Keratin is the protein that makes up your skin, hair and nails, as well as some of the organs and soft tissues of the body. Keratin’s main function is to protect the tissues it forms from the effects of environmental damage.

Because keratin is the primary building block of skin, hair, and nails, it is commonly thought in the beauty world that keratin supplements and specialist keratin treatments may help to strengthen and protect your skin, hair and nails, preventing breakage and brittleness, and keeping them looking healthy.

Keratin is usually extracted from animal sources, such as from bird feathers, mammal horns or sheep wool. Another type of supplement, ‘phytokeratin’, is a plant based group of amino acids that are found in wheat, corn and soy and which are reported to have similar protective properties to that of standard animal-derived keratin. However, its efficacy is actually significantly reduced when compared with animal-derived keratin, such as Cynatine HNS, as is present in the LYMA formula.

Why keratin supplements benefits are not what they seem.

Keratin, however, is not all glowing skin, shining hair and long and strong nails. There are some dark sides to the supplement too. For starters, whilst keratin is a natural protein, many supplements are packed with bulking agents and the keratin itself may originate from less-than desirable sources.

For example, a number of mainstream commercial supplement companies have faced backlash from consumers for sourcing their keratin from slaughterhouses and abattoirs (this, perhaps, explains why some keratin supplements appear inexplicably cheap).

Keratin supplements' side-effects.

Furthermore, some keratin treatments come fully loaded with a chemical called formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is carcinogenic, which means it cause cancer to develop and quickly spread. Other side-effects have also been reported by consumers after undergoing formaldehyde-laced keratin treatments. However, the issue of side-effects associated with these treatments is not widely reported, so we have no idea as to the extent of the problem.

It is for these reasons - among others - that the LYMA formula contains the nutricosmetic Cynatine® HNS rather than generic keratin, and that we are proud to deliver our subscribers with the best possible results a supplement can offer for the health of your skin, hair and nails.

Why is Cynatine® HNS so effective at improving the health of your skin, hair and nails, and at boosting beauty? The low molecular weight and strong polarity of Cynatine® HNS ensure superior bioavailability and bioreactivity. It is actually the world’s first solubilised keratin, meaning that it is much more readily absorbed by the body than other forms of the protein.

Another unique and important feature of Cynatine® HNS is its ability to stimulate glutathione synthesis. Glutathione is able to prevent damage to important cellular components caused by reactive oxygen species such as free radicals, peroxides, lipid peroxides, and heavy metals. This endocellular antioxidant capacity protects the skin and its cells, and keeps you looking younger for longer.

Cynatine® HNS also helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles by activating collagen production in the dermis.

After supplementing with Cynatine® HNS for 30 consecutive days, participants in a study reported astounding improvements in the health and appearance of their skin:

• 60% of the participants reported an 80%+ improvement in the smoothness of their skin
• 79% of participants reported that their skin felt less rough
• 75% of participants registered a 12% decrease in the depth of their wrinkles

And after 90 days:

• 79% of participants registered a 30% increase in moisture and hydration levels in the skin
• For 88% of the participants, the elasticity of their skin had been given a 17% boost

Three key advantages of Cynatine® HNS:

1. The source
2. The manufacturing process
3. The evidence

1. The source of Cynatine® HNS

The keratin in Cynatine® HNS can only be from an animal source. Plant-based sources do not have the evidence to support them working to improve the health of human skin, hair and nails.

Keratin originates in the keratinocytes that make up horns, wool, beaks, nails, hair, skin. These cells, by nature, do not exist in wheat or soybeans. The hydrolysed wheat protein (HWP) that is often found in vegetarian keratin supplements is not strictly speaking keratin, and the benefits therefore pale in comparison to those of Cynatine® HNS. HWP can also be highly allergenic.

The keratin present in Cynatine® HNS comes from sheep’s wool and not from meat-production waste products.

The wool itself is special too, and specially selected for use in LYMA: the aminogram of Cynatine® HNS is very close to that of human hair. The DNA of Cynatine® HNS and its constituent parts are all present in proportions required by human skin, hair and nails in order to thrive and remain protected. Furthermore, the absence of disease at the time of shearing is established and traced for each and every batch of our award-winning ingredient.

The wool that is used to produce Cynatine® HNS is highly prized for its quality by the textile industry too.

2. The manufacturing process is fully patented and protected

A gentle and careful process is used to extract keratin from the wool. Neutral pH values and moderate temperatures work to conserve the properties of the intact wool. Most keratin is derived from very aggressive chemical processes, and is carried out in corrosive environments at high temperatures that denature the properties of the wool. This is not the case when it comes to Cynatine® HNS.

In fact, the entire process of extracting keratin from wool to create Cynatine® HNS is patented and totally protected. This patented process allows LYMA to benefit from beneficially low molecular weight peptides that are instantly hydrosoluble and for which the odour is easily masked.

3. Clinical studies around the proven keratin ingredient

With over 18 clinical studies to support its efficacy, no other keratin product in the world has as much science backing it up as Cynatine® HNS does.

Here are a few highlights from the research:

• Clinical studies demonstrate a reduction in hair loss of 63%, an increase in hair growth of 18% and an increase in hair volume of 95% over the course of three months, although results were actually tangible from month one. These results were obtained among a sample group of 60 subjects and was an active double-blind study with a placebo control group.

• In regard to the skin benefits of Cynatine® HNS, results emerged that demonstrated a 60% reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and an increase in elasticity of 50%. Again, this was a randomised and double-blind study with a placebo control group in place, and the product was actively trialled on 60 participants.

Cynatine® HNS is simply the best keratin on the market today. Cynatine® HNS is the ingredient du jour for those looking to enhance, protect and repair their skin, hair and nails. So if it’s clearer skin, stronger nails or glossier hair that you’re after, adding a daily dose of Cynatine® HNS to your daily routine is surely the way to go.