa and Max to kill me. I can say the hero ingredient in this is is and is called activated grapeseed extract. So it's a different extract. That's. That isn't in any of our other Epicues products. Except we did launch this in the neck and decollete booster that we co. We co launched with Hydrafacial and launched that for the HydraFacial device. Right. So it's a neck and decollete booster, but you can also use it on the face. Other than that, I can say it'll help. Well, we always say, right. Kind of promote healthy skin, refresh your skin. I. I don't want to say anything more than.
Savannah
Yeah, I'm not trying to get in trouble.
Tyler
Neither am I. Yeah, neither are we.
Savannah
We're to know nothing we.
Eduardo Perez
But hey, come to an spa. Come to the booth. Come hang out with Savannah. I don't know, Tyler.
Savannah
If you're going to be there, he'll be there. Yeah, come hang out. Are you going to be there?
Eduardo Perez
I'm not sure. Yet. I'll see if I can see.
Savannah
We're going to request you to come.
Eduardo Perez
You got it. You got to request it. Then maybe I'll listen to you.
Savannah
Oh, yeah.
Eduardo Perez
Come hang out maybe with me as well, and we'll have some of the new product that. That we're excited to launch.
Savannah
So exciting.
Eduardo Perez
We'll have a couple more products in this calendar year that'll. That'll be coming out as well.
Savannah
I'm so excited. And I just know. I think, you know, it's good for. I know the SDS listen to this, but some might not have gotten as deep down the rabbit hole of, like, brand formulation and all of that, but, you know, I mean, that's how I always thought of things. I feel like before I became even just an esthetician, like, before I started working closer with companies, I was like, oh, like, you know, they just whip this up in six months, and it's really not that way. I mean, maybe some brands that are private labeling and doing weird stuff on the back end, there definitely are those, but the brands that I work with, everything takes years and years and years to become what it is. So it's not just like a flash in the pan or something that they just whipped up, you know, in the lab, and we're like, okay, it's good enough. Here it goes. So I'm really. I get so excited about these launches, especially with Epicutest, because I know, you know, whatever they're doing is something big. So I can't wait. And I can't wait for you guys to hear about it. And I'm so excited about this new study, guys, for your patients, for your clients, and for talking points, too. You know, I know lipid serum is pricey, but I've done a lot of education on it lately because I gosh, I've been seeing some Tiktoks and also my clients. I'm like, how are you out of this already? How are we using this? And they're using the entire full dropper.
Eduardo Perez
I'm like, no, no, no, no, no. One or two drops tops is, like, enough.
Savannah
I mean, pea size. I mean, peace. I mean, he does a little bit more because he has a little more.
Tyler
Well, I have back bar at home, so I'm like, oh, my.
Eduardo Perez
With the lipid serum dropper, I don't even squeeze it out. What I'll do is I'll take it out of the bottle, and I just take on a. Take it. What's on the sides. Oh, that's enough for, like, my Face and my neck and the back of my neck. And you know, I have a lot.
Savannah
Of surface area doing the back of your neck. I have started telling my clients like mid-30s to start doing that because people don't treat that. And then if you want to wear a bun or ponytail or for you guys, men that don't have long hair, you're exposed, baby. I mean you can't hide that back of your neck. Neck. So it's, it's out there.
Eduardo Perez
It's exactly. So I'm, I'm applying back there. You know, I, you know, like you, I have the kind of like you. I have the back bar or. And I have the, the regular size. So I kind of go between the two. But yeah, back of the neck's important. Yeah, you get so much sun exposure and it helps really kind of protect. Not like an spf, but it helps kind of help and heal. Like, you know, I was at a softball tournament this weekend for my daughter and I was out. It was like 80 degrees, which is like 30 degrees warmer than it is this time of the year. And I was just, just getting blasted with the sun. Not that I'm complaining, but, but I definitely felt that a little bit today.
Savannah
Amazing, no? Yeah. Guys, you really need the smallest amount. Like if you're just using like a pea size amount, you are golden. And also too like it's a good selling point for your clients like about how this technology works and okay, give me your elevator pitch. Like if you were to talk to a client, I know you don't do this as often because you're making it and not selling it, but I just want to hear yours. What would you say? Lipid serum. Ready, set, go.
Eduardo Perez
Lipid serum. You got TSC to help strengthen your barrier, make, promote, promote skin health. And then you got the high pharmaceutical grade hyaluronic acid that we can, that we source that is kind of 99.8% pure. That we source it specifically we use an HA that people use in eyedrops. Most people use lower quality HA and a lot of times it's pro inflammatory where eyes is super pure, super quality. And that's kind of one of the reasons why it's. You mentioned a little pricey.
Savannah
Yeah.
Eduardo Perez
So kind of together that one, two punch of TSC with all of the activities we've, we've talked about protecting collagen, inflammation, hydration with the 8 with the super pure HA. That's why lipid serum, you call it liquid ibuprofen or I've heard other people call it like liquid gold, right.
Tyler
I always call it liquid ibuprofen and like a, a big drink of water for your skin.
Savannah
It really is. And I think I saw too is it's 10 times more hydrating, right?
Eduardo Perez
Yes, exactly. Yep, yep, exactly. So we've done a lot of work on that and, and again we'll continue to do it kind of.
Savannah
And it goes so deep in the skin too. So like we've had clients that are like, I'm getting better results with their actives also. Not just calming down, you know, the inflammation, the inflammation that some actives can cause, but also getting it deeper into the skin. So it's kind of, she's kind of like helping out the other brands. Okay. She's like, she's like, you guys are getting here and that's fine. But like if you just drop, jump in with me, I'll take you down deep, baby.
Eduardo Perez
Yeah.
Savannah
And so we have had.
Eduardo Perez
And I think, yeah, that'll help with like kind of the tretinoin or the retinols that people are using. Right. Because if it can get it into the skin a little bit more and get it into this, into the, into the dermis, it'll help there kind of deliver some benefits to the extracellular matrix. Right. And there in the dermis level. So I'll be interested see when now people really start using these products daily.
Savannah
Yeah.
Eduardo Perez
I'll check in with you guys and let me know how that's working. When you start talking to people that are pairing them, pairing them up, hopefully they'll start seeing even better results.
Savannah
I love that. That's amazing. Yeah. Lipid serum is one of those cult favorite products. There's nothing like it. It's amazing. And we're so excited for the new products to come out. Well, new products and we're so excited to see how you guys are incorporating this and what's the easiest way for. So maybe we have some Epicutus accounts listening to this or people that want to bring on Epicutis. How can they find this clinical study with retinoids used with lipid serum or with TSC.
Eduardo Perez
So it'll be at our website epicutus.com, we'll have a scientific publications link there. If you don't want to go to our website, you can simply Google TSC tretinoin and that will be at the top of the, at your first Google search there. So it all, you know, whichever one you want to go to. If you're really into the science, we encourage folks because again I'm a, I'M a scientist by training. Right. I got my PhD, gosh, 20 years ago. Now we encourage people to send in messages, emails, you know, we try and be pretty responsive kind of Max. We're growing, but we're still a small company so we haven't lost that vibe. Right. So we try and still get back to folks that have scientific questions if we can't get back to you in a day. But we will do our best to get back to you just because we, you know, we value customers, we value science. So we want, we think a better, more educated consumer is, is a better someone that'll be more compliant. Right. And then they'll be have healthier skin and someone does.
Savannah
I don't understand why their eight dollar hyaluronic acid serum from TJ Maxx does not work.
Eduardo Perez
It's like pro inflammatory. Right. It's kind of doing the opposite of what you want to do.
Savannah
Yeah. And it's easy the deep into this stuff. I mean, it's just things that you would never ever know. Like, you know, when I was first in the industry and I was like, why is one vitamin C serum this much versus the other? Like, you don't understand like the different derivatives and like ingredient sourcing. Like in my brain I was like, oh, like there's a hyaluronic acid supplier. And like that's like the one hyaluronic acid supplier. Everyone's getting it from this place. But then, you know, it's just the name of the molecule. You know, there's so many different places that produce this hyaluronic acid. Some in house, some third party, you know, so it's just, it's really interesting and it's such an eye opening experience, you know, and I think we've opened a lot of people's eyes. On this podcast, as I talk about this day in and day out, one of my favorite analogies, I always will say is like, you know, you can go eat at Taco Bell and they're gonna have the beans and they're gonna have the rice and the ground beef and then you can go to the, you know, nicest restaurant in Dallas, which probably won't even have the best Mexican food. Let's say the hole in the wall authentic Mexican restaurant where they it in their backyard. You're getting like grandma's recipe. Okay. It's, yeah, they both have rice and beans, but their quality is completely different. The way your body is going to feel the next morning is going to be completely different. So, you know, I think when you kind of talk about that. People are like, okay, yeah, that makes sense. Because, you know, in their head, they're like, oh, I'm. Someone's just trying to charge more for the same thing. And it really isn't that way. It's, you know, really about the quality and where it's coming from, and also the delivery systems. You can have amazing ingredients, but if it's not getting in the skin, what are we doing?
Eduardo Perez
No, no, exactly. I mean, one of the reasons Max launched Epicutus was we were develop. Before we launched Epicutus, we were developing these ingredients and we were licensing them to people, and they were using it for the marketing. But they go ahead and use, like, 1/10 or 1/20 of what we showed.
Savannah
Worked because they wanted just like, micro dosing.
Eduardo Perez
Yeah. Cut cost. Cut cost, cut cost. That's kind of the main driver. Right. So we just kind of grew frustrated. Right? Like, people are using our ingredients, but they're not going to see the benefit because we're telling them, you got to put it at half a percent, and they're putting it like 0.005%. Because you don't have to write the dose on the label. Right.
Savannah
You just have to put.
Eduardo Perez
That's another kind of this, you know, the industry and kind of the tricks of the trade kind of thing. Right. So that was a big factor and kind of why we got a really under the car hood look on. On what the skin care industry is. What we like. Yeah. What we like and what we didn't like.
Savannah
It wasn't the totally scam, but not all of them.
Eduardo Perez
But we wanted to fix the stuff that we didn't like. And so we're like, hey, we should just. So Max is like, hey, let's just.
Savannah
Let's just bring ethics back to this industry. Yeah. I mean, it's a weight loss and beauty industry. It's like the, you know, people like to make a quick buck because it's A lot of it, you know, is insecurities and not about health. You know, a lot of people. I just talked about this earlier is, you know, people care more about vanity, you know, typically, than they do about the health of the skin or health of them. And I think it's now starting to change. At least, you know, now people are starting to really focus on, you know, health. Right. Not just, you know, this is gonna make me look better, but also how is this gonna help the health of my skin? And then, of course, when the health of your skin is good, you look better. But, yeah, there's a lot in this industry, you know, that has been bad. But I think, you know, companies like y'all and all the companies I work with are really kind of rewriting the beauty industry and really just putting patients first and ethics first and top of the line science. And that's really, you know, what it's all about. So when you get, you know, people that are in it for the money or the marketing and that just really care about the client at the end of the day and the people that are going to be using this and how it's going to impact their lives, like magic happens. And that's how I feel about you guys. I mean, truly such a good company and your mission and, and I mean, just the origin story of like, we, we created these amazing things and nobody was doing the right thing with them. So we're going to take back the control and put it out in a way that is going to be beneficial and people are actually going to see the benefits of this. So, yeah, it's just, it's amazing and it's really cool to see.
Eduardo Perez
Well, thank you so much and thanks for the support and I really appreciate you guys kind of inviting me on here. I don't, I don't get to do many of these other things, the scientific talks right at, at, at conferences, so different medium. But, you know, this has been, you know, just a ton of fun.
Savannah
I know. I hope we get to see you in Vegas.
Eduardo Perez
It's a cool. Yeah, yeah, I'll try. You got to put a good word in for me.
Savannah
Put it in. We're going to call after this. Be like he has to come.
Eduardo Perez
Yes, yes. Put it in and then we'll make it happen.
Savannah
Yeah. Amazing. Anything you want to close us out.
Eduardo Perez
With, I'll say is just this. I'd say what I'll just. Again, thank you for, for the time and giving me the time here to talk a little about Epicutus. And thank you so much for being supportive of our brand and, and kind of delivering these products to your folks. But just to say that Epicutus is a scientific based company. We are launching new products, not just, you know, in the next few days, but we'll continue. We're kind of just. Max, our CEO, is dedicated to continuing to do research and development. So the next couple products we're launching this year, but we'll continue to. We have a pipeline of ingred ingredients, so we'll continue to kind of change the game in the skincare space to bring new revolutionary and innovative products here. So it's kind of like that's what I am. I'm a scientist. I've been here going for 20 years, and I want to keep my skin looking good so I can come on here. In five years from now, you can say, wow, Eddie, you still look like you did five years ago.
Savannah
Yeah, that's right. I have a request, though, for either a lipid mask for the lips or like a lipid serum for the lips or like a.
Eduardo Perez
Okay, a lip. A lip product. Okay. Okay, I'll jot that down here. I still use my. I'm old school.
Savannah
It's funny. My. I got Emsculpt done this morning, and the lady that does it, it's not at my practice. It's at a dermatologist here in Dallas. And she was telling me, you know, we were just talking because, you know, I do skin. She does skin. About how sometimes you just don't want to talk to clients all day, and it can get exhausting. And she was telling me that. She's like, epicutus needs to make a lip mask because she loves Epicutus. And she was like, what we've been doing is putting the eye. The lipid eye on their lips so that they don't talk the whole appointment. And I was like, I'm screaming. I'm meeting with someone today, and I have to tell them that. And I was like, you're right, though. They do need to make a lip one.
Eduardo Perez
That's a good. You get two for one on that one. You get to shut them up.
Savannah
And she's doing the eye. I was like, that's honestly so smart.
Eduardo Perez
All right, I'll talk to our formulator and Lisa, who heads our. Kind of our marketing team, and put it in the. Throw it in the pipeline.
Savannah
I mean, I want to be bathed in TSC from head to toe. That's my goal.
Eduardo Perez
Awesome. Awesome. Well, I think we'll. And we'll continue to study to see what other benefits it has. So, you know, again, thanks so much for.
Savannah
You are amazing. Like, love, love, love. I love the whole company. Love the people. I mean, and that is such a big thing for me, too. Gotta love the products, and they gotta be good people. And you guys check both of those boxes a million times. So we're excited and we adore you guys, and we're so excited for the clinical study, the new launch, amspa, all the things you guys are just doing amazing over there. So we're proud partners and wish you guys the absolute best and hope to see you in Vegas.
Eduardo Perez
Yeah. See you. Hopefully see you in a couple weeks.
Savannah
Take care. Yes. Thank you so much. Take care. Have a good day. Bye.
Eduardo Perez
Bye.
Savannah
Bye. All right, guys, thank you so much for listening to this episode. We're excited.
Tyler
Super excited.
Savannah
Such good things.
Tyler
No, they're awesome.
Savannah
They're really.
Tyler
I love. I'm telling y'all. I know, Savannah. Like, if you want, like, a little inside scoop on the tea of me, Savannah, you really do only need a drop. But I'm telling y'all, I use way too much lipid serum every day. Like, I'm obsessed with it. But I like. I, like, bring it down to, like, my body.
Savannah
You like the nips?
Tyler
Yeah. Like, nips to forehead.
Savannah
Okay. Slay well, skincare starts at your forehead and ends at your titties.
Tyler
I'm obsessed, and I need to get.
Savannah
You on lipid body.
Tyler
I know. I'm just horrible about body products.
Savannah
I know.
Tyler
That's why I'm dry and crusty.
Savannah
Lip products, body products. Basically everything.
Tyler
Wasn't that a great episode, y'all? I love you guys. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week. This was.
Savannah
I'm gonna go play dress.
Tyler
Okay. Bye. Loves.
Podcast Summary: The blondEST – "The Lipid Serum Glow-Up with Eduardo Perez"
Episode Information:
In the opening segment, Savanna Boda warmly welcomes Eduardo Perez to the podcast. Eduardo introduces himself as the Chief Scientific Officer at Signal Biosciences and the creator of Epicurus, a clean, non-toxic, luxury medical-grade skincare line.
Eduardo Perez [00:25]: "Hi everyone. My name is Eduardo Perez and I am the chief scientific officer of Signal Biosciences... we're the creators of Epicurus, the skincare brand."
Savanna commends Eduardo's longevity and dedication in the skincare industry, highlighting his commitment over nearly two decades.
Savanna [00:59]: "Most people that have been with a company for 20 years, you can tell they're tired and run down... But when you work 20 years with a skincare company, I guess you just look like this. You look amazing."
The conversation shifts to discussing favorite products. Eduardo names the Lipid Serum as his top choice, though he mentions he also frequently uses the Oil Cleanser daily.
Eduardo Perez [02:21]: "My favorite is the lipid serum, which is probably the most popular answer... But the one I think I use most is the oil cleanser."
Savanna shares her affection for the Lipid Serum and Lipid Mask, emphasizing their indispensability in her skincare routine. She also proudly mentions helping her mother transition from La Mer to Hyvia, one of Epicurus's products.
Savanna [02:26]: "Me too. Lipid serum and lipid mask, they're tied for me... I was like, please just use something that actually does something for you and feel."
Eduardo elaborates on the development of Hyvia, a cream infused with chia seed extract. He explains the inspiration behind using chia seeds, referencing the Tarahumara tribe's endurance capabilities attributed to their chia-rich diet.
Eduardo Perez [03:20]: "We were just kind of interested in the fact that... if there’s anything good if we apply it to skin. And kind of like five years later, you know, Hyvia in, in, in the cream."
Savanna praises the product's effectiveness, noting its ability to curb her mother's desire for heavier, less effective moisturizers.
The discussion highlights Epicurus's commitment to innovation and proprietary ingredient development. Eduardo contrasts their approach with other brands that often repurpose existing formulations without significant innovation.
Eduardo Perez [10:03]: "Arctogen is revolutionary. I've never heard of that ingredient in my entire life until you guys."
Savanna echoes the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of developing unique, high-quality ingredients over following fleeting skincare trends.
Savanna [12:54]: "They don't need to do, like, this, kind of a private label, and they just put, like, it's all basically the same ingredients."
A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to discussing a new clinical study on Lipid Serum, specifically focusing on its main ingredient, tetramethyl hexadecinal sex and cysteine (TSC). Eduardo explains how Lipid Serum can mitigate the common side effects of retinoids, such as redness and dryness, enhancing the overall efficacy of retinoid treatments.
Eduardo Perez [14:07]: "TSC is our hero ingredient, or the main ingredient in the lipid serum and how it functions... it helps strengthen your barrier, make, promote skin health."
Savanna highlights the study's relevance for her clients using retinoids, positioning Lipid Serum as a "liquid ibuprofen" for the skin.
Savanna [19:36]: "Because when you really think about inflammation, that's the root of so many skin concerns... Lipid serum is helping lower that inflammation."
Notable Study Outcomes:
The hosts delve into the significance of maintaining a consistent skincare regimen. Savanna draws an analogy between skincare and fitness, emphasizing that regular, sustained efforts yield the best results.
Savanna [24:04]: "Consistency is key, especially when it comes to pigmentation, aging, and acne. You really gotta be consistent with stuff."
Eduardo concurs, noting that Lipid Serum complements other treatments, allowing users to maintain regular use without the hindrance of irritation.
Eduardo teases upcoming product releases, including a new product launch at AMSPA in approximately ten days. While details are kept under wraps, he hints at an activated grapeseed extract as a key ingredient.
Eduardo Perez [28:35]: "We will be launching a new product... the hero ingredient in this is called activated grapeseed extract."
Savanna expresses excitement for the new releases and anticipates future collaborations.
The conversation shifts to the importance of ingredient quality and the pitfalls of the skincare industry, such as dilution and lack of innovation. Savanna shares her experiences and the misconceptions clients have about product efficacy based solely on branding.
Savanna [39:08]: "You can go eat at Taco Bell and they're gonna have the beans and... let’s say the hole in the wall authentic Mexican restaurant... They both have rice and beans, but their quality is completely different."
Eduardo criticizes the industry's tendency to use low-dose ingredients while marketing them heavily, emphasizing Epicurus's dedication to high-quality, effective formulations.
Eduardo Perez [39:24]: "People are using our ingredients, but they're not going to see the benefit because we're telling them, you got to put it at half a percent, and they're putting it like 0.005%."
In the concluding segment, Eduardo reiterates Epicurus's commitment to scientific research and product innovation. He mentions a potential lip product inspired by industry feedback and Savanna’s suggestions.
Eduardo Perez [43:21]: "A lip product. Okay. Okay. I'll jot that down here."
Savanna and Eduardo express mutual admiration and excitement for future endeavors, reinforcing the strong partnership between them.
Savanna [44:07]: "It's such a big thing for me, too. Gotta love the products, and they gotta be good people."
Eduardo assures listeners of ongoing product launches and emphasizes the brand’s dedication to ethical practices and scientific excellence.
Eduardo Perez [42:18]: "Epicutus is a scientific-based company. We are launching new products, not just... we'll continue to change the game in the skincare space to bring new revolutionary and innovative products."
Key Takeaways:
Notable Quotes:
This episode offers valuable insights into the science behind Epicurus's skincare products, particularly the Lipid Serum, and underscores the importance of quality, consistency, and innovation in achieving healthy, radiant skin. Listeners, especially skincare professionals and enthusiasts, will find the detailed discussion on product formulation and clinical evidence both informative and inspiring.