Click through to read some of the articles found in the formulation research Hot Topic, including the latest research on cosmetics from around the globe and new developments in the world of R&D.
Two wild turmeric plants, the Curcuma aromatica and Curcuma comosa, could play a role in products tackling UVB-induced photoageing.
Original research titled “Curcuma aromatica and Curcuma comosa Extracts and Isolated Constituents Provide Protection against UVB-Induced Damage and Attenuate Matrix Metalloproteinase-1 Expression in HaCaT Cells”, published in the journal Cosmetics, has demonstrated that the extracts could reduce the impact of UVB leading to collagen degradation and possibly regulate cell proliferation.
The study has been claimed to be a pioneering work on the potential of Curcuma aromatica and Curcuma comosa on UVB-induced photoageing and cell proliferation.
“Although Curcuma aromatica and Curcuma comosa are known to possess several biological activities, knowledge of their skin anti-ageing potential is still ambiguous, and no previous studies have been performed to investigate their abilities to preserve against UVB-induced human cells. Therefore, the present study of the effect of Curcuma aromatica and Curcuma comosa extracts, together with their isolated constituents on UVB-induced expression, cell proliferation and cell cycle profile in cells can be potentially beneficial for anti-ageing products,” said the researchers.
Animal testing was the 20th-century answer to product safety issues, and as the 21st-century cosmetics industry turns away from it some replacements are still up in the air.
A research team out of the UK, José Silva et al., recently published a review in Cosmetics of alternatives to animal testing, along with the history of animal testing and the context for the move away from it.
According to José Silva et al., animal testing in consumer packaged goods was largely initiated by a 1936 report in the US covering injury and death caused by food and drug products. To promote safety for consumers, the US legally required animal testing, which also set off opposition from the animal rights movement.
In 2009 the EU started to phase out animal testing in cosmetics, and since then José Silva et al. said, in cosmetics, the term “New Approach Methodology” or NAM has described alternatives to animal testing in assessing chemical hazards and risk assessment.
Unlike many dermatological conditions, sensitive skin syndrome doesn’t have objective symptoms, but it may have a quantifiable psychological impact.
A review was recently published in Cosmetics from Proctor and Gamble, by Miranda Farage, investigating the psychological impact of sensitive skin syndrome on consumers.
Farage found that not only does sensitive skin syndrome cause psychological impacts, but those impacts can negatively affect the skin and worsen the symptoms.
“This becomes a vicious cycle that impacts consumers’ quality of life and well-being,” Farage said. “In order to better understand the sensitive skin syndrome individual, we need to also be aware of the psychological factors that can trigger and/or worsen this skin condition, as well as the psychological stresses the condition places on the individual.”
With a new multimillion-dollar investment, startup The Good Face Project is hoping to change how cosmetics companies go about R&D.
Good Face Project announced Tuesday a $5.65 million investment from VMG Capital. The company has introduced an AI-powered platform for aiding R&D in any vertical which relies on chemistry, starting with cosmetics.
CEO and co-founder of Good Face Project Iva Teixeira told CosmeticsDesign that the platform is intended to allow R&D teams and brands to address mounting consumer demands at the start of product development.
While the development process used to include creating a product and then screening it against the relevant regulations, Teixeira said today’s market moves too quickly and includes too many demands to use the same model.
Many plants both show promise as cosmetic actives and are rather colorful, and a new study suggests cosmetics may be able to harness both qualities.
A research team out of Poland and France, Brudzyńska et al., recently published a study in Cosmetics investigating the potential of plant-derived colorants that also have functional levels of antioxidant activity.
Brudzyńska et al. said various studies have shown components of plants can contain cosmetically valuable compounds, including vitamins, flavonoids and other polyphenolic compounds.
“The addition of natural colorants of plant origin may beneficially influence the quality and effectiveness of cosmetic products, thus following the current dominant trend in the cosmetic industry which draws inspiration from the richness of nature and aims to create cosmetic formulations with an application of plant-derived ingredients with minimal impact on the environment,” Brudzyńska et al. said.
