Scientists target anti-ageing skin care with soybean based ingredient
FSG (ferulic soy glyceride) is the result of joining soy bean oil with ferulic acid, and the researchers behind the innovation claim it has very strong antioxidant properties, as well as absorbing UV rays.
Recent work from scientist Joe Laszlo at the USDA’s (United States Department of Agriculture) Agricultural Research Unit has been focused on finding the optimum compound in the soy bean oil that leads to the best antioxidant profile.
This work was presented at the recent meeting of the American Chemical Society held last week in San Francisco.
Not an FDA-approved UV filter
According to Laszlo, although the material has significant UV protective qualities it is unlikely to become an approved UV filter.
“There is a high regulatory barrier to having something labelled as a sunscreen in the US,” he said, referring to the limited number of FDA approved UV filters and the investment that would be necessary in order to achieve this status.
Instead the ingredient, which is commercialized by biotechnology company iSoy, is targeting products that rely on the ingredient’s good antioxidant potential as well as those that will benefit from its ability to protect against UV rays.
Lightening products
One of the recent launches to include the ingredient is Elizabeth Arden’s Prevage White. A brightening serum, the product has incorporated the FSG for its ability to quench free radicals that are linked to the melanin formation pathway.
According to Laszlo, work has now started on associating other molecules with the soybean oil.
“We are moving away from the ferulates and looking at applying the technology to other plant-based molecules that may have useful properties for skin care applications,” he told CosmeticsDesign.com USA.
Although he could give no details of the exact molecules under research, he said there would be publications about the advances in the near future.
