Expertly Written By
Dr. Rocco Piazza, MD, FACS
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon practicing in Austin, Texas. Our practice stocks Pavise, and our own team has used it daily. This page explains the technology that sets it apart.
DiamondCore at a Glance
What it is: DiamondCore®, Pavise's patented diamond-augmented zinc oxide
Found in: Dynamic Age Defense SPF 30, Bioadaptive Stress Repair and Precision Eye Lift
What it does, per Pavise: A clear mineral finish, deeper delivery of the actives around it, and antioxidant defense
Research behind it: A U.S. patent application, a 2024 peer-reviewed paper and a 2025 clinical case series
What our team saw: A clear finish on every skin tone over a three-month trial
Why This Matters: Most mineral sunscreens and serums are built from familiar ingredients in a new bottle. DiamondCore is a genuinely new material, and it is the reason a single Pavise step can do the work of several. Individual results vary.
We keep a short shelf. Dr. Piazza tests a product on our own team before it earns a place, and most never make it. Pavise did, and we have made a lot of room for it.
The reason is one word on every Pavise label: DiamondCore®. It is the technology Pavise built the whole line around, and it is why one product can act as a sunscreen, a moisturizer and a treatment at the same time.
Here is what DiamondCore is, what the research shows so far, what we saw on our own team, and how it fits into a routine.
The Short Answer
DiamondCore® is Pavise's patented "diamond-augmented zinc oxide": zinc oxide engineered around a diamond core. Pavise designed it to give a mineral sunscreen with no white cast, to help the active ingredients around it absorb more deeply, and to defend skin against free radicals. Pavise has published its lab research in a peer-reviewed journal and a clinical case series in a dermatology journal, and the clear finish held up on our own team. It is the backbone of Dynamic Age Defense SPF 30, Bioadaptive Stress Repair and Precision Eye Lift.
What DiamondCore Actually Is
Pavise was founded by Sophie (Xuefei) Bai, whom the brand describes as an MIT-trained chemical-biomedical engineer. Her idea was simple: diamond is highly reflective and very stable, so building zinc oxide around a diamond core could make a mineral filter that behaves better on skin than ordinary zinc oxide.
A published U.S. patent application naming her as inventor describes the architecture: a nanodiamond core that scavenges free radicals, surrounded by a UV-filtering shell of zinc oxide, with particles kept large enough to stay on the skin's surface.
On the Dynamic Age Defense Drug Facts panel, 15% zinc oxide is the active sunscreen ingredient. The diamond is what Pavise uses to change how that zinc oxide looks and performs.
Why Diamond? The Three Jobs DiamondCore Does
1. A clear mineral finish
Pavise states its uniform, diamond-cored particles avoid the white cast of ordinary zinc oxide, tested on Fitzpatrick skin types 1 to 6. This is the claim our team could see for ourselves.
2. Deeper delivery
In Pavise's 2024 lab study, niacinamide paired with the material absorbed at about twice the rate of niacinamide alone. That is why Pavise pairs DiamondCore with strong actives.
3. Antioxidant defense
The patent describes nanodiamond as a free-radical scavenger, and Pavise reports it neutralizes 80% of reactive oxygen species in testing.
The Research Behind DiamondCore
Pavise has done something many skincare brands never do: it has published its work.
The 2024 lab study. In the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, Zhang and colleagues, including Pavise's scientists and the dermatologists Suneel Chilukuri and Michael Gold, tested the diamond-zinc oxide material in the lab. In cultured skin cells it sped up a wound-closure test and raised collagen output in aged cells, and in a skin-absorption test it roughly doubled how much niacinamide got through. The paper also described two patients after CO2 laser.
The 2025 clinical case series. In the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 35 patients with rosacea used Dynamic Age Defense and Bioadaptive Stress Repair for eight weeks. Redness and acne lesions improved on expert grading.
This is early research, led by the team that invented the technology, which is how most new skincare science begins. The natural next step is larger independent trials, and we will update this page as they are published.
What Our Team Saw
Before Pavise went on our shelf, our own clinical team used it daily for three months. The clear finish was obvious from the first application, on every skin tone on our team, and the routine was easy enough that people kept using it long after the trial ended. That staying power is rare in skincare. We wrote up the whole trial, including Kari's three months on pigment and redness, in our Pavise review.
Where You'll Find DiamondCore
DiamondCore is the common thread through the Pavise line. Each product pairs it with a different set of actives, which is how one step can replace several.
Morning · treatment + moisturizer + SPF
Dynamic Age Defense SPF 30
A 100% mineral, broad-spectrum SPF 30 (PA++++) with 15% zinc oxide that goes on clear. Around the DiamondCore sit tranexamic acid, niacinamide, astaxanthin, pine bark, milk thistle, licorice root and squalane, so your sunscreen also works on tone and redness. $148 for 30 mL.
Shop Dynamic Age Defense →
Night · topical biostimulator
Bioadaptive Stress Repair
Pavise's regenerative night serum, which the brand calls a topical biostimulator. DiamondCore carries hexapeptides, alpha-arbutin, niacinamide, superoxide dismutase, resveratrol and astaxanthin to support firmness, smoother expression lines and more even tone while you sleep. $228 for 30 mL.
Shop Bioadaptive Stress Repair →
Eye contour · morning and night
Precision Eye Lift
An eye concentrate that pairs DiamondCore with peptides, formulated for the look of a firmer, smoother, brighter eye area. $128 for 15 mL.
Shop Precision Eye Lift →
What's Still Being Studied
Every new technology has questions still being answered. These are the ones we tell patients about.
- Visible light and melasma. Pavise reports that DiamondCore protects against blue and visible light. Today, the strongest independent evidence for visible-light protection is for iron-oxide tinted sunscreens. If melasma is your main concern, ask us about layering a tinted product over Dynamic Age Defense; our melasma sunscreen guide explains why.
- Headline numbers. Figures such as "5X better UV defense" and "2X absorption" come from Pavise's own testing. They are consistent with the published lab work, and we look forward to independent studies confirming them.
- Safety of diamond particles. Independent research is reassuring: diamond nanoparticles showed no toxic effect on lab-grown human skin (2023), and larger particles stayed in the outer skin layers in mice (2015). Pavise states its formulas are patch-tested.
The full Pavise routine
Pavise 3-Step Essential Kit
Cleanse with Gentle Amino Powerwash, treat overnight with Bioadaptive Stress Repair, and protect every morning with Dynamic Age Defense SPF 30. The routine Dr. Piazza stocks for patients, in one box. Individual results vary.
$440
Shop the 3-Step Kit Add the eye step →Our Pavise guides
Pavise DiamondCore: Common Questions
What is DiamondCore in Pavise?
DiamondCore® is Pavise's patented "diamond-augmented zinc oxide": zinc oxide engineered around a diamond core. Pavise designed it for a clear mineral finish, deeper delivery of the actives around it and antioxidant defense. It is in Dynamic Age Defense SPF 30, Bioadaptive Stress Repair and Precision Eye Lift.
Does DiamondCore actually work?
The clear finish is the benefit our own team could see, and it held up across skin tones in our three-month trial. Pavise has also published lab research in a peer-reviewed journal showing faster cell repair, higher collagen output and roughly double the absorption of niacinamide, plus a 35-patient rosacea case series. It is early research led by Pavise's scientists, and we look forward to larger independent trials.
Is the diamond what gives Pavise its SPF?
No. Zinc oxide (15%) is the active sunscreen ingredient on the Dynamic Age Defense label. The diamond core is what Pavise uses to make that zinc oxide go on clear and work alongside the formula's treatment ingredients.
Does Pavise sunscreen leave a white cast?
Pavise states it does not, and that it tested the formula on Fitzpatrick skin types 1 to 6. On our own team, it went on clear every time.
Is Pavise good for melasma?
Dynamic Age Defense contains tranexamic acid and niacinamide, two ingredients widely used for discoloration. Because the strongest independent evidence for visible-light protection is for iron-oxide tints, we often suggest melasma patients layer a tinted product on top. Ask us at your next visit.
Is diamond powder in skincare safe?
Independent lab research is reassuring: diamond nanoparticles showed no toxic effect on lab-grown human skin, and larger particles stayed in the outer skin layers in animal studies. Pavise states its formulas are patch-tested.
Why does The Piazza Center stock Pavise?
Because it earned it. Our team used it daily for three months before it went on the shelf, it goes on clear on every skin tone, and each product replaces several steps with one. Dr. Piazza believes in the science behind it, which is why we have made so much room for it.
Research referenced
Zhang XD, Teng C, Bai X, Teng J, Chilukuri S, Lewis A, Gold MH. Enhanced skin regeneration and therapeutic delivery using novel diamond-augmented zinc oxide. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024;23(12):4043–4050.
Zhang XD, Bai XS, Teng C, et al. Managing rosacea with nanodiamond-zinc oxide: real-world evidence for reduction in redness and acne lesions. Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2025;18(7):35–39.
Fraczek W, Kregielewski K, Wierzbicki M, et al. A comprehensive assessment of the biocompatibility and safety of diamond nanoparticles on reconstructed human epidermis. Materials, 2023;16(16):5600.
Wu MS, Sun DS, Lin YC, et al. Nanodiamonds protect skin from ultraviolet B-induced damage in mice. Journal of Nanobiotechnology, 2015;13:35.
Bai X. UV protectant formulations. U.S. Patent Application 2022/0071856, published 2022.
Individual results vary. Pavise Dynamic Age Defense SPF 30, Bioadaptive Stress Repair and Precision Eye Lift are cosmetic and over-the-counter sunscreen products and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. DiamondCore® and Pavise are trademarks of their respective owner. Benefit descriptions and figures attributed to Pavise are the manufacturer's. Prices as of October 2026. This article is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice; speak with a qualified physician about what is appropriate for your skin.
Not Sure Where to Start With Pavise?
Dr. Rocco Piazza and our Austin aesthetics team can build a Pavise routine around your skin, your goals and any treatments you have planned.
Dr. Rocco Piazza II
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
Dr. Piazza is a board-certified plastic surgeon practicing in Austin, TX. He specializes in aesthetic and reconstructive surgery with a focus on natural results.
