The ingredient has been designed to limit excessive water loss and therefore provides good moisturising properties, according to the company.
Tight junctions retain moisture
Although the majority of moisturising ingredients concentrated on the stratum corneum and its role in the barrier function of the skin, Silab has chosen to look at the stratum granulosum.
The France-based ingredients supplier has cited a body of scientific literature that suggests a role of the tight junctions between the keratinocytes of the stratum granulosum.
According to the company, Cohesium triggers the formation of these tight junctions whilst in addition increasing the levels of the natural moisturising factors that are found in the upper layer of the skin, the stratum corneum.
Silab’s in vitro studies suggest that Cohesium stimulates the synthesis of claudin-1, a transmembrane protein involved in the cell-to-cell adhesion in the tight junction. In addition the ingredient stimulates the production of scaffolding proteins called zonula occludens, which regulate the assembly of the junctions.
In vivo tests illustrated that application of Cohesium at 3 per cent for 14 days, increased the natural moisturising factors such as lactate and serin, by 41 per cent and 20 per cent respectively.
Measurements on skin moisturisation were done using a corneometer and according to the company, a moisturising effect was seen in 80 per cent of the volunteers and hydration level increased by 14 per cent.
Furthermore, Silab claims that transepidermal water loss is also reduced, leading it to conclude that “Cohesium limits deterioration of the barrier function and thus preserves Stratum corneum".
Japanese lily turf
The ingredient is derived from the tubers of the Japanese lily turf (ophiopogon), which the company claims can withstand drought due to the water trapping properties of its tubers.
The ingredient was showcased at the HBA show in New York where a spokesperson explained that the fact the ingredient was plant-derived complements the company’s philosophy for non aggressive ingredients and solutions.
Cohesium, like the majority of Silab’s ingredient portfolio, is designed to enhance the skin’s already existing strategies for protection, explained the company spokesperson.