Melissa Meisel, Associate Editor07.05.11
As science continues to explore new ways to stem the tide of visible aging, industry suppliers continue to develop a wider range of new generation alternative ingredients for skin care. And consumers are willing to pay higher prices for it. After all, in skin care, the food/drug/mass channel is triple the size of the prestige channel, yet prestige is trending better, up 6% versus 3% in food/drug/mass, as tracked by market research providers The NPD Group, Inc. and SymphonyIRI Group in the Beauty Cross Channel Monitor. The face, sun care, and gift set segments were key drivers in the growth of prestige skin care, according to the report.
At the HBA Skin Care Session, "Novel Ingredients for Skin," suppliers weighed in on the latest anti-aging components. Speakers and subjects included Anna Gripp of ISP on Natriance biofractions and Dr. Juana Flores from DSM about reservatrol, to name a few. Dr. Leonel Rojo of Rutgers also presented on Pouteria Lucema, a new anti-aging ingredient from the Incan Golden Fruit. An expert on Botanical Therapeutics, Rojo found that this ingredient is ideal for both anti-aging and wound care formulations.
Speakers included Magali Borel, who has been working for six years at Lucas Meyer Cosmetics as product manager. Her company specializes in phospholipid-based emulsifiers and natural active ingredients and is located close to Paris, France with its own R&D laboratory and production.
Borel’s presentation explored the trend for “surgery-like cosmetic products.” Sculptessence, featuring naturally purified linseed polyholosides, targets loss of skin volume and dehydration. According to Borel, this product also has a high water absorption index and is available from Resources of Nature.
Rojo, who holds a doctoral degree in pharmacology from the University of Chile and is a registered pharmacist there, was next. His current professional interest is developing safe and effective botanical therapeutics with applications in skin aging and metabolic diseases. Pouteria Lucema falls into the category of botanical therapeutics, according to Rojo, and targets the inflammatory process of the skin.
“Overall, this category is overwhelmed by the chemistry of natural products…indeed, there is room for growth in this category,” he said.
Pouteria Lucema has an Andean origin and grows in Peru and Chile at high elevations. It is a nutritious fruit rich in antioxidants. In the dried powder form, it is non-perishable. The seed extract is abundant in fatty acids, which aids in increasing collagen and elastin as well as vascular recovery.
Next up was Anna Gripp, senior director, global marketing for personal care at International Specialty Products, Inc. (which was recently purchased by Ashland, as previously reported in Happi). She has held marketing and/or technical positions at DSM Nutritional Products Inc., EMD Chemicals and the Consumer Product Research Division at American Cyanamid Company. Her areas of expertise are sun care, skin care, color cosmetics and hair care.
Her presentation was on Natriance biofractions—ideal for moisturizing, brightening and de-stressing the skin. These ingredients “derived from nature” include pea, yeast and rice bran.
According to Gripp, the yeast (brightening) biofraction targets skin pigmentation, is quite mild and is Ecocert approved.
“The yeast biofraction is a more effective brightener than kojic acid,” noted Gripp in her studies.
The pea biofraction (pisum sativum) was designed to enhance hydration for smooth, supple skin, and is also Ecocert approved. The de-stressing rice bran biofraction targets “intrinsic (i.e. genetic) and extrinsic (i.e. environmental damage, stress) sources,” according to Gripp.
Finally, Flores of DSM spoke about trans-reservatrol. Currently, she is in charge of open innovation in the personal care division, where she provides a focus to the development of new ingredients for skin and hair care applications.
“Trans-reservatrol is a natural, safe way to develop radiant, youthful skin,” she said.