Master biochemist Peter J. Passalacqua, born in Sicily, was a school-aged child when he came to the U.S. with his family to escape the devastation left by WWII. It didn’t take long for his teachers to recognize his rare intellectual gifts and move him ahead rapidly at school. Passalacqua loved school—especially science subjects and anything to do with math. Outside of school, he loved playing sports and helping his parents grow flowers and vegetables in the family garden.

Passalacqua’s powerful attraction to science eventually connected most strongly with biochemistry—the structure, composition, and chemical reactions of substances in living organisms, including their functions and ways to control them. Biochemistry is the meatiest of all the basic sciences. It encompasses 14 areas of focus, including structural biochemistry, enzymology, metabolic biochemistry, immunochemistry, protein chemistry, biochemical pharmacology, neurochemistry, and clinical biochemistry. Because Passalacqua was an unusually passionate and life-long learner, he did not do what biochemists normally do. Instead of choosing his favorite area to concentrate on—he gradually became an expert in all 14 of them. So he pursued his graduate education in a way that gave him unusual breadth and depth. His professional mission was to develop innovative healthcare and skin health products that combined the power of nature with advances in biochemistry to improve people's lives.

Passalacqua achieved his youthful dream. He rose to the top of his field at a young age, creating products and managing extensive manufacturing operations for some of the world’s largest and most influential corporations. But he found himself not aligned with industry decision-making based on financial benefit instead of people’s health benefits. And he eventually felt compelled to pursue his own path. 

Passalacqua’s desire to use his exceptional skills in biochemistry to advance health-restoring tools was as vibrant as ever. But now he would pursue this in the professional lab he had built at home, guided by his credo: “Our vision is to further knowledge for the benefit of humanity.” 

And there was one more factor. Because Passalacqua was not your typical master biochemist, and had by then fully mastered all 14 disciplines within biochemistry, his exceptional intellect did what came naturally. He had begun to integrate all of these systems—and as he progressed, a uniquely complete picture of how our bodies work gradually emerged.

This produced Passalacqua’s transformative realization—that how the body works in health, disease, and injury is NOT what everyone has always thought.

The conventional view of disease and injury defines and treats specific problems. And we know that many treatments have difficult side effects, and/or are only partially effective, and/or take a lot of time to work. We also know that many health challenges still have no effective treatment at all. 

What did Passalacqua see that no one else had? First, he recognized that the body contains a built-in mechanism for healing. When it’s fully equipped to act, it restores and repairs—quickly, completely, and without side effects. And second, he knew exactly what this mechanism is. It involves our mitochondria. These microscopic organelles richly populate almost all of our cells, and are known to produce our energy from the food we eat. A tiny cadre of scientists have recently learned that they actually do a great deal more. But it is only Passalacqua who has realized the full extent of what mitochondria actually do—that they govern the health of the cells they are in. Healthy mitochondria maintain healthy cells. Severe or chronic illness and significant damage reflect mitochondria that have lost their tools for keeping their cells healthy. And restoring their health will restore their ability to make their cells healthy—and keep them that way.

Passalacqua’s next challenge: find an effective and biologically friendly way to restore dysfunctional mitochondria’s missing tools. Then let them do their job—and HEAL. Naturally. Rapidly. And without side effects. 

Passalacqua turned to the plant world. His life-long love of his garden and the plant world had led him to recognize the close relationship between plants and people. It’s no accident that plants—botanicals—were the exclusive medicines for humans until the relatively recent creation of pharmaceuticals. And for 80% of the world’s population, botanicals are still the primary form of healthcare. 

The plants that Passalacqua chose to work with are aloe and oat.

Today, Crescel continues Peter Passalacqua's vision through pioneering biobotanical technologies supported by scientific research and designed to work in harmony with the body's natural cellular repair processes. The company's flagship innovation, Crescel Skin Renewal Cream, has demonstrated superior efficacy in published clinical research and represents the first commercial application of Crescel's broader biobotanical technology platform for advancing health.

The Situation

Every year, approximately 1.6 million people with diabetes in the United States develop their first foot ulcer. Globally, that number is estimated at 18.6 million each year.

Diabetic foot ulcers represent one of the most serious complications of diabetes, resulting from a complex chain of events that begins with the oxidative stress associated with hyperglycemia—the elevated blood glucose levels that characterize diabetes. Treatment remains extremely costly, and outcomes remain unacceptably poor. Up to 25% of diabetic foot ulcers never heal, nearly two-thirds require more than a year to heal, and more than half recur after healing. Because diabetes also compromises the body's immune response, approximately 60% of new foot ulcers become infected, making successful treatment even more challenging. Approximately 20% of moderate to severe infections ultimately require amputation of part or all of the foot or lower leg, and the risk of death increases significantly following amputation.

In the United States, a diabetes-related lower-extremity amputation occurs approximately every 3 minutes and 30 seconds. Worldwide, a diabetes-related lower-limb amputation is estimated to occur approximately every 20 seconds. The Diabetes Research Institute Foundation continues to warn that Type 2 diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate, underscoring the urgent need for better approaches to diabetic skin complications.

Crescel is Rewriting This Reality

Crescel's pioneering biobotanical technology is designed to support skin integrity and the body's natural cellular repair processes, offering a novel approach to one of the most challenging complications of diabetes.

Clinical experience with Crescel Skin Renewal Cream has demonstrated compelling clinical outcomes in patients with diabetic foot ulcers and lesions. In a pilot clinical study evaluating patients with diabetic foot ulcers and lesions, patients simply applied Crescel Skin Renewal Cream twice daily while following general wound care precautions. Patients with Stage I diabetic foot ulcers achieved complete healing in as little as one week, while Stage II ulcers achieved complete healing within four weeks or less. During extended follow-up after healing, there was no lesion recurrence and no development of new ulcers within the treated area, suggesting sustained improvement in skin integrity.

These findings suggest that early intervention may help reduce progression to more advanced diabetic skin complications, with the potential to preserve limb function, reduce hospitalization, and lessen the healthcare burden associated with diabetic skin conditions.

Clinical data on file.

Healing Severe Diabetic Foot Ulcers

Shown below are two patients with severe, deep diabetic foot ulcers who were facing possible amputation if conventional treatment proved unsuccessful.

In one case, a severe heel ulcer achieved complete healing in less than three months, helping avoid amputation. In the second case, an extensive foot ulcer achieved complete healing within five months, also helping avoid amputation. For both patients, protective sensation was restored, no adverse side effects were reported, and there was no recurrence.

Pressure ulcers—also known as bedsores—are a serious complication for people who are bedridden or chair-bound because prolonged pressure reduces blood flow to vulnerable areas of the skin and underlying tissue. With conventional care, some early-stage pressure ulcers heal within two to three weeks, while others progress to advanced stages, increasing the risk of infection, hospitalization, and serious complications.

Crescel Is Changing This Reality

Clinical experience with Crescel Skin Renewal Cream has demonstrated compelling clinical outcomes in patients with pressure ulcers. In the clinical cases shown below, patients simply applied Crescel Skin Renewal Cream twice daily while following general wound care precautions. The simplicity of this approach, combined with the observed clinical outcomes, highlights the potential to reduce the healthcare burden associated with pressure ulcers. One early-stage pressure ulcer achieved near-complete healing within six days. A second patient with two Stage IV pressure ulcers experienced substantial improvement, with one ulcer achieving complete healing and the second reduced to a minimal residual wound after ten months. Protective sensation was restored, no adverse side effects were reported, and there was no recurrence. Clinical data on file.

Traumatic injuries—including burns, lacerations, and other severe skin damage—present significant challenges because the injured skin is often extremely fragile, highly inflamed, and exceptionally sensitive. Supporting healing while minimizing additional irritation is one of the fundamental challenges in caring for traumatic wounds. Clinical experience with Crescel Skin Renewal Cream has demonstrated compelling clinical outcomes in traumatic skin injuries, supporting skin integrity and the body's natural cellular repair processes with no reported adverse side effects. The clinical cases shown below illustrate patients who simply applied Crescel Skin Renewal Cream twice daily while following general wound care precautions.

The simplicity of this approach, combined with the observed clinical outcomes, highlights the potential to improve patient outcomes while reducing the healthcare burden associated with traumatic skin injuries. These characteristics may also support future applications across military settings, emergency medical services (EMS), disaster response, and other trauma care settings. Clinical data on file.

• A severely disfiguring facial wound achieved complete healing with restoration of a normal appearance in only four weeks.
• A partially severed thumb achieved complete regeneration and healing in less than six weeks.
• A deep second-degree burn to the hand achieved complete healing in four weeks, with restoration of normal fingerprints and minimal visible scarring.

The Big Picture

The essence of Crescel is its ability to support the restoration of healthy skin by working in harmony with the body's natural cellular repair processes. It is designed to support skin hydration, skin barrier function, skin integrity, and overall skin condition with no reported adverse side effects. Safe and effective for all ages—including infants—and all skin types, Crescel has demonstrated compelling clinical outcomes across a broad range of inflammatory skin conditions. This includes challenging conditions such as rosacea, where existing treatments often provide only partial benefit and may be associated with tolerability concerns. Crescel may also complement newer therapies used for conditions such as psoriasis and eczema by supporting healthy skin while preserving the body's normal immune response.

Rosacea: A Challenge to Live With, A Challenge to Treat

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition driven by a complex interplay of vascular, neural, and immune mechanisms. It is recurrent, often uncomfortable, and can become progressively disfiguring. Because rosacea primarily affects the face, it also carries a significant emotional and psychosocial burden. Common symptoms include persistent facial redness (erythema), inflammatory papules and pustules, visible blood vessels, dryness, and sensations such as burning, stinging, and tingling. More than 16 million Americans have been diagnosed with rosacea, with many additional cases believed to remain undiagnosed.

A particularly challenging feature of rosacea is its highly reactive facial skin, making patients exceptionally sensitive to environmental, dietary, internal, and topical triggers—including many rosacea treatments themselves. A recent survey found that more than 82% of patients feel their rosacea is uncontrolled, and fewer than half are satisfied with their current prescription treatments, highlighting the need for novel topical therapies with improved efficacy and tolerability.

Meeting Rosacea's Treatment Challenge

Crescel Skin Renewal Cream offers a new approach through its proprietary microemulsion technology and pioneering biobotanical formulation. Designed to support skin hydration, skin barrier function, skin integrity, and overall skin condition while working in harmony with the body's natural cellular repair processes, Crescel provides a unique approach to supporting healthy skin without compromising tolerability.

Crescel recently received the National Rosacea Society Seal of Acceptance, based on a four-week tolerance study documenting the complete absence of worsening of the rosacea symptoms commonly aggravated by topical products, including treatments. Patients also reported early improvements in erythema, dryness, flushing frequency and severity, and papules/pustules, consistent with previous clinical observations.

The tolerance study was followed by a 12-week randomized, controlled, double-blinded clinical trial conducted by a leading independent dermatologist and rosacea specialist. The study was subsequently published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology and indexed in PubMed. Crescel Skin Renewal Cream was compared with the standard of care—0.75% metronidazole cream (MetroCream) used with a non-medicated facial moisturizer (CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion). Superior efficacy was evident by Week 4, with a 50% greater reduction in erythema (36% vs. 23%) and a 200% greater reduction in facial lesions (52% vs. 17%). By Week 12, Crescel achieved a 54% reduction in erythema versus 23% for the standard of care, and a 74% reduction in papules and pustules compared with a statistically nonsignificant 17%. These findings, together with excellent tolerability, support Crescel Skin Renewal Cream as an important first-line topical option for people living with rosacea. Clinical data on file.

Two Dermatology Patients Who Switched to Crescel: Examples of Lives Restored

The patient photographs below represent just two of the many life-changing outcomes achieved by patients who simply applied Crescel Skin Renewal Cream twice daily after existing treatments had failed to provide adequate results or were associated with tolerability concerns. The first demonstrates Crescel's remarkable clinical outcome in rosacea. The second features a young woman with a severe, disfiguring rash that had defied diagnosis and continued to worsen despite two years of hospital-based dermatologic care. Five months after switching to Crescel, her skin had completely healed, and the rash never returned.