"Problems with botulinum toxin injections have made a lot of headlines recently. Manufacturers who want to serve this expanding market need effective, high-performance ingredients that meet customer demands in terms of naturalness and non-toxicity," said a Cognis spokesperson.
Myoxinol is a patented complex of oligopeptides obtained by the biotransformation of native proteins from the seeds of Hibiscus esculentus L. (okra). These botanical peptides combat wrinkles in a similar way to botulinic toxin, by inhibiting the mechanical factors responsible for the appearance of expression lines on the face.
"At the moment there is a dearth of ingredients on the market that are both effective in performance and natural in origin. Myoxinol enables cosmetics producers to open up new markets," said a Laboratoires Sérobiologiques spokesperson.
The new solution is claimed to work biologically to retard the aging of cells (anti-radical) and mechanically to inhibit facial muscle contraction, preventing the formation of horizontal and vertical frown lines, crow's feet around the eyes and naso-labial lines around the mouth.
Myoxinol's potential as an anti-wrinkle agent was first assessed using an in-vitro test on a co-cultured muscle cell and neuron system. Its capability to inhibit the spontaneous contraction of muscle cells was evaluated by measuring the frequency of contractions over 24 hours.
Use of Myoxinol resulted in a significant reduction in muscle cell contractions, the primary mechanical factor responsible for the appearance of dynamic facial wrinkles. The contraction-inhibiting effect stoped 24 hours after application.
Other in-vitro tests demonstrated an anti-radical effect. A clinical test - involving application of a cream containing 1 per cent Myoxinol to the crow's feet area over a three-week period - suggested wrinkles became 26 per cent less noticeable.
Laboratoires Sérobiologiques is a specialist in the creation, manufacturing and sale of active ingredients and concepts for cosmetics.