Developed by Dr. Sun exclusively for MDSUN, Ultrapack technology is the means of delivery for ingredients like antioxidants, peptides, and more. But what exactly is it? Is it bogus or pure genius?

The public is becoming increasingly aware of the science behind skin care. People are starting to pay attention to not just the ingredients, but to the skin care delivery system involved.

What is a Delivery System?

Delivery systems refer to the technologies built by product formulators to integrate, protect, and stabilize the active ingredients (actives) that they put into cosmetics. Just because an ingredient is included in a product doesn’t exactly mean your skin is going to be able to incorporate that product or effectively use it. That’s where the delivery system comes into play.

“You can buy an $800 product, but if it’s not getting down there [into the dermis] it’s not going to be effective,” says Barbara Broas, national aesthetician for Le Métier de Beauté. “Many products just hit the surface of your face, but when you get deep down you’re going to actually correct what’s going on before it surfaces.”

The delivery system is just as crucial to a cosmetic formula as the actives.

What Does a Delivery System Do?

An effective delivery system allows active ingredients to penetrate the skin’s barrier and delivers nutrients to where they are most needed so they can actually work their magic. “An ingredient may be active in a test tube, but in the real world it needs to be applied to the skin without causing irritation, penetrate through the outer skin layer, and remain stable and active when it reaches its target,” explains Joshua Zeichner, MD, Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital.

It also may play the role of bouncer, keeping ingredients separate from each other until they reach their destination. Why would that be helpful? “Just as important as the active ingredient is the technology involved in stabilizing that active and allowing it to do its job in the skin,” says Zeichner. In a product with multiple different actives, it encapsulates them, preventing their premature interaction so that when they reach where they need to go (deep in the skin), they are performing with optimal efficacy.

Active ingredients are typically extremely sensitive to degradation and have to be stabilized to ensure that they retain optimum efficacy. A good delivery system can . . . .well. . . .deliver that!

Dr. Rocio Rivera, the Director of Scientific Communications for L’Oreal Paris Skincare puts it into easy context:

“Think of the delivery system as a food-delivery service trying to deliver ice cream from Central Park to Union Square at 5 p.m. on a Monday,” she says. “The vehicle (taxi, bus, motorcycle, subway) and route taken (FDR, Fifth Avenue) are all crucial to ensure proper arrival at the destination, but so is the temperature in the car so the ice cream is not liquid by the time it reaches (if it ever does) its destination. This is a very good example of how the vehicle and the conditions at which the active is delivered (temperature, pH, how much time does it take to arrive at the correct component of the skin) are key to ensure maximal efficacy.”

What Delivery Systems Work?

Since the skin is designed to keep everything out, a delivery system really has its work cut out for it! There are a few efficient ones that have been proven, tried and true. “Phospholipids, liposomes, microcapsules, and hydrogels are all different molecules that allow active ingredients to bypass the outermost layers of the skin to allow for better penetration,” says Elizabeth Tanzi, MD, Founder and Director of Capital Laser & Skin Care in Washington, D.C. “They have been used for years to increase penetration of both topical drugs and cosmetic products.”

What is Ultrapack Technology?

Ultrapacks are Dr. Sun’s answer to a state-of-the-art delivery system in his premium formulas found in all MDSUN’s products. They are synergistic (working well together), highly-concentrated formulations of clinical-grade ingredients that promote dramatic results over time without causing irritation, peeling, redness, or other common adverse effects.

They’re used throughout all MDSUN products and incorporate a variety of comprehensive combinations of powerful ingredients: lipid and water-soluble antioxidants and vitamins, alpha and beta-hydroxyl, lipolydroxy and polyhydroxy acids, amino acids, polyphenols, flavonoids, and isoflavanones, cytokinins, retinoid derivatives, multiple skin brightening components, botanical anti-inflammatories, natural skin barrier components, and a multitude of growth factors, peptides, and stem cells.

Ultrapack formulations are delivered in a specialized liposomal vehicle for enhanced stability, comfort, penetration, and efficacy, ensuring that the actives arrive where they are needed most.

Pure Genius!

Do All Skincare Products Have an Effective Delivery System?

That’s a resounding NO!

Developing delivery systems, especially effective ones, is expensive and very time consuming. The chemist needs to find the correct balance of molecules for each product, and that’s a very delicate process. Typically only high-end or pharmaceutical-grade cosmetics employ their use.

The problem is that without an effective system, the benefits of the active ingredients become significantly reduced or even completely redundant in some cases.