Meaningful Beauty by Cindy Crawford celebrated its 20th anniversary with the launch of a reformulated Youth Activating Melon Serum, now featuring biotech company Hydrosome's H2O technology. The collaboration with Hydrosome Labs represents a noteworthy advancement in skin care, promising enhanced delivery of active ingredients to skin cells.
“We’re excited to introduce Hydrosome H2O as the latest technology innovation in our hero product,” said Laura Lum, Co-President of Meaningful Beauty in a press statement. “We’re the first in the beauty industry to supercharge our revolutionary serum with this breakthrough technology designed to deliver best-in-class ingredients deeper into the skin for better absorption,” she added.
Hydrosome H2O, combined with Meaningful Beauty’s proprietary Melon Leaf Stem Cell Technology, is designed to visibly plump, firm, and deeply hydrate the skin while increasing elasticity and protecting it from environmental aggressors. The new serum, now available at Meaningful Beauty's company website, also promises to enhance skin radiance and provide a more youthful appearance.
We spoke to Jacobs to learn more about Hydrosome's role in the product formulation process, including the R&D behind the company's H20 technology and its potential impact on the beauty industry.
Advancements in Hydrosome H2O technology
Bob Jacobs, President of Hydrosome Labs, highlighted the importance of this new technology in the reformulated serum. "Our biggest development is the launch of Meaningful Beauty’s Youth Activating Melon Serum, which uses our Hydrosome H2O technology to significantly improve the performance of their product," Jacobs stated.
He emphasized that this technology enables "faster delivery of active ingredients, 3-5x deeper into the skin within two hours of application."
Jacobs explained that Hydrosome H2O leverages ultrafine bubbles, which are key to the technology's effectiveness. "Our bubbles are extremely small—many of our bubbles are less than 100 nanometers," Jacobs noted.
To put this into perspective, he added, "We can fit one billion of our ultrafine bubbles in one champagne bubble." This unique size and concentration increase the surface area available in formulations, enhancing nutrient uptake in skin cells through an "Attract and Deliver" process.
Challenges & collaboration
Developing and implementing this technology posed challenges, particularly in visualizing the ultrafine bubbles. "One of the biggest challenges with ultrafine bubbles in general and with ours in particular is seeing them," Jacobs said. To address this challenge, Hydrosome Labs collaborated with scientists from the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Chicago, utilizing electron microscopy to image these tiny bubbles.
The collaboration with Meaningful Beauty was seamless, according to Jacobs, with the reformulation process led by Meaningful Beauty’s team. "The beauty of our technology is that it can be used as a direct substitution for the water companies are currently using in their formulas," Jacobs explained.
Sustainability & consumer impact
Hydrosome H2O also aligns with the clean beauty movement, as it eliminates the need for chemical permeation enhancers. "Since our technology is completely natural and does not involve any added chemicals, it has allowed Meaningful Beauty and other companies to improve the efficacy and performance of their products without the use of permeation enhancers that go against the principles of clean beauty," Jacobs noted.
Consumer feedback on the new serum has been positive, according to Jacobs. "We have heard from the team at Meaningful Beauty that consumers are extremely happy with the new formula," he reported.
Future potential
Looking ahead, Jacobs shared his belief that in Hydrosome H2O technology's potential to shape future skin care trends by improving the delivery of active ingredients. "Our technology provides new opportunities to use hard-to-permeate actives, or actives that were cost-prohibitive in larger quantities," he said.
Jacobs also pointed to the possibility of reducing the need for non-natural permeation enhancers, meeting consumer demand for cleaner formulations.
In addition to skin care, Hydrosome Labs is exploring applications in other industries, including oral care, hair care, and beverages. For example, Jacobs revealed, the company is conducting ongoing research into the technology’s effects on the gut microbiome and other potential uses.
"There is reason to believe that ultrafine bubbles can positively impact the diversity of the microbiome, with applications for both beverages and oral care products," he said. As Hydrosome H2O technology continues to evolve, it may set new standards for product performance and sustainability, offering promising possibilities across various industries.
