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A bottle of Artistry Intensive Skincare Renewing Peel is backlit on a light teal background. This gentle at-home treatment features a naturally-derived mushroom enzyme that mimics the skin's natural exfoliation process, transforming skin's texture cell by cell.

Is your skin as confident as you are? Part two: skin texture

Even as we grow more confident and mature on the inside, most of us want to look younger on the outside. (Click here for more from Amway Make-up Artist Rick DiCecca on the beauty of confidence.) This is the second article in our series on the science behind correcting the trio of skin issues that can contribute to larger skin problems, including wrinkling, age spots and sagging.

Refining rough texture

The first product developed for the ARTISTRY™  Intensive Skincare line was the Renewing Peel, launched in 2010. Designed to be a gentler alternative to a chemical peel, the Renewing Peel owes its efficacy to an enzyme from a type of mushroom called Mucor miehei. The enzyme mimics the activity of exfoliating enzymes produced naturally in human skin.

“We’ve offered products with alpha hydroxy acids for years but were looking for an exfoliant that would not irritate the skin,” said David Groh, who leads the Amway Health and Beauty New Technology R&D group and oversees the company’s Open Innovation efforts.

Inspired by the actions of the body’s own exfoliating enzymes, the team began researching naturally derived ingredients that would replicate those results. They eventually narrowed their focus to mushrooms and molds, which have the largest and best variety of metabolizing enzymes in nature.

Many mushrooms were tested, including shiitake, reishi and coriolus. In their research work with Mucor miehei, Amway scientists observed that the enzyme from this mushroom not only exfoliates the skin cells to leave the skin far smoother and with a better texture, it also has an unexpected benefit: it adjusts to the skin’s pH level, so it neutralizes and does not irritate healthy skin cells.

Other key ingredients in the Renewing Peel include chia seed oil, a barrier liposome and red seaweed extract, which add and lock in moisture.

The Renewing Peel is now available in 40 global markets. The product was recognized as the Best Anti-Aging Mask of the Year at the 2011 Cosmopolitan magazine Beauty Awards in China.

 In Malaysia, the product was recognized by Her World magazine’s 2012 Readers’ Choice Award in the skincare category.

Ninety-nine percent of women who tried it said their skin felt smoother and softer to the touch after just one use.

Designed for all skin types, the peel can be used two times per week for six consecutive weeks.

By pairing the Renewing Peel with the Advanced Skin Refinisher, one can achieve benefits very similar to retexturing treatments performed in a dermatologist’s office. Use the Renewing Peel in the morning twice per week and the Advanced Skin Refinisher every evening and mornings on non-peel days.

Click here to watch the video on Renewing Peel.

Up next in our series: using retinol without irritation? Learn how Amway scientists discovered a way to get the firming and elasticity effects of retinol without the discomfort and flaking many people experience.