The new polymer skin cream in the video above is pretty amazing. It’s invisible, it’s flexible, and it’s strong. And the scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who developed it—along with Massachusetts General Hospital, Living Proof, and Olivo Labs—are understandably pretty excited about the possible applications for this new coating.
The material—the silicone-based stuff has been dubbed “XPL”—is applied in two steps. First comes a clear gel containing a polymer, and on top of that goes a white cream that catalyzes the two, forming a very thin, soft, elastic “second skin.”
Since the final result is clear and pliable, XPL could potentially be used as an invisible cosmetic that tightens up wrinkles, as the video demonstrates.
Its medical potential is also intriguing. XPL resists water and can even survive scrubbing, so it would make an excellent Band Aid-like adhesive for cuts, scrapes, incisions, and so on. Its developers also see XPL as a potential delivery system for medications, possibly as a flexible and durable alternative to the patches used now for time-release drugs.
