Great hair is a real head turner. Healthy hair can make a person look and feel good without make-up, enabling one to stand out in a crowd, or still allow one to express their own style even when our faces are covered with masks.

With UV, heat styling, colouring, perming, straightening and other lifestyle factors damaging our hair on a regular basis, it’s no wonder hair repair products have been trending. So, what are the essential ingredients for hair repair formulas? Read on to find out…

Hair repair formula essential #1: Lightweight oils or silicones

Damaged hair looks coarse, feels dry and has the appearance of ‘fly-aways’ because of damage to the cuticle – the outer cells of the hair shaft. In healthy hair, these cells sit flat, like roof tiles, and have a fine lipid coating to give the hair shine, softness and reduce tangling.

Damaged hair lacks the smooth arrangement of these cells and therefore doesn’t have the same fine layer of natural lipids; so, one of the best ways to fix this issue is to provide a small amount of lightweight oil or silicone. If creating a:

• Shampoo formula: the oil input is best provide as a superfatting agent, so the hair is gently yet effectively cleansed.

• Conditioner or mask formula: the drier and more damaged the hair, the more oil needed! Since you don’t want to weigh down the hair, use 5-7%w/w of a light weight long spreading lipid.

• Hair oil formula: the majority of these formulas should contain volatile lipids, with a small amount of non-volatile lipids for shine and smoothing. The non-volatile lipids are your weightless carriers that will evaporate shortly after applying; while the non-volatile materials will provide the lasting softness and gloss. Watch this video for silicone based hair oils, or this video for a natural hair oil formula.

Hair repair formula essential #2: Hydrolised proteins

Your hair is composed of proteins, so if you want to prepare it, it makes sense you need the building blocks of proteins! Hydrolysed proteins are water soluble combinations of amino acids and peptides from an original protein source. When added to a hair care formula, they act to fill the gaps of damage and provide the strength missing from lifted and lost cuticle cells.

There are many different hydrolysed proteins to choose from plant and animal sources, in varying molecular weights. If creating a:

• Shampoo formula: choose a hydrolysed protein with efficacy data to show its performance in a wash off product. These should be relatively low molecular weight so they don’t leave the hair feeling heavy after cleansing.

• Conditioner or mask formula: choose a hydrolysed protein with data to show its substantivity. A high molecular weight material in hair repair conditioners and masks provides stronger repair and protection benefits.

• Hair repair serum: hydrolysed proteins are perfect in leave on hair serums for the ultimate in hair repair. Since they are water soluble, there would be very few hydrolysed protein preparations to suit hair oils – hence a split end serum is an ideal way to provide lasting repair. Hair repair creams can also be a great way to deliver hydrolysed proteins without
weighing the hair down.

Hair repair formula essential #3: Cationic agent

The hair is normally in a negatively charged state, so when we add positively charged substances (a cationic or quaternary material) to a haircare formula, they not only bind strongly to the hair, but also provide desirable ‘slip’ and detangling.

When choosing your cationic agent, remember:

• Cationic surfactants are incompatible with anionic surfactants – they will form insoluble complexes in a cosmetic formula.

• There are strict input limits over the use of some cationic surfactants such as cetrimonium chloride and behentrimonium chloride – while they are effective conditioning agents, they can also be very irritating so check your local country regulations for limits on use.

• Cationic polymers, such as cationic gums (e.g. guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride) and polyquaternium agents are compatible with anionic surfactants.

• Cationic polymers do not have nearly the same charge or smoothing properties that a cationic surfactant does, but are more compatible and often less irritating.

If you are creating a:

• Shampoo formula: use cationic gums and polyquaternium agents only. You would normally only add one or the other for budget reasons.

• Conditioner formula: conditioner formulas contain a cationic surfactant for that beautiful slippery feeling and detangling. Cationic gums or polyquaterniums can add to this cationic benefit whilst managing potential irritancy if the budget allows.

• Mask formula: should include a cationic surfactant at a high level (remember to check regulations for limits), and at least a cationic gum or polyquaternium or both for maximum smoothing and conditioning benefits. You’d also have light weight oils and hydrolysed proteins for maximum results, watch how to make a hair mask formula.

You may also want to add other actives, extracts and humectants to support these essential hair repair formula ingredients. Speak with your suppliers or visit them at your nearest in-cosmetics exhibition and get creating great hair repair formulas today!

Happy formulating!

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The scalp is covered in skin, just like the rest of the body, but with a few key differences:

• While beauty routines encompass cleansing, nourishing and hydrating the skin, most hair care routines of the past focused on cleansing and conditioning the hair only;
• The scalp is covered in hair follicles which penetrate deep into the dermis with an epidermal layer only a few skin cells thick;
• There is a regular delivery of sebum from nearby oil glands in every hair follicle.

While scalp care has largely been ignored by major brands until recently, these important differences are now being realized and harnessed in a range of scalp serums and products formulated specifically to nourish and care for the scalp.

Follicular delivery is also being harnessed as an enhanced delivery system for actives, and control of excess sebum secretions is crucial for a healthy scalp.

A healthy scalp means healthy hair

As obvious as this sounds, it is only recently that care of the scalp has become a major hair care formulation strategy. We’ve seen a variety of cosmetic actives launched to specifically care for this neglected area of the body, addressing signs of early greying, hair fall and lack of volume, and even the microbiome as a means to control and reduce dandruff.

Some of the key cosmetic actives we’ve seen launched to address a healthy scalp and resultant hair matters include:

• Pre- and probiotics as a means to balance the scalp microbiome – this can treat a variety of scalp problems from dry, itchy scalp to dandruff. Check out active ingredients such as:
  • CutiBiome CLR (CLR Berlin) – a natural cosmetic active to balance the microbiome specifically in cases of acne and dandruff;
  • Anti-Dandruff Complex (by Greentech) – uses natural plant extracts to decongest the scalp, reduce redness and soften the scalp skin;
  • AlphaShield (Citroleo) – naturally rich in phytonutrients to colonise healthy scalp micro-organisms.
• Actives targeting melanin production in the hair bulb to reduce early greying, such as:
  • Greyverse (Lucas Meyer Cosmetics) – uses peptide technology to target different causes of the hair greying process for amazing anti-grey results;
  • Wisegrade (Lipotrue) – uses plant glycoproteins to reduce oxidation of the hair and activate the melanogenesis cycle;
  • Chromafend Biofunctional (Ashland) – a plant extract that targets pigmentation biomarkers to reverse the appearance of greying hairs.
• Reducing hair fall (loss) and boosting volume, such as:
  • AnaGain (Mibelle Biochemistry) – a pea extract that reactivates dermal papilla cells to stimulate hair growth;
  • Baicapil (Provital) – focuses on nourishment of the hair bulb to reduce hair fall;
  • Trichogen VEG LS9922 (BASF) – an extract, mineral and vitamin rich cocktail to feed the follicle and restore hair growth;
  • Capalgin (KimiKa LLC) – a seaweed extract to keep hair in the anagen phase longer, for stronger, healthier hair and less hair fall.

Keep up to date with all the active cosmetic ingredient launches in this area by meeting with suppliers at your nearest in-cosmetics exhibition!

Scalp care formula crucial elements

It’s not just the active that is important to ensure the scalp care product works as intended, but the scalp care formula as well. Remember, the scalp is, in many cases, covered in hair. Any cosmetic formula intended for the scalp must not only run sufficiently to reach the scalp through all that hair, but it mustn’t feel tacky or dry flaky either.

Even when applied to thinning hair or directly to the scalp, the user doesn’t want to feel stickiness, have the product run from their scalp or hand during application, or have it dry in a white or cakey manner. The product itself must be able to be massaged too – this helps ensure delivery through the hair to the scalp region and into the hair follicles.

In addition to how the scalp formula spreads and feels during and after application, the cosmetic formula itself must ensure good delivery of the actives to ensure the best results. Here are ways to construct your scalp formula to achieve all of these things:

• Sprays, serums and gels are often the best type of formula to construct, as they have low viscosity yet can be formulated to contain the active and delivery agent.
• Use a very small input of very light lipids (such as esters instead of plant oils) to help with spreading and prevent flaking upon drying – but don’t use much, otherwise it will just end up making the hair feel greasy.
• Use a delivery agent to ensure effective trans-follicular delivery of the actives. Watch this video which guides you through a variety of cosmetic delivery enhancing ingredients.
• Use a gum or polymer that does not leave residual tack. You will need to make sure your formula doesn’t drip from the scalp so it needs some viscosity build – just be careful what you choose to prevent stickiness or flaking during application or dry out.
• The product should have a slightly acidic pH (around 5.5, unless the active requires otherwise) to match that of the scalp.

Here are some scalp care formulation ideas to get you started with creating your scalp care formulas:

• Anti-hair loss serum
• Anti-grey serum
• Natural anti-dandruff scalp serum
• Natural AHA scalp scrub – using AHAs to chemically exfoliate the scalp is a great way to enhance scalp health too!

Make the most of this emerging product formulation category and consider how your consumers can benefit from scalp care products today. Just remember to include an active ingredient promising the results they are looking for and work on the scalp formulation base to ensure it feels great – and ensures efficient delivery – for the best results.

Keen to hear more about scalp care?  Visit Love is in the Hair at in-cosmetics Asia

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Today is Sunday December 31st, 2023 (!) and I can imagine I’d be analyzing the last 12 months, paying special attention to innovation in haircare over the course of the year gone by… How dynamic was  innovation in the hair segment? What will the future be like I wondered, whilst remembering some facts that marked some disruptive hair product launches…

It’d be nice to predict future trends and be active on the last day of the year building a haircare strategy and identifying the trends embarking on new hair projects that will impact the market during 2023.

Haircare will maintain great empathy with consumers and their needs whilst considering personalization, scalp, emotions, professional finishing and sustainability in new launches.

The hair cosmetics category has a projected CAGR of 5.6% in the period 2022-2028 according to Fortune Business, which represents a great opportunity globally. So, let’s have a look at 10 trends that will inspire us with the latest technological advances in science and the industry.

Hairbiome

The microbiome of hair and scalp is specific to everyone and it can be modified with consumer habits or conditions. That is how, recently research by Watanabe and colleagues in Nature reports found that hair strands contain Pseudomonas in a greater proportion, and Cutibacterium and Staphylococcus coexist on the scalp with distinguishable profiles from other skin areas.

Also, Cutibacterium, Lawsonella and Moxarella decrease due to hair styling while Pseudomona does it with bleaching.

Another study presented at IFSCC 2022 showed a decrease of Cutibacterium and Staphylococcus in people with androgenetic alopecia (AGA). This new knowledge has direct application in the hair industry which can recommend a healthy hair routine accompanied with a microbiome analysis!

Neurohair

The skin-brain connection is well documented. What about hair?

Mechanisms with the nervous system and hair growth are being investigated. At IFSCC 2022 we saw an active ingredient that binds to olfactory receptors expressed in the follicle and promotes hair growth indicating a target of interest.

Neuroscience techniques (electroencephalography EEG, galvanic response GSR, eye tracking) together with AI and VR tools allow us to evaluate the connection of fragrances and the response of consumers to hair product. We will analyse how neuroscience and predictions mix!

Hair saves the planet 

The hairdresser startup Green Salón Collective gives the vision of Hair as Biomaterial. The disruptive innovation of this company is to re-use haircut. 5 tons of hair as: a) Fertilizer (72,000 tons/year from the salon end up in landfills in Europe) and b) Oil absorbent material.

Haircuts packaged in cotton or nylon tubes form powerful barriers to stop oil spills contributing to sea decontamination. Planet care opens up new opportunities in haircare.

Vegan hair

Alternatives to traditional hair material are booming, giving greater naturalness and performance in formulations.

Aja Labs is developing a biodegradable plant-derived polymer with excellent softness and shine characteristics to replace hair extensions. This vegan hair together with ecofriendly dyes (quinones, tannins, flavonoids, indigo, curcuminoids and carotenoids) are alternative biomaterials that will conquer the hair market.

Virtual hair

The brand Madison Reed recently launched a virtual hair colour test app using AR technology from Perfect Corp. The app allows consumers to try on more than 50 hair colours virtually, giving them confidence about their next colour style.

Likewise, AI and Machine Learning are useful to study active ingredients with anti-hair loss activity and predict compounds with antioxidant action in the follicle! The new hair claims developed with this technology will be thickening, regeneration, controlling alopecia and grey hair.

Hair devices

The portable device Rootonix Dr. Finger Volume Booster, presented at CES 2023, diagnoses hair health by evaluating the conditions of the scalp and hair loss, keeping the consumers informed and accompanying them professionally with a technological treatment from home.

We hope that it will be launched to the global market in 2023. technology for use by hairdressers is being implemented by Schwarzkopf’s SalonLab Smart Analyzer, where hair is analyzed offering customization. Device development will be rising exponentially in 2023.

Exosomes

Exosomes are small extracellular microvesicles that release mRNAs, microRNAs, cytokines, and growth factors. Studies demonstrated that exosome therapies can combat hair loss as well as stem cell exosome composition promotes hair growth.

Will we see an anti-loss exosome spray in our daily routine? We don’t know, but we are certain that in 2023 it will be a topic of interest.

Hair efficiency

Do you know we can spend up to 15 liters of water washing hair? This has been corroborated by a SCSS study report to calculate Water Footprint.

Innovations such as L’Oreal’s Water Saver which combines micronization technology with formulations infused directly into the water jet in a dispensing device, allow for a 60% reduction in water consumption.

Also, the REDUIT HAIRPODS based on magnetic nebulization contain a hair conditioner in an aerosol of drops 50 times smaller than a traditional product; it improves the product spread, penetration, and fixation. Five mL of the HAIRPOD is equivalent to 100-200 mL of treatment, Decreasing the number of ingredients in the process. We will see massification of these types of products with cost-benefit efficiency!

Premature anti-hair loss antioxidants

Controlling the oxidative stress in the bulb and scalp contributes to the reduction of hair loss. The manganese thiophosphite has a greater capacity for hair regeneration compared to Minoxidil, according to the study carried out in China by Zhang and colleagues in Nanolett magazine.

We will see a boom in the prevention and fight against premature baldness and exposomes that affect hair health!

New formats

We already saw disruptive innovations such as beer-type shampoo with ferments that promote hair health and ice cream-type treatments that provoke fiber care into a hedonic world.

Now, we will see new formats inspired by face care such as hair tonics and moisturizers to strengthen the scalp, and specialized treatments in the strengthening bond trend which penetrate the fiber and repair it from the inside with formats that improve effectiveness in the capillary cortex.

We are on a challenging path for 2023, which will take us to a new world and will review these trends at the end of the year with results leading us onto a new adventure.

Want to see haircare ingredients come to life? Visit Spotlight On at in-cosmetics Asia

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BROWSE SHOWS

Consumers have known for decades about the benefits of vitamins and actives for the skin. With the dramatic shift in personal care routines over the past two pandemic years, however, consumers are showing an increasing interest in the ingredients used in their haircare, along with those that can have benefit for their scalp as well.

The hair follicle is quite unique in that it acts like a tube of epidermal then dermal skin cells surrounding the growing hair shaft which enables epidermal penetration to be enhanced at the scalp level. This means that products applied to and left on the scalp can have advanced performance, especially when they are formulated with clinically proven active ingredients with small molecular weights and penetration enhancing formulation principles.

Watch this video for cosmetic formulation tips on how to get the best penetration of active ingredients.

First let’s bust some haircare formulation myths As with high performance skincare products, hair and scalp care products are subject to myth and snake oil claims too. Here are a few myth busters to help you sort fact from fiction when it comes to selecting hair and scalp-ceutical ingredients.

• Hydrolysed proteins are effective in leave on and wash-off products such as shampoos and conditioners. For substantivity proof and an explanation of how they work so well, please watch this video on proteins, peptides and collagen in cosmetics.
  
  
• Silicones are not bad for the hair. Watch this video on silicones in skincare and haircare to get a proper understanding of how the silicone myth started, and the truth of their benefits.
  
  
• While exotic oils and emollients are often highlighted in marketing campaigns as being the top performing ingredients in haircare formulas, they are not the top conditioning agents for the hair or scalp. High inputs of non-volatile oils and emollients make the hair heavy and greasy, but small amounts, especially in wash off products, can be beneficial. Only volatile oils and silicones get used in large quantities in leave on scalp or haircare products to prevent residual greasiness. Watch this video to see how silicone based hair oils are made, or this video to see how natural hair oils are made – the exotic oil content, you will be surprised to find, is actually really low!

What are the top ingredients for the hair and scalp?

• Hydrolysed proteins, keratins and larger molecular weight hydrolysed proteins are fantastic to condition and strengthen the hair cuticle you can see. The hair is mostly composed of keratin, a protein, so applying a hydrolysed protein is much like painting the hair with a biomimetic strengthening agent. Since hydrolysed proteins can vary so much by weight and composition, use the amounts recommended by suppliers for the best benefits – too little, and you won’t see the results you hope for; while too much will tend to weigh the hair down. Just the right amount for the specific trade material will give very noticeable results from first use.
  
  
• Quaternised polymers, such as polyquaternium materials and guar hydroxypropyltrimonium trichloride, adsorb to the normally negative hair shaft and provide a conditioning and detangling effect. They are often indispensable additions to any haircare product and again vary significantly by trade name – so check supplier information carefully to get the best input and results. Too much of these materials can make the hair feel very heavy, lank and lose lustre.
  
  
• Cationic emulsifiers are without a doubt the best ingredients to condition and detangle the hair, but can be irritating to the scalp. They are essential in wash-off conditioning products but are best limited in leave on conditioners and should be avoided in leave on scalp serums. Some of these emulsifiers, such as cetrimonium chloride and behentrimonium chloride, are also limited on input by cosmetic regulations, so remember to check your local country limits.
  
  
• A variety of botanical extracts are continually being discovered with exciting hair and scalp benefits. As the performance of plant extracts can vary so much, always look for clinical efficacy data when evaluating extracts, and make sure the data relates specifically to the cosmetic ingredient, by trade name, that you are investigating for use in your formula.
  
  
• Vitamins and minerals are great additions to your haircare and scalp care formulas, but always check for efficacy data to ensure you are using the right amount in either leave on or wash-off products to get the desired results. Some vitamins and minerals are great for nourishment, lustre and overall condition of the hair and scalp in either leave on or wash-off products, such as panthenol; while others are better suited in leave on applications for scalp exfoliation and general scalp health, such as retinol – but regulatory limits still apply in this case, as they do for the skin.

What can’t hair or scalp-ceutical products promise? It is important to remember that even when hair or scalp products are formulated for optimal performance, they are still governed by cosmetic regulations (unless registered as drug, medical or therapeutic goods). This means, even if there is a large body of evidence for use of an ingredient:

• Cosmetics must not claim dermal or physiological activity, which means products can’t claim to prevent hair loss. This is often why you see softer claims such as ‘limit hair fall’ or ‘increases the appearance of hair density and volume’ used for hairceutical products aimed at reducing hair loss by nourishing the scalp.
  
  
• Genetic hair loss cannot be prevented using cosmetic products. Combatting genetic hair loss is hard enough for a registered drug, and it is unfair to promise consumers that a cosmetic substance or product could reverse what genetics controls.

Scalp active ingredients such as Greyverse (Lucas Meyer), SpecPed PT20P (Spec-Chem Industry), Chromafend Biofunctional (Ashland) and Wisegrade (Lipo True) have clinical efficacy to show an increase in melanin production through regular use – for a consumer this means a visible improvement in hair colour and reduced appearance of grey hair. Actives such as Procapil and Apiscalp (Croda), Trichogen VEG LS 9922 (BASF), Capalgin (KimiKa LLC), AnaGain (Mibelle Biochemistry) and Baicapil (Provital) have clinical data to support reduction in hair loss and improvements in hair growth, but remember, these specific claims, regardless of the evidence, can’t be made when promoting the finished products to consumers.

As with all skincare, hair and scalp-ceutical products can provide benefits when formulated correctly, with the right ingredients for the desired results, and effective penetration where needed. When formulating these types of products, focus on where the activity needs to be – on the external dead cuticle, or within the epidermis of the scalp – and look for clinical efficacy to get the right input, use and results for your consumers.

Remember to hold the appropriate evidence and stick to compliant cosmetic claims to keep the regulators and your consumers happy. Happy formulating!

Tip: in-Cosmetics Discover can help you find active ingredients suitable for hair care applications, specifically to treat the scalp. For this, select the following filters (multiple filter search is possible):

FUNCTIONS: active ingredients
PERFORMANCE CLAIMS: scalp care
APPLICATION: hair care As a result, you get a short-list of active ingredients that target the scalp treatment. You can further narrow your search by adding the filters “recently launched” or “with documents”, or add other filters linked to the physico-chemical properties or certifications depending on your brief.

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by: Mibelle Biochemistry

Mibelle Biochemistry presents SantEnergy – a new ingredient to energize hair follicle cells and protect them from the harmful impacts of ROS. Besides the skin, also the hair and scalp are exposed to a range of harmful factors daily. Many of these causes the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which further damage cellular proteins and lipids, but also cause oxidative DNA damage in the sensitive hair follicle cells. The hair follicles possess a defence system in order to remove ROS and protect the cells from protein and lipid oxidation as well as oxidative DNA damage. The master regulator of the oxidative stress response, Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (Nrf2), functions as a switch to activate the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes and to replenish the pool of cellular antioxidants such as glutathione. In the scalp, in particular, Nrf2 was shown to be activated upon stress and to decrease ROS levels and prevent lipid peroxidation. Thereby, Nrf2 activation reduces the premature progression to the catagen growth regression phase and ultimately ameliorates hair growth inhibition caused by oxidative stress. However, this cellular self-protection system is unable to cope with an excess detrimental chemical species and its activity was shown to decline with age.

To support the cellular self-protection system, prevent UV-induced oxidative damage and energize the hair follicles, Mibelle Biochemistry has developed SantEnergy based on a polyphenol-rich extract from the wild-harvested aerial parts of Eriodictyon californicum, a plant also known as Yerba Santa, holy herb or mountain balm. The leaves of this plant have traditionally been used to treat upper respiratory infections and asthma and it has numerous recorded health benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and neuroprotective effects.

Several in vitro studies have been performed to investigate the effects of SantEnergy. They showed that the active has a caffeine-like energizing effect by engaging the adenosine receptor, which is also the molecular target of caffeine. This stimulating effect was also observed upon treatment of the nematode C. elegans with SantEnergy, which led to an increase in the worms’ mobility comparable to treatment with caffeine. Cell-based assays proved the strong antioxidant activity of SantEnergy both at the cell membrane and inside the cell, which was comparable to that of pure quercetin, one of the most well-known and powerful antioxidants.

The beneficial effects of SantEnergy were further studied in isolated human hair follicles, a full mini-organ model that is ideally suited for such investigations. In the isolated hair follicles, UVB irradiation led to the depletion of Nrf2 in various distinct areas and an increase in oxidative DNA damage, reflected by the formation of the oxidative DNA adduct 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). Treatment with SantEnergy increased the expression of Nrf2, thereby supporting the cellular self-protection system of the hair follicle cells, while also preventing the oxidative DNA damage caused by UV radiation. As a result of the oxidative stress, hair follicles had prematurely transitioned to the mid to late catagen phase of the hair growth cycle upon UV radiation. Treatment with the active ingredient prevented this premature transition to the growth regression phase and thereby delayed the ageing of the hair follicle, which is generally associated with hair loss.

A clinical study was performed in order to prove the efficacy of SantEnergy to reduce hair loss. 56 volunteers suffering from hair loss (45 women and 11 men; aged 18 to 68 years) were enrolled and separated into two groups: one group applied a hair serum containing 2 % SantEnergy once daily on the scalp for five months, while the other group used a corresponding placebo product. A cosmetic trichogram was performed and the analysis showed that the active ingredient induced a reduction of telogen hair by 20% and an increase of anagen hair by 31.8%. This led to an overall increase of the hair growth coefficient, the anagen to telogen ratio (A/T ratio), by 68%. As the A/T ratio is a direct indicator of the proportion of actively growing hair follicles, it directly impacts the hair density. A measurement with the Trichoscan^® microcamera confirmed this: the hair density increased by 13.1% after five months of treatment with SantEnergy.

In conclusion, SantEnergy is a powerful active ingredient that energizes the hair follicles and protects them from oxidative damage by upregulating the cellular antioxidant system. Together, these beneficial effects protect the hair from photo-aging and ultimately increase hair growth and density.

by: PnP Biopharm

For a long time, people desired to prolong their youth, and this desire increases over time as human life expectancy increases. That is why the demand for anti-aging products in the cosmetic industry is always high and numerous products have been constantly developed and upgraded.

Then what exactly is aging and why does this occur?

In the human body, there are about 200 different types of cells and each cell is specialized to perform a particular function. Aging occurs when more cells lose their ability to divide than the cells actively proliferate because this leads to an overall decrease in cell number and activity. One of the good examples of this aging process is wrinkle formation. A fibroblast is a type of cell that produces collagen and elastin, the components that are important for skin elasticity. As skin ages, fibroblasts decrease in number so less collagen and elastin are produced, this leads to a wrinkle formation. Another common aging sign is hair greying, which is also caused by decreasing melanocytes and melanin production. From these examples, it is understandable that it is important to keep cells actively dividing and functioning to delay aging. Surprisingly, there are already substances in the body that stimulate cells to divide – growth factors.

Growth Factors are proteins that act as chemical messengers between cells and play a role in cell proliferation and tissue regeneration. Due to their intrinsic functions, the amount of growth factors is related to aging. For example, skin aging typically starts at the age of 25 and this is also the age when growth factors start to gradually decrease. Therefore, it is important to sustain the level of growth factors to keep a youthful look and condition.

Today, various types of growth factors and their functions are discovered. Most of them are multifunctional as they perform several roles and are effective in various areas. EGF and bFGF are the most commonly used ingredients in the market due to their well-known cellular proliferation and stimulation effect, especially in the skin. PDGF is well-known for its proliferation and migration effect on connective tissue cells and it is also suggested to stimulate hyaluronan production by certain mesenchymal cells. There are growth factors showing remarkable effects in hair care. KGF1 and FGF5s, family members of bFGF, are involved in the regulation of the hair cycle, thus they can help to stimulate the regeneration of hairs. SCF is also suggested with its positive effect for hair greying since SCF is known to mediate melanocyte recruiting and melanin production.

Despite these attractive and proven effects, growth factors have certain limitations such as short half-life, which indicates lack of stability at room temperature and loss of activity after storing in various environments such as high temperature and aqueous condition. This is a serious weakness in the cosmetic industry because high temperatures may be required in the production process and costly refrigerated storage and delivery system may be required to keep their stability. To cope up with this limitation, PnP Biopharm Co., Ltd. has applied its protein engineering platform technology and successfully developed highly stable and long-acting growth factors.

PnP Biopharm was founded with the technology transferred from Dr. Shin, the expert in protein production and engineering field. From his experience, PnP Biopharm was able to develop various protein engineering technologies and Vexpress^® Technology is one of them. It is the world’s first highly efficient and cost-competitive protein expression platform technology to make it possible to simplify complicated protein production processes for time and cost-saving. Another notable technology is Vexteel^® Technology, which is used to develop highly active and thermostable proteins. In the cell proliferation test, the cells with PnP-GFs (Growth Factors) show two- to four-fold higher activity than wild-type GFs, which prove the higher stability of PnP-GFs.

The goal of PnP Biopharm is to make growth factors to be widely applied in various industries such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. For the cosmetic field, PnP Biopharm supplies about 25 growth factors and branded cosmetic products (Cellcurin and RUBYSCO) to fulfil people’s desire to keep their youthful and healthy look without age limitation. Also, PnP Biopharm is putting effort to develop growth factors as pharmaceuticals since the highly stable growth factors show remarkable wound healing effects in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, burns, etc.

by: Ashland

Sandalwood has a 4,000-year-old history: the oil was used in religious rituals, and many deities, temples and sacred carvings were crafted from its softwood. It was one of the most common incenses found burning in ancient Hindu and Buddhist temples around India and China and is still used in temples today as it is believed to bring one closer to one’s divine nature. Sandalwood is highly prized for its oil that forms only with the right mix of genetics and environmental factors. The oil is the tree’s defense mechanism against disease and stress which helps explain many of the medicinal properties for which it has been used over the centuries. In addition to its spiritual and medicinal properties, its intensely sweet, soft, woody, and slightly musky aroma made it a prized ingredient for luxury perfumes and cosmetics from ancient India, to Egypt, to China, and to the rest of the world.

The forest therapy trend inspired the development of this new biofunctional. Forest Therapy, under the umbrella of nature or ecotherapy, has existed in Japan since the Forest Agency of Japan promoted Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) as a practice for healthy living and part of a forest therapy program. The practice of shinrin-yoku is the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness. Breathing in a forest is a possible mechanism that may induce the health benefits of forest bathing. Forests often deliver large amounts of odorant molecules, identified as “forest VOCs”. These odorant molecules serve several functions including tree defense and communication. Inhaling some forest odorant molecules can result in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, it may be also beneficial to improve cognitive performance by decreasing mental fatigue, increasing relaxation and mood. Forest bathing continues to grow in interest and stature and is now a new trend in the beauty industry.

Santalwood biofunctional is obtained from Santalum album sustainably grown in Australia in a plantation using regenerative agriculture techniques, with rotational re-planting after harvest and water-efficient irrigation techniques. There is full control over the entire supply chain from planting, growing, and harvesting the sandalwood to processing the essential oil by steam distillation without adding any chemicals during the process. Wood chips depleted in oil are used for the extraction of Santalwood biofunctional by supercritical CO2 technology. The oil-soluble extract is then solubilized in a bio-based solvent. Santalwood biofunctional is part of a circular economy model, creating value out of a by-product, with minimal use of natural resources.

Due to its predictive potential, Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used to explore large datasets and to detect concealed patterns, drawing predictions that only the machine can discern. The analytical determination of the extract led to the identification of seventeen key phytocomponents with potential biological activity. Then, network pharmacology analysis was used to predict the potential skin biological activity. Predicted skin biological activities comprised: anti-aging (including senolytic activity, telomere protection, extracellular matrix organization), regulation of inflammation, response to various stresses, skin olfactory receptor modulation, skin barrier homeostasis (epidermal development and regeneration, cell-to-cell junctions), mitochondrial homeostasis, DNA repair, antioxidant defenses, sebum regulation, and hair growth and folliculogenesis. These predicted areas and the related genes constitute a pool of potential biological activities that can be further validated experimentally. The biological evaluations on different skin models highlighted the role of Santalwood biofunctional in increasing the olfactory receptors OR2AT4 for a better protection against environmental air pollution and for healthier aging.

These evaluations also showed the role of Santalwood biofunctional in reducing cell senescence and increasing cell longevity. Clinical studies on skin and scalp of Asian and Caucasian volunteers showed improved skin renewal and hair regeneration, well aging benefits with firmer and smoother skin, less visible fine lines and wrinkles and more radiant and glowing skin. The skin olfactory signature of aging was evaluated by measuring odorant molecules precisely produced by the skin with age. This new evaluation of skin aging revealed that Santalwood biofunctional could reduce the skin olfactory signature of aging.

Santalwood biofunctional is the first biofunctional to be developed by Ashland with Artificial Intelligence (Al) for well aging that helps transform skin’s appearance from dull and lifeless to vibrant and glowing.

by: Ashland

the conscious consumer

With the rise of the conscious consumer and global trends for clean INCI, naturally-derived and sustainable personal care formulations; the consumer need for ecologically-sound products is fast becoming a necessity for new product launches. However certain synthetic ingredients such as the acrylate-based rheology and suspension polymers have proven very difficult to replace without sacrificing consumer experience.

texturpure sa-1

This inspired our solvers at Ashland to develop texturpure sa-1 our new and novel sustainable ingredient to deliver a rich smooth and luxurious texture with a clean break on pouring and suspension of oils and actives in shampoos and cleansing systems. Texturpure sa-1 was developed using Ashland’s expertise in sustainable polysaccharide technologies. It is naturally-derived (according to ISO 16128), sustainably- and ethically-sourced, biodegradable and has a clean INCI (Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (and) Cellulose Gum (and) Xanthan Gum).

suspension

Shampoo and cleansing systems typically rely on water insoluble ingredients such as: natural or silicone oils for conditioning; visual enhancers, e.g. opacifiers and mica for appearance; and particulates e.g. scalp care actives for health. These essential ingredients are typically formulated in the rinse-off system with a stabilizing rheology modifier which has a sufficiently high yield value to provide suspension. Texturpure sa-1 is a highly efficient suspension agent and texturizing technology which is compatible with anionic, amphoteric and non-ionic surfactants. It offers excellent long-term stability, matching the industry-leading synthetic benchmark, even in challenging sulfate-free formulations. It is complementary to salt curves and is compatible with cationic conditioning polymers at typical usage levels.

a textured sensorial experience

We tested texturpure sa-1 extensively in the salon and at home over the 4 key moments of truth for the consumer against leading benchmark materials, we discovered that texturpure sa-1 delivers:

• on hand: forms a rich, smooth, and viscous product with a clean break when pouring, forms a uniform disc on the hand with a good shine. This ingredient is most effective for opacified, pearlized or translucent systems.
• on hair: glides over hair smoothly with a cushioned feel, coating the hair from end to end, lathers easily and boosts foam providing a rich foam with small bubbles.
• rinsing: easy to rinse without foamy residues or build-up. Hair is tangle-free and manageable.
• after-feel: fresh, detangled and easy to comb.

Additionally, texturpure sa-1 enables a highly conditioned sensorial experience in both silicone-based and silicone-free as it doesn’t interfere with these conditioning and oil deposition technologies.

ease of use

Ashland texturpure sa-1 is designed to be exceptionally easy to process at scale, it is delivered as a 100 % active powder which can be easily processed in cold water, solubilizing in just 20-30 minutes with regular mixing.

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Chemyunion launches ProShine hair care ingredient

Brazil-based ingredients provider Chemyunion has announced a new haircare ingredient that targets hair shine while also having an enhanced sustainability profile.

ProShine is an active ingredient designed around the principles of green chemistry, resulting in enhanced shine and colour highlights to dyed, discoloured or natural hair, while also offering a heightened sustainability profile thanks to a100% plant-based formulation that is also fully biodegradable.

The development team at Chemyunion said they wanted to create an ingredient that targeted hair shine because this is one of the most popular claims for hair care products. It is also a claim that is currently gaining momentum because consumers link it to the health and beauty of their hair. In addition to this, statistics cited by Chemyunion show that shampoo and hair treatments with shine claims make up more than 60% of all product claims, underlining the particular importance for these two particular product areas.

Currently, the most popular ingredients used to give shine in hair care products are oils, various vegetable extracts and silicones, but the Chemyunion development team says that these types of ingredients can cause unwanted short-term side effects to the hair that impact the efficacy, while also negatively impacting the environment. 

The company says that while oils and vegetable extracts are renewable and biodegradable, they do not interact in a meaningful way with the hair fibre, are easily removed during hair washing and can contribute to oily or greasy hair. 

Meanwhile, silicones can have a negative impact on the environment. They are not very biodegradable because they come from chemical reactions involving chloride composites from petrochemicals, while also having bioaccumulative properties. To avoid these issues, the Chemyunion team decided to explore more sustainable, eco-friendly and effective solutions to achieve hair shine, which is why they created ProShine from 100% plant-based renewable sources.

The development team says the enhanced efficacy of the ingredient has been achieved by focusing on why hair actually appears to have shine, which is all to do with light reflection. This is accomplished by ensuring the surface of the hair is flat, and therefore, undamaged. Once a smooth surface is achieved, a highly reflective active ingredient is added to coat, protect and add shine to the hair strand.

Following this principle, the Chemyunion team developed ProShine to interact with the main keratin structures in the capillary fibre, forming what is described as a uniform molecular film with a high reflective index. This means that the intermolecular interaction between the Hydroxyl group of the esters in the ingredient’s molecules and the amino acids in the strand has been proven by the company’s clinical trials, using silico modelling. 

Cornelius Group launches Cor-Sil Avance

UK-based Cornelius Group has launched a new silicone solution that reinvents the way water-in-silicone emulsification technology works. Silicone can be difficult to emulsify, which is why the Cornelius team has developed Cor-Sil Avance to incorporate a rapid emulsification action.

Adding to the ease of formulation, the ingredient can also be emulsified at room temperature, with the rapid speed and ease of the process contributing to a reduction in factory production time and process heating by up to 50%.

Scaling up from laboratory to factory is also significantly easier, with the Cornelius team estimating that it could be up to five times quicker than the traditional process, while the ease of formulation also contributes to as much as a 40% saving in formulation costs, as well as reducing the need for other raw materials by up to 50%.

However, the formulation efficiencies do not mean any compromise in efficacy, the company says. This is because the ingredient is developed from a patented molecule designed to make processing much easier. The team says its trialling of the new ingredient has shown that it results in ultra-light, quick-breaking emulsions with a non-pilling after-feel on the skin.

These properties all contribute to a premium silicone feel without the use of elastomers, additional film formers and other additives, making it ideal for a wide range of skin and sun care formulations with a broad choice of ingredients, including humectants, sunscreens and thickeners.

Ultimately, the Cornelius team believes its Cor-Sil Avance solution disrupts traditional silicone-based solution by making a simple switch in formulation behaviour to make the process both significantly more efficient without compromising on efficacy.

Mibelle launches moss extract anti-ageing ingredient

Mibelle Biochemistry has revealed its latest ingredient launch, MossCellTec Aloe, which is based on a moss created using biotechnology.

The company says it improves cell-to-cell communication via connexin channels, while evening out the moisture distribution in the skin to ultimately reduce the volume and depth of wrinkles.

The ingredient is a further development of the company’s MossCellTec No. 1, which is claimed to be the first-ever ingredient to be biotechnologically produced from moss.

The new ingredient uses the same technology used to produce MossCellTec No. 1, allowing for the sustainable large-scale production of Aloina aloides moss extract, a rare species that has a high water retention capacity, and is also known as aloe-moss.

This moss is a tiny dark green to reddish moss that measures just 2 – 5 mm in height and the ridged leaves from the plant form a distinctive rosette that is similar to the appearance of the Aloe vera plant, which is how it gets its name.

Mibelle’s clinical trials of the new ingredient point to a range of other benefits that include improved hydration evenness, a fading action on signs of ageing, as well as having a comforting effect on dry skin.

MossCellTec Aloe has been specially developed for topical applications such as emulsions and gels and has a recommended dosing level of 2%, while also being water-soluble. 

The first dedicated upcycled food certification is here

As beauty brands look to food by-products and food waste as a means of making formulations more sustainable, a new US certification program has arrived to ensure standards and put a certification seal on them.

The Upcycled Food Association has begun open enrolment for its Upcycled Certification Program, which is the culmination of more than a year’s work to recognize and validate ingredients made from food by-products and waste.

An increasing variety of food by-products have been used in beauty and personal care products in recent years, including coffee grounds, nutshells, fruit husks and pulp, seeds, stems and leaves, which can be easily sourced from food manufacturers and the foodservice industry and used to create scrubs and a wide variety active ingredients. 

Another important area is the significant proportion of food that simply goes straight to waste, particularly in developed countries. This area includes imperfect goods, particularly fruits and vegetables, which consumers tend to overlook. Although products featuring food by-products and upcycled waste food have proved to be highly popular with the growing band of conscious consumers, until now, there has been no way for consumers to determine if the process is vetted. 

“The third-party certified program lays out a rigorous set of rules establishing definitions for upcycled ingredients and products, providing a framework for companies to create, and communicate the impact of, upcycled foods,”  The Upcycled Food Association stated in a press release to announce that enrolment in the program is now open. 

“Approved products and ingredients will be allowed to use the powerful new consumer-facing Upcycled Certified mark that was unveiled in April,” the statement added.

The certification program has been undergoing pre-launch testing with several participating companies since February this year. The testing period produced some useful insights, the association says, and led to the successful rollout of the full program.

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Want to stay in the know when it comes to cosmetic ingredients? Delve into our bi-weekly round-up of the latest ingredients news and what that might mean for the industry.

Firmenich’s latest fragrance launch demonstrates new extraction technology

Global fragrance player Firmenich says investment in a new extraction technology is helping it to create the next generation of highly sustainable natural fragrance ingredients in the form of the new Firgood range. The technology is also said to offer new possibilities for fragrance ingredient development, leading to expanded palettes that will enable perfume producers to have more choice and enhance the boundaries of their fragrance creativity. 

The Firgood range includes a number of highly exotic and unique extracts, which the company’s development team says will help in the creation of distinctive fragrances that stand out in a highly competitive marketplace. Firgood is a collection of natural fragrance extracts produced using the new patented extraction process, which has been developed by the team at the company’s new industrial facility in its Naturals Centre of Excellence, located in Grasse, South of France.

The Firmenich development team has designed the application of the technology so it only uses water that is an inherent part of the biomass cells before the extraction process takes place.  The biomass is then warmed up using low-energy electromagnetic vibration, which means that the water from the biomass carries the odorant components, resulting in the final pure extract.

On top of all these efficiencies, the extraction process is solvent-free, while the dry biomasses only requires water humidification, again, minimizing the use of water. Additionally, the small amount of wastewater created at the end of the extraction process is clean and can be easily upcycled. 

Currently, the Firgood range includes a pear, a ginger and a green bell pepper scent, but the company says it is planning the addition of a further 10 ingredients in the near future.

Sederma launches peptide-based ingredient for grey hair coverage

Sederma has recently launched Sliverfree, an ingredient that targets grey hair coverage using the company’s new peptide technology to enhance the natural pigmentation of greying hair. The Sederma development team utilised its new peptide technology to create the hair care ingredient, which works by ‘re-educating’ the hair bulb to stimulate pigmentation that can in turn reproduces the hair’s natural colour.

Sederma, part of the Croda Group, says its clinical trials have shown that the ingredient also provides enhanced protection against intrinsic and extrinsic oxidative damage while having a long-lasting effect that means traces of the pigmentation are still visible four months after treatment. 

According to the company, the research into the new ingredient has been extensive, with its efficacy being demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that involved four independent clinical studies. The study results showed that Silverfree visibly reduced the density of white hair, decreasing the pigment from -32.4% to -86%, and restored the original hair color, which had the effect of increasing the pigmentation from +27.4% to +385%. 

The ingredient is joining a growing number of new generation gray hair coverage solutions that all target the enhancement of the hair’s natural pigmentation. Similar ingredients have been developed by Sederma’s competitors, including Lucas Meyer Cosmetic’s Greyverse and Givaudan’s Darkenyl.

According to Sederma its solution has advantages over the competition thanks to a biomimetic lipodipeptide that acts on hair bulb, providing visible grey hair coverage for the vast majority of individuals within the first three months, regardless of hair type or colour.

New study from Euromed demonstrates skin care benefits from pomegranate extract

Ingredients provider Euromed says a study it commissioned on its pomegranate-derived ingredient, Pomanox, has shown it can improve the overall health and vitality of skin when taken as an oral supplement or in functional foods and beverages.

The study was conducted by the Eurecat Technology Center, a research company in Catalonia, which found that the extract can minimise hyperpigmentation, attenuate oxidative stress caused by excessive UV radiation, promote skin resilience and alleviate skin dryness. In particular, the study discovered that the ingredient provided an enhanced metabolism for collagen and hyaluronic acid was, while it also had a skin brightening effect, all serving to create a more even and radiant complexion.

The study results suggest that the ingredient could also have a preventive and regenerative effect, which is largely attributable to the fact that it is rich in polyphenols. This gives the ingredient antioxidant properties that inhibit pro-inflammatory enzymes and counteract oxidative stress caused by excessive exposure to UV radiation. Thanks to the UV protective effect, the study suggests that Pomonax can reduce hyperpigmentation by decreasing melanin synthesis. 

The ingredient also has pro-ageing claims because it promotes collagen levels in the skin, maintaining skin elasticity. The study underscored this by demonstrating an increase in pro-collagen type I and total collagen found among the group participants.

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