What to know about the latest beauty trend of blood cream, a moisturizer made from your own blood
Would you try the latest skincare trend celebrities are swearing by that uses your own blood as the key ingredient?
Blood Cream, a personalized moisturizer created by Dr. Barbara Sturm in Germany, literally uses plasma from an individual's blood as the key ingredient to complete each unique formula.
Celebrities like Emma Roberts and Hailey Baldwin are on board, and other companies are starting to create their own versions of the blood cream, but with a $1,400 price tag, some dermatologists are wary.
Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Whitney Bowe explained some of the science behind the latest beauty fad, telling "Good Morning America" that the blood cream relies on Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), a concentrated mixture of platelets from your own blood.
The plasma is the key for the youthful, healthy skin because it's thought to stimulate wound-healing and make the skin look and feel younger, according to Bowe.
The growth factors in PRP are thought to trick aging cells into behaving like young, healthy cells, Bowe added, though it can be hard to isolate these PRP's without the red blood cells and white blood cells which can hinder tissue regeneration and cause inflammation.
To make an effective blood cream, you need to make sure the plasma you are using is not contaminated with the white blood cells and red blood cells -- and Bowe says the key way of telling if your blood cream has been contaminated is to look at the color. If it's clear, that's a good sign, according to Bowe. If it's got a subtle red or pink hue, you may want to reconsider.
The growth factors from the plasma also need to be able to penetrate the skin for the cream to be effective, Bowe said.
One question many consumers may want to know is how long of a shelf life these creams have. In short: We don't know, Bowe said. "GMA" reached out to Dr. Sturm's team to see if they had any data to show how long these growth factors are staying stable and active in their jars, but they declined, telling us they "have supplied all the information we are able to."
ABC News' Medical Unit also couldn't find any studies performed on blood cream at this point.
Bowe's verdict is if you have an extra $1,400 to spend, the blood cream probably can't hurt. But if you're in the market for a more established procedure with a longer track record of results, she says save your money for a trip to the dermatologist.
