the FAQ and Delivery Info pages!
Any long delivery delays are caused by The Canada Border Services Agency.
I now ONLY offer EMS as a shipping option to Canada.
This appears to have resolved most of the delays caused by The Canada Border Services Agency.
We take NO responsibility for delivery issues caused by customers entering the wrong address in the checkout page
BulkActives is a part-time business. Orders are processed and mailed on Saturdays. (TimeZone Order Deadline Chart)
We sell COSMETIC RAW MATERIALS, which are meant to be used at an appropriate percentage in a cosmetic formulation of your devising. Please do not order our products unless you know how to formulate creams and lotions with it!
NO PROBLEM! Just email me, and I will sort it all out.
Please check your JUNK mail folder for our emails, and mark them as NOT SPAM.
Failing to do so will result in NOT receiving ANY transaction / order status email updates.
Download our SIMPLE RECIPE CALCULATOR (MS Excel)
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE READ THIS!!!!
Please READ this before placing an order, and select the CORRECT shipping option for your country at checkout!
Due to Wuhan Pneumonia Virus (aka Covid-19) border restrictions and a reduction or cancellation of flights by airlines, we CAN ONLY ship to the counries listed below!
We have also been advised to expect delivery delays at your end, and yes, that INCLUDES USA customers!!!
UK customers, we are finally ABLE to ship to the UK.
We CAN ship to:
Registered Airmail and EMS:
NORTH AMERICA: USA (NOT including Hawaii and Guam), UK
ASIA: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam,Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Macau, Philippines
EUROPE: France, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Finland
EMS only ! (Do NOT select Registered Airmail at checkout)
NORTH AMERICA: Canada
EUROPE: Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Czech, Italy
OCEANIA: New Zealand, Australia
Registered Airmail only!
Cambodia, Spain, Austria, Slovakia, Bahrain, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Lithuania
IMPORTANT: If your country is NOT in the above lists, then we CANNOT ship to you at the moment.
If your country does not accept Registered Airmail, then do NOT select it from the shipping options at checkout!
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a naturally occurring antioxidant that also shows numerous attractive features for use in cosmetic skin care. It is known as a dietary supplement for a long time, but recent research suggests it may be more effective through other applications, such as skin creams. ALA neutralizes free radicals, thus helping to fight ageing and cancer. It is more effective in combating free radicals than common vitamins, such as vitamin C or E, hence lipoic acid is called the “universal antioxidant”. In skin care, ALA was also shown to promote wound healing, treat and prevent diabetic ulcers. Cosmetics research suggests that ALA can promote collagen synthesis, thus reducing the visible effects of ageing on skin, and improving the appearance without any noticeable side effects. Alpha Lipoic Acid is a key active ingredient in Perricone MD products
Alpha-lipoic acid, commonly abbreviated ALA or LA, is a naturally occurring cofactor, essential for several enzymes involved in generating energy in human cells [1]. It is found in many meat-based foods, such as kidney, liver and heart. However, the quantity assimilated in a normal diet is low, and positive therapeutic effects of ALA were described only using supplements [1]. Also, ALA is synthesized in the body of healthy young adults, but this capability significantly declines with age, suggesting increased need of supplements for the elderly [2].
Most healthcare uses of lipoic acid stem from its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are a class of molecules that function to combat oxidizing agents, such as free radicals created by UV radiation or metal toxicity. These agents are believed to be among the main causes for ageing and cancer, so supplementary antioxidant use is associated with increased life span and reduced cancer risk in model organisms [3], [4]. Alpha-lipoic acid, unlike other common antioxidants, is able to act both in aqueous and lipid environments, e.g. scavenge free radicals at different parts of the cell [5]. Furthermore, another unique property of ALA is that it is capable of regenerating other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, E or glutathione, and even activate their synthesis in the cell, hence the name “universal antioxidant” [5]–[7]. A strong cooperative effect, emerging when lipoic acid is used together with other naturally occurring antioxidants, has been recently shown in human skin cells [8]. ALA benefits may extend even to vascular disease prevention, metal detoxification, hypertension treatment, and anti-inflammatory properties [5], [7].
Besides the well-researched use as an antioxidant, lipoic acid is attracting interest as a powerful treatment in various other problems. Despite earlier research focusing on dietary supplements of alpha-lipoic acid, they appear to be both absorbed and cleared rapidly, resulting in limited and transient pharmacological activity [7]. ALA absorption through skin is proven to be effective and shows promise in pharmacology [9]. Therefore, dermal ALA applications are gaining more interest, with most current studies focusing on animal models. Applied directly on skin, lipoic acid has been recently shown to promote wound healing in rats [10]. Together with epigallocatechin gallate, ALA applications successfully treated diabetic skin wounds (ulcers) [11]. It is also suggested as a prophylactic measure, to prevent wounds from deteriorating in individuals at risk for ulcers [12]. Recent studies implicate that lipoic acid supplements could be beneficial for systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) patients [13].
Concerning cosmetic skin care, ALA is an attractive ingredient not only due to its antioxidative properties. Reduction in collagen is the key factor associated with changes that occur in skin appearance due to ageing, and ALA was found to enhance collagen synthesis in human cell lines [14]. A study where subjects applied 5 % ALA cream to one half of their face found that ALA significantly improved the appearance of treated skin, as evaluated by the subjects themselves, other researchers, and even automatic laser-based measuring methods [15]. Recently, poloxamer (P407) gels containing 5 % ALA were found to reduce facial wrinkles, especially around eyes and in upper lip area, improve overall skin color and texture, without any instances of irritation, peeling or other apparent adverse side effects [16]. In skin care preparations, lipoic acid is often mixed with vitamin C or similar molecules – this combination also protects skin from UV damage, while maintaining the deeper layers hydrated [17], [18]. Protection against radiation damage may also be useful for radiation therapy patients [19]. Vitamin A also increases the stability of ALA, suggesting grouping these substances together [20].
It has a capacity and ability to chelate metals.
It is able to scavenge reactive oxygen species. This means that it is powerful in stopping the chain reactions of free radicals which saves the body from a lot of cellular structure changes and DNA changes.
It has the ability to regenerate antioxidants such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E when these have been depleted due to the action of free radicals.
It has the ability and capacity to repair the results of oxidation.
Although DHLA has a more powerful antioxidative effect than Alpa Lipoic acid, it is very unstable and is oxidized in the skin within minutes of application.
Alpa Lipoic acid has become popular due to the fact that it is absorbed in a stable form and after entrance into cells, is immediately converted to DHLA