This is what Paula Begoun (author of "Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me") says about it.

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StriVectin-SD: Better than Botox?
Quite a few of you have written asking about the rather prominent newspaper ads for the product StriVectin-SD ($135 for 6 ounces). With a headline that reads "Better than Botox," along with the increasing number of topical products hitting the market claiming they can mimic the effects of Botox without "painful injections," I certainly understand the curiosity.

I wrote about StriVectin-SD in a previous newsletter, when a reader asked about its ability to repair stretch marks. That was StriVectin's original marketing claim to fame, though the fame was all self-promoted, as there is not a single independent, peer-reviewed study to prove that StriVectin is an effective option for repairing stretch marks. The studies that do exist about StriVectin's benefits for stretch marks were paid for by Klein-Becker, the company that distributes StriVectin.

According to the company's latest ads, they were surprised to find that not only was StriVectin-SD getting rid of women's stretch marks, but also that somehow their facial wrinkles were going away, too. For that reason, we now have the astounding "anti-wrinkle breakthrough of the decade." Regrettably, no supportive research needs to be available to sell this kind of hyperbole. All it takes is to promise women that a product will get rid of their wrinkles and they will buy it in droves, no matter how many other product lines, infomercials, advertisements, or cosmetics salespeople pledge the exact same thing.

StriVectin's ad continues with "The active formula in StriVectin-SD has recently been shown in clinical trials to significantly reduce that category of fine lines and facial wrinkles that can add 10–15 years to your appearance...and even reduce the dark circles under your eyes...without irritation, painful injections, or surgery." One more flourish is the statement that "in fact, [StriVectin-SD] is the only topical formulation clinically proven to effectively confront every aspect of wrinkle reduction." It is easy to debunk all of this overblown nonsense by pointing out the product's lack of sunscreen; perhaps StriVectin overlooked the research about sun exposure's deleterious, wrinkling, and discoloring effects on skin.

Klein-Becker has parlayed these claims into what appears to be little more than an effort to spin off the popularity of Botox to its own benefit. StriVectin-SD is supposedly preferred because its long-term results versus the short-term results (and repeated treatments) of Botox. A Dr. Nathalie Chevreau is quoted in the ad, saying "the cumulative effects of using a product like StriVectin become more noticeable every day, and ultimately last longer than Botox." Chevreau is hardly an impartial source, as she works for Klein-Becker. Further, Dr. Chevreau is a licensed dietician in Utah, a fact that is conveniently left out of StriVectin's ad because it would conflict with her credibility as a medical doctor speaking about the legitimate benefits of an antiwrinkle cream.

The final Botox comparison comes from the ad's statement that StriVectin not only addresses the expression lines Botox treats, but also the lines Botox doesn't affect. However, the only lines Botox wouldn't affect are the ones not injected.

Needless to say, Klein-Becker's statements comparing StriVectin-SD to Botox have not gone unnoticed by Allergan, the company that manufactures the drug. According to an article in The Salt Lake Tribune, Allergan has threatened to sue Klein-Becker for false advertising and unfair business practices. After the tension continued to mount on both sides, Klein-Becker actually went ahead and took the case to court, asking a federal judge to approve its advertising for StriVectin-SD. As this newsletter goes to press, Klein-Becker has not taken their lawsuit any further.

In the meantime, the "Better than Botox" ads remain in wide circulation and are sent via spam emails, and StriVectin-SD is now available at Nordstrom department stores.

So is StriVectin better than Botox? The short answer is no--and that means no way, and nohow. It isn't even better than the daily use of an effective sunscreen! StriVectin is merely a moisturizer with some good emollients and antioxidants, though the addition of peppermint oil is extremely suspect--the tingle is probably meant to lead women to believe that the product is doing something to their skin. Botox prevents the use of facial muscles, and that instantaneously smoothes out the skin. StriVectin-SD won't alter the wrinkling on any part of your face, not in the long term, and not in the short term.

Incidentally, the two studies quoted in StriVectin's ads for "Better than Botox" were supposedly from information presented at the 20th World Congress of Dermatology, held in July 2002. These examined the effects of palmitoyl pentapeptide-3 (trade name: Matrixyl, but also known as Pal-KTTKS, which is the term used in StriVectin's ads) and compared it to vitamin C and retinol. However, there is no published research substantiating the results, and StriVectin declined to send us any documentation.