May 2020 • Vol. 26 • Issue 5
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Natural and Clean Cosmetics – The Science Behind the Ingredients …by Giorgio Dell’Acqua
n recent years we have seen an increase of simplified products with fewer ingredients in the cosmetic market. The marketing message of these products is often linked to the ingredient sourcing, functionality, and safety (including the absence of the socalled no-no ingredients). Labeled as clean beauty products, they often rely on natural ingredients that are compatible with the human body, biodegradable, often used in traditional medicine, and easily fit in the safety profile of the finished product. But what about efficacy? Is it possible to develop clean beauty products containing the purest and most ethically sourced natural ingredients and prove their efficacy with science? Today, technology and science are available for both developing natural extracts and testing them— demonstrating their safety and efficacy—while maintaining their positive image of clean, pure, eco-friendly, safe, and sustainablysourced. Technologies derived from the pharma and imaging industries are available at affordable cost and flexibility. Genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics techniques are now available to the cosmetic scientist as well as instruments able to quantify skin characteristics in a non-invasive way.1 In other words, it is finally possible to verify the scientific edge and efficacy of any natural or natural-derived ingredient.
Raw Materials – Minimal Processing
Raw materials sourcing from the sustainable supply chain are often linked to biological agriculture and sustainable harvesting from the wild. These raw materials seem to emerge in the food supply chain first. Initial markets are in the country of origin on a micro-scale (e.g., local green markets), which eventually leads to a macro-scale and industrialization step (larger distribution in retail space). Often commercialized at the continent level, they are eventually “discovered” in other continents and grown accordingly to meet their commercial and marketing appeal.
Example – Pomegranate Seed Oil
Pomegranate is sourced through a sustainable model and cold pressed oil is produced. Due to its unique and elevated level of omega fatty acids, such as conjugated linolenic acid and punicic acid (see Table 1), pomegranate seed oil is a strong antioxidant with demonstrated protection from UV-induced protein oxidation (carbonylation) and DNA damage.2 (continued on Page 4)
M AY 2 0 2 0 N Y S C C AT H O M E L I V E W E B I N A R S E R I E S See page 7 for May Agenda and Speaker Abstracts.