You only have to go onto Nam Vo’s Instagram for half a second to start envying what the New York City-based makeup artist calls her “dewy dumpling” glow. Luckily, she often shares the secrets to her luminous skin on her Instagram stories. Recently, she posted a picture of the MBR Liquid Surgery Serum she’s been slathering on lately, noting it’s the most expensive product she owns (it’s $1,750). She even joked that she was “accused of being a 12-year-old yesterday and a 16-year-old today.”
The pricey serum with a wild name was gifted to Vo by one of her favorite New York City-based aestheticians, Aida Bicaj. So I asked her how she discovered the product. Turns out, MBR found her first. In 2015, she met the company’s CEO and was introduced to the serum. The same year, MBR launched in the US, and Bicaj loved the products so much that her namesake spa was the first place in America to sell it.
The Liquid Surgery Serum appealed to her as it’s spiked with a proprietary complex that contains synthetic perfluorocarbons, which help carry oxygen to skin. As the serum absorbs, oxygen is said to replace the excess carbon dioxide in dermal tissue to purportedly help “produce a youthful, radiant, ageless complexion” Bicaj says.
“Generally, the oxygen content and the skin’s ability to deliver oxygen to the dermal tissue decreases gradually starting at the age of 20, and by the age of 50, it reaches only half of the original value,” she further explains. “The percentage of carbon dioxide increases proportionally. A lack of oxygen at the cellular level causes aging, increasing lines to wrinkles and the forming of age spots.”
As much as I wanted to take Bicaj’s word for it, I was still skeptical about how a serum could possibly give your skin plastic surgery-like results without added pain or downtime. I took a closer look at its ingredients and how much it takes to actually make the product.
Ingredients
As someone who finds joy in reading the ingredient list of skincare products the way some people do about their favorite basketball player’s stats, I looked forward to checking out what makes up the Liquid Surgery Serum. The list was surprisingly short but just as mind-boggling as its price. Many of them had trademark symbols and registered signs next to them and fancy proper names, like Pentavitin, CroNoline, and Syn-Ake. The only ones I recognized were ceramide, shea butter, and hyaluronic acid.
To learn more about how the serum is supposed to smooth skin and iron out wrinkles, I sent the ingredient list to a couple of cosmetic chemists, as well as a dermatologist. Many pointed out that I probably didn’t recognize most of the ingredients because the trademarked ones are raw materials from outside manufacturers that MBR combined into its formula.
Ceramide III: Like the ceramides that spike some of the latest and greatest skincare products on the market, this form is “a human-skin identical fat molecule that is a vital part of our skin barrier,” explains Arash Akhavan, a New York City-based cosmetic dermatologist. “It helps to repair dry and sensitive skin.”
Shambrilla oil: Derived from a flowering plant native to California and Oregon, shambrilla oil is an emollient that “makes the product feel slippery and soft on skin,” says cosmetic chemist Perry Romanowski.
Shea butter: A better-known emollient that also has occlusive qualities.
Hyaluronic acid Pentavitin: Cosmetic chemist Ginger King calls this simply a “moisture magnet.”
Liquid Surgery Complex (perfluorocarbons): “Perfluorocarbons are a class of man-made compounds made of fluorine and carbon that increase oxygen delivery to the skin,” says Akhavan. King says they have healing potential. Akhavan adds: “No significant benefit has been proven scientifically, but it is said by some to increase collagen production and skin hydration.”
Golden Collagenine: This one is “a peptide containing precious metals like gold and platinum,” Romanowski explains. “There’s little evidence it does much when put on the surface of skin.”
Complex from Syn-Ake: This synthetic peptide works as a muscle relaxant. When applied topically, “this compound can help to relax facial wrinkles,” Akhavan says.
Trylagen: This combination of peptides and proteins is said to boost collagen production, according to Akhavan. There’s little evidence to back that claim up, though, Romanowski adds.
Cyclopeptide-5: This particular peptide has been shown to decrease sagging and wrinkles, says Akhavan.
CroNoline: “This ingredient is a mystery to me,” Akhavan admits. “I can’t find anything on it.”
SYN-HYCAN: The last peptide on the list is moisturizing, notes Romanowski. It supposedly “boosts hyaluronic acid production in the skin and strengthens collagen fibers,” Akhavan adds.
Cost
Now that the science lesson is over, let’s talk finances. All the trademarked ingredients are what hike up the price of the serum, the experts conclude. Although none of them know just how much of each ingredient is used in the final formulation, in Romanowski’s opinion, “there is no serum on Earth that would be worth $1,750.” He suggests instead using a product like the $29 Olay Regenerist Regenerating Serum instead as he says you’ll likely get similar wrinkle-reducing benefits from it.
Regardless of how much of each of the expensive ingredients are added to the serum, King is doubtful that your skin could absorb all the actives in it. “Cosmetics, by definition, should not penetrate deep into the skin — or it’s a drug,” she explains. “So, it’s like spending $1,750 versus $100 for a pool cover. It may make you feel fancy but it’s not necessarily doing you any better than a $150 product — that’s my limit that I am willing to pay, as a cosmetic chemist, for a good [skincare] product.”
The Verdict
Picking which skincare products you used on your face every morning and night is completely a personal choice. Spend $10, $100, or $1,750 — as long as the product isn’t irritating your skin and making it break out, feel free to do whatever you want. Skincare polices don’t exist.
This serum most likely won’t replace the wrinkle-reducing results of Botox or the skin-tightening benefits of a face-lift. But if you’re terrified of needles and getting surgery and happen to have the money to spend, this is an incredibly luxurious way to treat your skin.
You can shop the MBR Liquid Surgery Serum on mbrskincare.com. I would invest my money elsewhere, and buy something under $100 instead. But, that’s just me.
