Issue 33 — June 2003

Issue 33
Category		Titel		Author
Market Report		The latest anti-oxidant and enzyme research in skincare		Imogen Matthews

The discovery that anti-oxidants have a beneficial effect on the skin and can help delay, and possibly even reverse, the signs of aging has set cosmetic scientists on the scent for new and exciting ingredients. The process has been on-going for some years, resulting in a constant stream of new product launches, mainly in the area of prestige skincare.

Skincare manufacturers are aware that a natural ingredient story sells products, but know that it must be backed up with solid scientific evidence for today's cynical consumers to be convinced. Clarins has always trodden the natural path with its plant-based product range and has reformulated its best-selling Multi-Active Jour moisturiser range with a new plant extract called mourera fluviatilis. It is found in the rapid moving waters of rivers in French Guyana in South America and due to a rich and concentrated sugar and amino acid content is remarkably resistant to its aggressive environment. Clarins was the first skincare company to use this extract and joined forces with a local organisation in Guyana to ensure that harvesting this plant does not harm the environment and respects local populations.

Bruno Bordenave, a doctor in tropical botanical studies who works with Clarins Research Laboratory, discovered mourera fluviatilis during an expedition to French Guyana. His role at Clarins Research Laboratory is to look for new plant species that are of interest scientifically and cosmetically. "It is important to realise that plants provide the majority of active molecules used in cosmetics and medicine today," he points out. "When you consider that more than 800,000 different plant species live on our planet and that only a quarter of them are known, you could say that we still have a lot of work to do." The properties of mourera fluviatilis which interested Clarins are that the leaves are very rich in sugars and minerals which have hydro-regulating properties.



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Almay has tapped into kinetin, an anti-aging ingredient found in green, leafy plants, and has brought out a new skincare line called Almay Kinetin Skincare Advanced Anti-Ageing Series. Until now, kinetin has primarily been available only through a dermatologist or on prescription. Revlon, which owns Almay, holds the exclusive license to market kinetin skincare technology in the mass market.

Kinetin is a stable anti-oxidant which is also found in human DNA where it is formed as a protective response to oxidation caused by photo damage. It has been demonstrated in clinical studies to delay the onset of aging in skin cells in vitro. Kinetin, which is not an exfoliant, is "bio-available", allowing it to work deep within the skin's surface layers, without causing dryness or increased sun sensitivity commonly associated with retinoids and AHAs. The products in Almay's new kinetin-based range have been developed to visibly improve the signs of photo damage which include diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, fading the look of brown spots and uneven skin tone, increasing skin smoothness and clarity and improving skin texture, firmness and overall radiance.

Green tea has been well documented as a powerful anti-oxidant and is being incorporated into many skincare products. New research shows that white tea is 100% more effective as it has more than three times the amount of polyphenols, a potent anti-oxidant found in tea, that is widely acclaimed to help improve the body's defences and suppress free radical activity. According to experts at the U.S.D.A Human Research Centre, because of its high concentration of polyphenols, one cup of tea has the anti-oxidant equivalent of four glasses of orange juice. Using this equation, a cup of white tea would theoretically have the anti-oxidant equivalent of 12 glasses of orange juice.

Origins, the Estée Lauder owned cosmetics brand, is the first company to conduct extensive research into the properties of white tea. Origins is a natural-based prestige skincare brand and is constantly on the lookout for interesting ingredients. At any one time it has between five and ten natural ingredients in research. Lynne Greene, president of Origins, Global, comments: "Origins as a brand is an umbrella we use to look for ingredients, some of which, like white tea, might be thousands of years old. We look for something that is rich in culture and mix it up with the most modern science."

Records show that white tea was drunk by the Chinese emperors of the Song Dynasty, some 1,500 years ago. The drink was prized for relieving fatigue, delighting the soul and strengthening the will. Many claimed it was an important ingredient in the elixir of immortality. Today, white tea, known as Yinzhen (silver needles), is produced predominantly in China, mainly in the high mountains of the Fujian Province. Only the youngest leaves, the very tips of the tea plant, are picked for a few days each spring when the white buds are just growing.

White tea was brought to Origins' attention by their head of research and development who was keen to analyse its properties. "We conducted clinical tests comparing white tea to other teas and anti-oxidants and the results were astonishing," says Greene. "We heard the definitive results in January 2001 and knew we had to work fast before anyone else found out about the ingredient."



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In August 2001, Origins launched A Perfect World™ White tea skin guardian onto the US market, and by November it had become Origins best selling product. Janet Pardo, vice president of global product development for Origins, explains how A Perfect World™ enables the skin to function normally: "This innovative new skincare product uses a combination of potent ingredients to effectively help shut down skin aging negative forces, such as stress and polllution. Since skin does not have to defend itself, it is left free to improve itself. Softness and smoothness are immediate, skin is less stressed and the visible signs of aging are reduced."

Comparing white tea to green tea, Pardo says: "White tea protects lipid production ten times better than green tea. We've also found that white tea is significantly more effective than vitamin C and E alone. A Perfect World™ uses white tea in combination with walnut extract, vitamin C and vitamin E to provide the most superior form of anti-oxidant protection in order to help neutralise damaging free radicals and boost epidermal lipids."

Enzyme technology is another area of research which is being applied to skincare formulations. Enzymes belong to the chemical family of proteins which are big molecules with a very specific three dimensional structure. There are thousands of different enzymes with different tasks in the body. The problem with using enzymes in cosmetics formulations is that they are relatively unstable and too big to penetrate into the skin. Some digestive enzymes (proteases) can be used on the skin surface to clean or smooth the skin.

Dr Heiner Max, head of Beiersdorf's research and development team, explains how co-enzymes differ from enzymes: "Co-enzymes are relatively small molecules that are 20-200 times smaller than enzymes," he says. "They are not proteins but belong to different chemical groups. Co-enzymes interact with and bind to specific enzymes. There are only about 15 different co-enzymes available that could interact with thousands of different enzymes. For instance, Co-enyzme R binds to different carbozxylases that are responsible for the binding of carbon dioxide. One of these carboxylases ("Acetyl-CoA-Carboxylase") is the key enzyme for lipid synthesis (skin lipids). As co-enzymes are very small and most of them are relatively stable, they can penetrate into the skin and can be used in cosmetics formulations like Co-enzyme Q10 or Co-enzyme R."

Co-Q10 has long been used in medicine to treat chronic conditions, from gum disease to cancer, as a result of its unique ability to support cell regeneration. Co-enzyme Q10 is more commonly used as an energy provider in vitamin style supplements. When it is applied to the skin, it has the effect of energising and restoring vitality to the skin's cells. The cellular concentration of Q10 decreases with age and is extremely important for the metabolically highly active skin
tissue.

Beiersdorf research scientists have harnessed Co-Q10 into an anti-wrinkle face care range. The Nivea Visage Anti Wrinkle Q10 range is rich in Co-enzyme Q10 which acts as a powerful anti-oxidant, like vitamins C and E, protecting the skin from free radical activity. It boosts the skin's own repair system with cellular energy, enabling it to repair and regenerate itself efficiently, thereby delaying the development of wrinkles. Nivea Visage Anti-Wrinkle Q10 Repair Creme has become the world's number one anti-wrinkle creme and has been extended into the growing men's skincare market under the Nivea for Men Revitalising Creme Q10 name. The men's variant promises much more than a basic moisturiser by actively providing stress relief and energy for the skin.

Author

Imogen Matthews



Imogen Matthews is a business journalist and market research consultant and is a regular contributor to the trade magazines Esprit, International Cosmetique News and Beauty Business News. Her knowledge of the cosmetics, toiletries and fragrance industries is unsurpassed. In addition, she specialises in providing quality market research and PR consultancy to clients within the beauty industry.

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