The ingredient will be launched through the physician distribution channel; an increasingly popular choice for skin care and cosmeceutical manufacturers as it is tipped for significant future growth.
Pyratine-6 is the upgraded cousin of the company’s initial anti-aging offering kinetin, which was released back in the 1990s.
Plant-derived growth factors
Both ingredients are based on cytokinins, natural plant-derived growth factors that stimulate cell growth and differentiation, however, the company claims Pyratine-6 is faster than its predecessor and the competition.
According to the company, these ingredients do not stimulate the proliferation of human cells, but instead have significant anti-oxidant properties and help delay the skin aging process.
Pyratine-6 reduces redness and roughness in as little as two weeks, according to Senetek, which also claims the ingredient helps fight against fine wrinkles, dryness, discoloration and other signs of photodamage over longer periods of sustained use.
In addition, the company cites an independent clinical trial led by Dr Jerry McCullough from the University of California published in the February 2008 issue of the Journal of Drugs and Dermatology.
According to McCullough, treatment with Pyratine-6 (0.1 percent) over 12 weeks improves roughness and skin moisturization in 2 weeks, and hyperpigmentation and fine wrinkles in four weeks.
Furthermore, clinical studies have shown the ingredient to be effective against the skin redness associated with rosacea, eczema, contact dermatitis and the menopause.
Non-acidic and non-irritant
In addition, the company states the product is mild on the skin, being tolerated by 33 out of the 34 individuals involved in the ingredient’s clinical trials.
This means it can be used as a treatment in conjunction with dermatological procedures such as chemical peels, laser resurfacing and microdermabrasion; another factor behind the choice of the physician’s office as the distribution channel.
Like the company’s initial ingredient that was formulated into a range of anti-aging products called Kinerase, Pyratine-6 is currently available in two forms, a lotion and a cream, for oily and dry skin respectively.