DMAE safety and uses

By Jennifer Flanagan

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding this ingredient recently in and its safety based on a study that was done by (G. Morissette, L. Germain, F. Marceau [2007])

It is my belief however that this study was misinterpreted. Also the wrong ph of solution was used in the study that would not be used in a typical cosmetic product.

Everything you are to read here is my opinion, solely my opinion and based on a lot of research that I did on the subject.

To that end.. here we go..

What is DMAE? DMAE is an organic compound found in small amounts in the brain and also is found in larger amounts in certain types of fish. DMAE is available in supplement form in its bitartrate form (which is buffered) and the amine version is available for cosmetic formulators. It is buffered when used in cosmetic formulations. It is related to choline and is a chemical precursor to acetylcholine which is used by the brain to function properly. Because of this it is known to have a Nootropic effect. (Nootropic means improving human cognitive ability. )

As a supplement it is well known as being able to help brain function and issues with the nervous system. Where as in skincare, its use has been for firming, lifting, or helping to stop sagging skin.  Hence it has an anti aging effect. Most users who use dmae topically find it has an immediate plumping effect. And also long term use seems to bring a accumulative effect of firming the skin.

But I believe based on my research that DMAE has another even more important role to play in skin health. It can also flush lipofuscin from cells. What is lipofuscin you ask? And why is it so important to know?

Lipofuscin is extracellular waste. When toxins, metals and other wastes accumulate in the body and cannot be flushed they are deposited into the skin cells and other organs in the body. If enough of this is deposited, the cells start breaking down and they do not duplicate properly. You may also see lipofuscin accumulation as “liver spots” or other “age” spots on your skin. This as you may be able to see has far greater implications for your overall health, but I will focus on skin health for this article.

Now lets go back to safety. Since that is the main basis for this article. DMAE has been used safely for over 20 years in the supplement field.  In the study presented by the British Journal of Dermatology the amine form of DMAE was used. (This part about the amine form being used is the most important part of this whole article) Also they used human cultured cells and rabbit ears. There was no human studies with this particular study.

Normal human skin ph is usually anywhere from 4.5 to 6.  But the DMAE in its amine form is a ph of 10.5.  Granted this was used at 3% solution in water, but water has a ph of 7 so this would still cause the end test liquid to be lower. I estimate would be that it was about a 9 ph. Very high!)

Used at such a high ph, the skin is going to become highly alkaline which would cause them to become inflamed, and also could very likely cause cell death in a number of them. In the study they used bafilomycin A1 to stop this alkaline effect and this did reverse the problem. The DMAE used in skincare is ALWAYS buffered for skin so that this problem does not occur. You would never see DMAE used in its amine form the way it was used in the study.

Now that we’ve taken an even closer look at the study that caused all the controversy, lets get back to lipofuscin. It has been theorized that lipofuscin when in massive amounts in cells and organs can actually cause their functionality to decrease. So if you look at this in skin, it makes sense that lipofuscin in skin can cause the skin to not function as well. Enter – DMAE. Using DMAE is an excellent choice since one thing DMAE is very very good at is eliminating the lipofuscin from the cells so that they can function again.

Another important aspect of DMAE.. Remember when I said that DMAE is related to choline? Choline is one of the organic compounds found in lipids. Lipids are fat soluble compounds such as oils!

When you think of how things move around our body, they need pathways to do this. I liken them to roads in and out of our body. That is why lipids are so very important to proper functioning of our body (skin and organs) If these pathways or “roads” are blocked in our cells, skin, organs etc. Then they cannot function properly. I theorize that DMAE can help get these pathways functioning again by increasing choline in the skin. By increasing the choline in the skin, it then has the pathways to flush the lipofuscin from the cells and return them to their healthy state.

I would like to add that I also highly suggest using l-carnosine. l-carnitine, l-glutathione and Super Oxide dismutase in conjunction with the DMAE, they are really great used together!

Based on my research I theorize that using DMAE in conjunction with other antioxidants we can begin to start healing our skin and stop the signs of aging and that is why I truly believe that DMAE should be in your arsenal for skincare!

Jen Flanagan