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Sandra Cope uses only fresh & pure, cold-processed unadulterated Aloe Vera in her skin and body care formulations combined with state of the art plant-derived biological actives.
FAQ Statement
This page explains several of the most commonly asked questions our clients have when determining exactly what makes our products and services distinct and unique.
All Aloe Vera products are not created equal.
Isn’t it apparent that Aloe Vera used in cosmetics is always the same?
Answer: No. In order for Aloe Vera to be an effective product active it must not be adulterated by heat or diluted by water. Anytime a natural product is processed it begins to rapidly deteriorate and become ineffective.
The process by which Aloe Vera is cultivated and formulated into cremes and lotions is critical.
Which do you think is more beneficial to the body — Fresh squeezed orange juice or orange juice from a pasteurized concentrate? Fresh of course. Heat destroys vitamins, enzymes and other biological nutrient actives. Pasteurized or powdered aloe effectively destroys the natural structure of aloe and to add insult to injury, powdered aloe must be reconstituted with water and in fact should no longer even be considered Aloe Vera.
How does Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum process and prepare its Aloe Vera for production?
Answer: Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum processes (without heat) its Aloe Vera leaves within 4 to 6 hours of harvesting using only the inner pure gel. The leaves are processed at 60° F , and stored at 42° F to prevent harmful bacteria growth until formulated, which is done within 72 hours. The pure aloe gel is added into the formulation at approximately 100° F. This is critical because aloe begins to rapidly deteriorate at temperature over 120° F. Most, if not virtually all, commercial manufacturers of aloe products heat their formulas to 170° F in order to pasteurize the aloe.
Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum uses a trade-secret protected process to assure its Aloe Vera is bacteria-free and commercially stable which does not involve the use of either heat or harsh, irritating chemical preservatives.
Unique and different.
Don’t all manufacturers say that their products are unique and different from all others — and how are Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum formulations truly different from others on the market?
Answer: In order for the biological actives used in cremes, lotions and gels to be truly effective you must add them at levels where they can actually function — not just to get an exotic name on the label with an interesting story to go along with it.
Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum believes in truth in advertising.
We believe that you and your clients should get what you pay for. If we say that our products work at low humidity where other products fail to work, or that our actives stimulate new collagen formation in the skin, this can de documented and proven in our clinical studies.
We have certified chemist assays verifying the authenticity of the concentrations within our formulations as being at effective levels (if not greater). Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum currently has a patent pending for their skin restructuring complex formulation. This complex actually stimulates new collagen formation using amino acids and plant-derived human skin-identical structural lipids.
Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum uses a unique complex of structural lipids and natural oils in conjunction with fresh, active and unadulterated Aloe Vera extract. Because of the high level of activity, these products can readily penetrate and replenish the skin with its own structural lipids restoring the lipid barrier integrity. Aloe Vera extract is added at very low temperatures in order to preserve the integrity of the plant’s delicate enzyme mechanism. The quantity of Aloe Vera in these formulations is never less than 40% of the entire formula, resulting in a totally unique and effective skin care line.
What is considered an effective level of Aloe Vera in formulations and how much does Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum use?
Answer: In order to be considered an effective level, aloe must be used at a minimum of 5% to 10 % of the entire formulation. The cost of adding this quantity of Aloe Vera is inhibitive and therefore most commercial manufacturers will not add that percentage of pure aloe. They often choose to add an inexpensive aloe powder (reconsituted with water) in order to claim higher concentrations. Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum never uses less than 40% pure, unadulterated Aloe Vera gel to her cremes and her gels.
Technologically advanced processes.
What are “biological actives” and what are their significance in Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum formulations?
Answer: Biological actives are plant-derived human skin-identical structural lipids. The skin’s ability to properly regulate and maintain the correct moisture balance within its stratum corneum (the upper-most layer of skin, called the “moisture barrier” which is responsible for keeping contaminants out and water vapors in) has long been of great interest to the scientific community. The subject has been deeply studied with the target being to identify the underlying mechanism of action.
In healthy skin these lipids are naturally produced and migrate to the stratum corneum where they function on a molecular level to regulate the exchange of moisture between the skin and the outside environment. These lipids play a major role to maintain the proper level of moisture in the skin. When these lipids are damaged, they become disorganized. Moisture is lost and the skin’s health and vitality is diminished resulting in a loss of tone and imperfections such as skin discoloration, wrinkles and crows-feet develop.
Sandra Cope's Aloe Spectrum uses these biological actives in its skin and body care formulations to help restore, replenish and restructure these lipids back within the stratum corneum to counter their loss from either the ageing process or as the result of damage caused by washing, stress, environmental insults or excessive UV exposure.
Aloe Spectrum Skin Care Overview
It is the philosophy of Sandra Cope that Nature is man’s best ally to maintain the human body in its optimal state. The best care for the skin is supplied by the natural processes that take place in the skin. For several reasons these processes may need support. For instance, as a result of age, health or environmental stress, the level of certain building blocks in the skin becomes suboptimal. These shortages need to be replenished. This can be achieved by adding the deleted building-blocks to the skin.
Sandra Cope uses a unique complex of structural lipids and natural oils in conjunction with fresh, active and unadulterated Aloe Vera extract. Because of the high level of activity, these products can readily penetrate and replenish the skin with its own structural lipids restoring the lipid barrier integrity. Aloe Vera extract is added at very low temperatures in order to preserve the integrity of the plant’s delicate enzyme mechanism. The quantity of Aloe Vera in these formulations is never less than 40% of the entire formula (most all other commercial cremes contain between 2 to 5 percent maximum and almost never fresh Aloe), resulting in a totally unique and effective skin care line.
Sandra Cope currently has a patent pending for its skin restructuring complex formulation. This complex actually stimulates new collagen formation using Amino acids and plant-derived human skin-identical structural lipids.
Sandra Cope has developed a complete skin care system which has been developed to help restore, replenish and restructure these lipids back within the skin’s moisture barrier to counter its loss from either the ageing process or as the result of damage caused by washing, stress, environmental insults or excessive UV exposure.
Sandra Cope makes these substances available in topically applied cremes and lotions which act as a collagen amplifier system. This system stimulates and “wakes up” skin cells, helping to restore the skin’s former tone and suppleness. This amplifier system actually helps resculpt the face’s skin by smoothing away wrinkles and crow’s feet.
Sandra Cope’s Aloe Spectrum has a unique delivery system that helps to target these active substances to where they are needed; increasing the skin’s ability to retain and hold moisture and to strenghten its barriers. This supplements that which is lost by damage and helps to re-regulate the exchange of moisture between the skin and the environment. Sandra Cope’s skin care formulations are produced by the most advanced state of the art technologies. The lipids within its treatment specialties are manufactured by technologically advanced processes in biofermentation techniques and are not animal derived. It has been proven that these specific lipids with their organization and structure characteristics are necessary for the normal function and maintenance of healthy skin.
Among the numerous modifications of the skin’s structure as we get older, the ability of skin cells (called fibroblasts) to synthesize collagen significantly decreases.
This has been the subject of numerous studies and research has shown that collagen content — which makes up 75% of the dry weight of tissue — decreases rapidly during skin ageing at a rate of 1% per year throughout adult life.
Collagen III has been called a restructuring collagen and is particular to very young skin or skin under repair, for instance it is predominant in the wound healing process. It is believed that the changes in skin properties, i.e. elasticity and softness, which occur as we age are directly related to the decrease in levels of collagen III in our skin. Visually, this is most clearly demonstrated in the difference in softness, flexibility and tautness between the skin of a baby and that of a mature adult.
The reduction and alteration of the natural collagen support layer that lies just beneath the skin causes facial lines and wrinkles. Cremes and lotions can moisturize or exfoliate the surface of the skin, but they can’t diminish the lines or wrinkles that are caused by the reduction and alteration of the underlying collagen support.
The Aloe Spectrum Product Concept
Keratinocytes are the skin’s “antenna” for the reception of external signals, and fibroblasts are the “machines” that synthesize most of the skin’s supportive structures. When these supportive structures are damaged, the fibroblasts start to resynthesize the damaged structures. This requires the transduction of a biological signal from the keratinocytes to the fibroblasts. These biological signals are called “cytokines”.
Our anti-aging/anti-wrinkle product concept stems from the basic understanding of “biological signals”. The question posed during development of the Collagen III amplifier system was: could biological system be fooled in such a way that keratinocytes send signals to fibroblasts, which in turn will start synthesizing collagen III? The answer is Yes.
Sandra Cope uses specialty ingredients to formulate products that stimulate remodeling and contraction of collagen fibers, protect elastic fibers against enzymatic breakdown and scavenge free radicals — moisturizes, smooths, strengthens and rejuvenates the skin, thus restoring its former tone and suppleness — wrinkles are reduced.
Products described:
Sandra Cope’s Aloe Spectrum basic four-step skin care.
Step #1 Cleansing Creme — Step #2 Aloe Gelée —
Step #3 Ultramoist — Step #4 Moisturizing Creme
1. What are the 5 key benefits of using Sandra Cope’s Aloe Spectrum products?
a. Helps to protect the skin from irritation and damage by free radicals caused by solar radiation and environmental stress factors (e.g. chemicals and ozone).
b. Improves skin smoothness, firmness, elasticity, moisturization and hydration, even at low humidity (where normally used humectants in skin care products fail).
c. Helps replenish the moisture barrier of the skin (with plant-derived human skin-identical lipids), which provides long-lasting moisturizing and firming action.
d. Helps to re-sculpt the face’s skin by smoothing out wrinkles and crows-feet (firms tissues by stimulating the contraction of collagen fibers), helps correct imperfections, and delays the appearance of wrinkles (age-defying) by protecting the fibers of the dermis (against breakdown by enzymes).
e. Enhances the skin’s capability to produce restructuring collagen (type III & IV).
2. How do these products work? Why are they unique?
Collectively, these basic four-steps allow people with any skin type or color to develop a skin care system for themselves that can be customized to suit their specific individual requirements by using more or less of the various products. Aloe Spectrum skin care cremes and lotions utilize materials and nutrients that are naturally present in the epidermis. Botanically active substances in Aloe Spectrum products immediately restore, nurture, rejuvenate and revitalize the texture, tone and appearance of the skin.
Sandra Cope’s unique, patent-pending, delivery system helps to target active substances to where they are needed; increasing the skin’s ability to retain and hold moisture and to strengthen its barriers. This helps to re-regulate the exchange of moisture between the skin and the environment.
Sandra Cope currently has a patent-pending for her skin restructuring complex formulation.
This complex actually stimulates new collagen formation using amino acids and plant-derived human skin-identical structural lipids. The botanical active ingredients used in her patent act as a “Collagen amplifier system,” effectively “fooling” the biological system of the skin into making it’s own structural components! This system stimulates and “wakes up” skin cells, helping to restore the skin’s former tone and suppleness. This amplifier system actually helps re-sculpt the face’s skin by smoothing away wrinkles and crow’s feet.
Sandra Cope is her own best testimonial. At 65 she has the skin that people would do anything to have. Please notice the comparison pictures of Sandra and her twin.
3. Why is it better than anything else on the market?
Sandra Cope has been manufacturing fresh aloe products since 1966. Sandra’s dedication and devotion over the years to produce viable, stable and effective skin care products that would actually produce visible results, has led to a truly remarkable product line that actually does something for people’s skin when they use it. The results are quick. The results are noticeable.
Sandra has combined ancient wisdom with space-age technologies to produce a line of products that are so unique that other products pale in comparison. Botanical actives are used at truly effective levels, not just a minuscule amount to get a “story” for the product. The percentage of aloe gel in Sandra’s cremes and lotions is never less that 40%, whereas most name-brand cremes on the market rarely go above 3% to 5% of aloe in their formulations and more than likely it is from a powdered, not fresh, aloe. We use only fresh, pure, unadulterated, cold-processed aloe gel. The aloe gel is made into fresh cremes within 72 hours of its arrival at Sandra’s manufacturing lab. None of the botanical actives are ever exposed to lengthy heat while being manufactured — they are introduced to the cremes and lotions at near room temperature to preserve their delicate structures — our aloe is added at these same low temperatures as well. Sandra has developed a trade-secret process of extracting and processing the aloe gel at low temperatures while maintaining virtually a zero-bacteria count. The products are viable and stable for a minimum of 18 months.
4. What makes it credible?
Sandra Cope has literally hundreds of before and after pictures and testimonials. Sandra has clients who have been using her products since she first started making them in 1966. Their testimonials are available as well. More than 90% of Sandra’s business consists of repeat orders from satisfied clients. Personal referrals and word-of-mouth advertising has been the heart of Sandra’s business. Sandra has more than 20 doctors who refer her business on a regular basis. Aloe Spectrum products make these doctor’s patients look good, which makes them look good. Several of these doctors are plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Their testimonials are available as well.
As mentioned earlier, Sandra Cope currently has a patent-pending for her skin restructuring complex formulation.
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