Moisturising ingredient to cope with environmental changes

France-based Sederma launches a moisturising ingredient inspired by the protective strategy of microalgae living in estuary environments.

Aqualance is said to support the cell's normal protective strategies against changes in the environment to ensure the optimal water balance in the skin.

Improves skin water holding capacity Clinical studies carried out by Sederma on Aqualance illustrate the ingredient's capacity to improve the hydration of the skin, according to the company.

Twenty women applied a 3 per cent solution of Aqualance twice daily to the leg and measurements of moisture content were compared to the effects of a placebo formulation.

The ingredient can help to increase the water level in the upper layers of the skin by up to 30 per cent and by 13 per cent in the deeper layers, reported the company.

"Aqualance can recreate the pool of water to counterbalance the drying effects of trans-epidermal water loss and maintain the optimal cellular water content" stated Sederma.

Ingredient contains osmotic module The ingredient works by helping the cell to maintain its osmotic potential and therefore stabilising the cell's water content.

Maintenance of cell water content is key to a cell's survival and can be threatened by changes to the cell's external environment, such as changes in temperature and UV radiation.

Aqualance contains an osmotic module that helps the skin cope with osmotic shocks, according to Sederma.

The osmotic module mimics that of the estuary dwelling microalgae Platymonas subcordiformis that regularly changes its metabolism in order to cope with the changing salt levels of its environment.

The hydrating ingredient helps skin cells control water loss brought about by a changing environment, stated the company.