Is Kremotex an effective anti-aging cream?

Around two thousand years ago, Queen Cleopatra of Egypt bathed in donkey's milk. At about the same time, well-to-do women of ancient Greece used face masks made of crocodile dung. Fifteen-hundred years later, Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory bathed in the blood of virgins. Why? To keep their skin looking young. 

I mention this to show that anti-aging remedies have been bandied about for millennia. The anti-aging industry, however, is relatively young. It's easy to forget that, before the 1960s, people did not live long enough on average to really be too concerned with their aging skin (Beltrán-Sánchez, 2015). Back then, most people went from dewy to dead. 

But in the past few decades, it's gotten hard to keep track of all the latest products and trends marketed to us in the name of slowing, stopping, or turning back the hands of time. With so many eye creams, anti-wrinkle serums, and fancy moisturizers out there, how can you tell what's really beneficial and what's just a fad? 

One of the products gaining popularity in the anti-aging space is a skin cream called Kremotex. Kremotex is a commercial product sold online that claims to fight wrinkles and make skin look younger. In this article, we'll examine what we know (and what we don't) about this product, so you can figure out if it's worth trying. 

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It’s hard to say for sure how effective Kremotex is an anti-aging serum. We know that’s probably not the most satisfying answer, but it’s true for most over-the-counter anti-aging products on the market. 

There isn’t much research on specific products on the market, so there’s no way to know whether Kremotex or similar products are effective at having the anti-aging effects they claim. 

The cosmeceutical industry (that’s what the industry for cosmetics offering medicinal benefits is called) is not as closely regulated as the pharmaceutical industry (Pandey, 2020). So, while Kremotex claims on their official website to be the “#1 wrinkle cream,” we just can’t say for certain whether this product works as intended.  

Before we delve deeper into Kremotex, let’s first define what makes a product effective for anti-aging. As we age, so does our skin, and that can show up in multiple ways, including: 

• Wrinkles 

• Fine lines and crow's feet 

• Discoloration (also called hyperpigmentation)

• Dark circles

• Sunspots or age spots 

• Dry skin

• Loose skin (skin that has lost some of its elasticity, which is its ability to bounce back)

• Roughly textured skin 

These changes in our skin happen naturally over time, but can be made worse by excessive UV radiation from sunlight, air pollution, smoking, poor nutrition, and other environmental factors. 

Some products and ingredients are more effective than others at making the skin look younger by improving skin tone, texture, and plumpness of the skin (Zhang, 2018). While we don’t know much about Kremotex, there is some research on the ingredients listed on this product’s label, so let’s look at those to see how effective they are at making the skin look younger.

Kremotex boasts the following active natural ingredients on their website: 

• Jojoba seed oil

• Olive fruit oil 

• Apple stem cells 

• Vitamin C

• Nymphaea caerulea 

• Licorice root extract

Since there’s limited regulation on cosmeceuticals, we don’t know the concentrations of these or any of the other ingredients listed on the full label. 

Kremotex’s ingredients list is similar to that of many anti-aging skincare products on the market. But do any of these vitamins or oils have research showing they’re in any way effective for skin anti-aging? Some of these ingredients do have promising evidence; others, less so. 

Jojoba oil and olive oil

Both of these oils seem to have potential for anti-aging benefits, mostly because of their antioxidant properties. 

One of the major factors in aging is oxidative stress, a process where unstable molecules called free radicals damage parts of the cell. In the skin, oxidative stress causes all those typical signs of aging (fine lines, wrinkles, discoloration, etc). Antioxidants can’t reverse oxidative stress, but they can slow down that process and protect against damage from oxidative stress, at least to some degree (Rinnerthaler, 2015). 

Jojoba oil and olive oil are both high in antioxidants, so it’s possible they can prevent further damage from oxidative stress. They also both have anti-inflammatory effects, so they can improve the look of the skin by reducing inflammation (Lin, 2017). There are limited studies available, though, so we can’t draw a clear line between these ingredients and anti-aging effects. 

Apple stem cells

Stem cells are all the rage in the world of anti-aging skincare, but there isn’t much research on plant stem cells at this point. One small study on just 32 women showed promising results from a serum containing apple stem cell extracts, but the serum contained other ingredients, too. So, it’s hard to say if those promising results were because of the apple stem cells alone (Sanz, 2016). 

Another paper looked more closely at plant stem cells. It showed that most skincare products claiming to use stem cells actually use stem cell extracts, which are not as effective as live stem cells. The paper also recommended more research on plant stem cells in general. We simply don’t know enough at this point (Trehan, 2017). 

Vitamin C

Topical vitamin C is the first one on this list that does have some pretty strong evidence for anti-aging effects. Multiple studies show vitamin C applied to the skin can have the following benefits (Farris, 2005): 

• High in antioxidants 

• Anti-inflammatory effects

• Promotes collagen production (this helps the skin create more collagen, which makes the skin look firmer)

• Protects the skin from UV damage 

• Lightens dark discolorations that happen with aging

Vitamin C works best when combined with certain other substances. For instance, it works best at protecting against UV damage when combined with vitamin E, and it’s most effective at reducing pigmentation (dark spots and other discoloration) when combined with licorice or soy (Telang, 2013). 

Nymphaea caerulea 

Nymphaea caerulea is a plant better known as blue lotus or Egyptian lotus. There’s very limited research on this particular species of the lotus plant, so we don’t really know if it’s an effective addition to Kremotex’s anti-wrinkle cream. One study does indicate this plant might have antioxidant properties, but this has not been studied in humans (Agnihotri, 2008). 

Licorice

Remember we said that vitamin C works better when combined with licorice? Well, licorice is a powerful player in its own right. It offers quite a few benefits for different parts of the body, and the skin is no exception. Licorice has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which can potentially protect the skin from further damage. And as we’ve seen already, it works well at decreasing hyperpigmentation (Pastorino, 2018). More research is needed on human subjects to know for sure how effective licorice might be for anti-aging. 

Kremotex comes with similar downsides to many other so-called anti-aging products on the market: 

• It’s not closely regulated, so we don’t know what the concentration of ingredients is in the product. 

• It was not developed or recommended by dermatologists or other healthcare providers. 

• Many of its active ingredients show limited evidence of anti-aging effects, and those that have strong evidence may be found in other products at a lower cost.

There don’t seem to be any specific safety concerns or serious side effects with any of these active ingredients, so it’s likely safe to try this product, but we can't specifically recommend it. Kremotex reviews are mixed, at best, and can't be verified. If you do try this product, be sure to test it on a small area first and watch for irritation or breakouts. And remember that everyone’s skin responds differently to different products.

Whenever possible, we suggest using skincare products recommended to you by your healthcare provider. She’ll be able to make specific recommendations for your skin health.

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How we reviewed this article

Every article on Health Guide goes through rigorous fact-checking by our team of medical reviewers. Our reviewers are trained medical professionals who ensure each article contains the most up-to-date information, and that medical details have been correctly interpreted by the writer.

Current version

January 28, 2021

Written by

Rachel Honeyman

Fact checked by

Steve Silvestro, MD

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About the medical reviewer

Steve Silvestro, MD, Ro

Dr. Steve Silvestro is a board-certified pediatrician and Associate Director, Clinical Content & Education at Ro.