According to Somme Institute, A-Bomb is a lightweight formula that helps fight aging by accelerating cell renewal, as well as treating and preventing blemishes, leaving skin supple and moisturized (Somme Institute, n.d.).
Like the other products in Somme Institute’s skincare regimen, the key ingredient is the company’s double-patented MDT5, a mix of stable, potent, and re-engineered vitamins encapsulated within peptides. Since the vitamins are encapsulated, they are shielded from degradation when applied to the skin. Other ingredients include Vitamin A, or retinyl palmitate (perhaps this is why it’s called “A-Bomb”), Vitamin E, and natural botanicals such as ylang ylang, geranium, and jasmine (Somme Institute, n.d.).
Somme Institute’s A-Bomb is a great product. As such, I would like to end on a positive note, so I will address the negatives first.
A-Bomb does contain some ingredients I don’t care for, such as methylparaben and propylparaben. Many people believe parabens can cause cancer or other issues when used in skincare products. This fear started when people got the idea that parabens were more concentrated in breast cancer tissue. When consulting reliable sources, though, that belief seems to be a false alarm and without merit. No studies have shown a higher concentration of parabens in breast tumors than in other types of tissue (Benvenuti, 2014).
Despite the FDA’s ruling that parabens are safe in skincare products, a French study showed that when a realistic amount of parabens were applied every 12 hours to the skin, there was an increase in the quantities of parabens moving across the skin barrier for 24 hours. However, there were no cumulative effects shown after 36 hours (Benvenuti, 2014). While this gives me confidence that parabens are safe, I feel like another type of preservative could be used to appease those who may have (rare) issues with irritation.
My only other problem with A-Bomb is the jar packaging. Sadly, Somme Institute isn’t the only company to use them. Many high end brands continue to use jars, such as AmorePacific, LaMer, La Prairie, etc. Unless the product is a solid, I see no reason why the packaging cannot be more protective. This leads me to believe there have been some sort of consumer studies showing jar packaging sells better.
Products with antioxidants should be packaged to minimize exposure to light and air in order to prevent degradation (Kaur, Kapila & Agrawal, 2007). While the MDT5 ingredients are encapsulated within peptides to ensure stability, I’m not sure about the Vitamin A, Vitamin E, and botanicals. Also, there is still a matter of hygiene. Repeatedly dipping one’s fingers into the jar introduces bacteria into the product. While the jar packaging is irksome, the key ingredients (hellooooo, retinyl palmitate) make it worthwhile to simply transfer the product into a different container. I ordered several air-tight travel pumps from Sephora, and they are perfect for this.
So, what do I think of the formula? I have a love/hate relationship with it. It smells like cake. I love cake. I cannot eat cake. Do you see where I’m going with this…??? I want to just slather it all over my entire self, over and over- that’s how awesome it smells. However, it’s not a very strong scent, so unless you just really don’t like fragrance, it shouldn’t be really irritating.
Although the formula is very moisturizing, it’s also very light weight. I have oily skin, and Jerry has dry skin, but this works well on both of us. If anything, it may be a bit too much for me in the summer, but I still think I’ll probably be okay. It spreads very easily and is not sticky or greasy. It absorbs within moments, and leaves my skin soft and smooth. The cake smell dissipates quickly- I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing! Lol!
Overall, despite the jar packaging which can be easily remedied after purchasing, Somme Institute A-Bomb is a fabulous formula- well worth checking out!
Somme Institute A-Bomb is available at SpaceNK, Nordstrom, Dermstore.com, and SommeInstitute.com. It retails for $70.00 for 2 oz.
Sources:
Benvenuti, N. (2014). Are the parabens in skin care products really bad for you? FutureDerm. Retrieved January 11, 2016, from www.futurederm.com.
Kaur, I., Kapila, M. & Agrawal, R. (2007). Role of novel delivery systems in developing topical antioxidants as therapeutics to combat photoageing. Aging Research Reviews, 6(4). Retrieved January 11, 2016, from www.sciencedirect.com.
Somme Institute (n.d.). Somme Institute: The Highly Recommended Brand. Somme Institute.
See also:
Somme Institute Skincare: First Impression
Somme Institute Nourishing Cleanser
Somme Institute Double Defense
Somme Institute Skincare: Final Thoughts
