L’Occitane to Present at IFSCC

L’Occitane en Provence scientific experts are presenting a scientific poster entitled “Unlocking plants full potential: Upcycling approach applied to blue light protection.” at the 31st IFSCC Congress taking place in Yokohama, October 21-30, 2020.
 
Innovation has always been a central focus for L'Occitane. As cultivators of change, skilled R&D teams at L’Occitane and its dedicated Nature Lab continually observe, discover and rediscover, new and previously unknown natural benefits of plants. It’s the results of this unique approach to research that L’Occitane will showcase at the IFSCC.
 
Finding New Uses for Plants
 
At the center of L’Occitane’s research is the Immortelle Flower (Helichrysum italicum), a flowering plant of the daisy family Asteraceae, sometimes called the Curry plant because of its strong fragrance.
 
L’Occitane’s research focused on its co-product: the dried plant remains, already used during a first steam distillation, in investigating to see if it might have new secrets to reveal. The R&D team used an eco-extraction process, free from synthetic solvents, to harness new extracts from the already distilled plant remains. Using sub-critical water as a solvent, this new extraction gave birth to the Super Aqueous Extract, the powerful new extract of the brand’s Precious Night Mask.
 
When associated with Immortelle essential oil, this extract yields noteworthy antioxidant benefits that help protect the skin against external aggressors such as blue light overexposure (indoor pollution from computer screens for example), as they have a synergistic efficacy in preventing protein carbonylation induced by blue light. “The use of this combination of extracts offers a larger protection against oxidative stress induced by blue light and preserves skin’s radiance,” says Pascal Portes, head of scientific innovation, biodiversity and sustainable sourcing at L’Occitane.
 
This eco-extraction process, used with supercritical C02 as solvent, also brought to life the Super Extract, now used in L’Occitane’s brand-new Divine products. This 100% naturally derived extract revealed similar skin volume benefits as synthetic retinol while being gentler to one’s skin.
 
“Combining new and different extraction techniques on the same plant raw material has brought us valuable sustainable and biological benefits which serve in unlocking the full antioxidant potential of this plant for our skin care products,” Portes explained.
 
These research findings will be presented at the first ever all-digital IFSCC congress in Yokohama, October 21-30, 2020, along with a distinguished lecture given by the Nobel Prize Winner Yoshinori Ohsumi, Ph.D., and more than 500 on demand presentations.
 
Works being presented by L’OCCITANE Group during the congress include the following topics:
 

• Unlocking plants full potential: Upcycling approach applied to blue light protection (Poster # 116)
• A Natural alternative to Retinol: Supercritical CO2 extraction of Helichrysum Italicum (Poster # 67)
• Bee Happy – Neurogenic mechanism of thyme honey for a skin soothing effect (Poster # 77)
• 48H LONG LASTING natural deodorant with ultra-velvet touch texture without aluminum salts and alcohol (Poster # 304)
• A multi-dimensional approach for well-being evaluation (Poster # 330)
• Quest of well-being: a new methodology to measure the well-being brought by a new anti-aging face cream (Poster # 331)