Givaudan targets aging with hyaluronic acid penetrating cellular DNA

Givaudan Active Beauty has introduced PrimalHyal UltraReverse, a hyaluronic acid (HA) designed to penetrate skin cells on a DNA level. It aims to tackle aging at the source to achieve skin longevity by targeting four primary aging marks.

Personal Care Insights speaks with the beauty supplier’s head of Actives, Mathias Fleury, about the new ingredients’ function in combating cellular aging.

Fleury details that the product is aimed at consumers between 35 and 50 to address the first signs of aging, such as fine lines and loss of skin firmness. 

“It can also act at very early stages as a preventive ingredient to preserve the key biological mechanisms that take care of our skin and are linked to important notions such as the circadian rhythm, or at later stages to try and reverse the effect of aging.”

On a cellular level

The company notes that the product protects the skin from environmental stressors and chronological aging by targeting biological pathways. It does so by increasing collagen production and sirtuin, signaling proteins involved in metabolic regulation. According to results from a “diverse and international panel of volunteers,” using the ingredient results in firm and healthy-looking skin.

Epigenetic skin care is emerging in the personal care industry, with formulas designed to target cellular health.Hallmarks of PrimalHyal UltraReverse include epigenetic control, which restores the DNA methylation process while enhancing sirtuins’ expression and activity. Genomic instability allows for amplified DNA repair for healthier skin. Telomere attrition protects the chromosome’s integrity by reactivating telomerase expression and activity, which is required for cell immortalization. It also boosts the proteasome activity to ensure cellular function works optimally. 

Givaudan says it corrects signs of aging such as wrinkles and sleep lines. 

Fleury details that longevity has become a key trend in the beauty industry, driven by growing consumer interest in prevention and a holistic approach to skin health. 

“Eighty-four percent of people agree that they should embrace their age rather than trying to hide it, underlining the move toward a more authentic perspective on aging. Givaudan Active Beauty emphasizes that true skin care is not just about appearance but about longevity, prevention, and well-being by offering solutions that preserve the skin’s health capital.”

Smallest on the market

Givaudan says the product is the smallest and most sustainable HA ever developed.

“This HA has a molecular weight of less than 3,000 dalton, making it the smallest available on the market. At this molecular weight, it’s a combination of a few monomers, the disaccharide composed of glucuronic acid and acetyl-glucosamine,” says Fleury.

“Thanks to its extremely low molecular weight, we have demonstrated that this particular grade of HA can penetrate the skin cells and trigger biological pathways acting at the DNA level.” 

According to industry players, epigenetic skin care is emerging in the personal care industry, with formulas designed to target cellular health. The trend has shifted from anti-aging to regenerative skin solutions.

Reducing carbon emissions

Fleury explains that PrimalHyal UltraReverse is a sustainable alternative on the market, using precision fermentation. 

“It is based on strain engineering and the optimization of microorganism strains to obtain the product of interest in the best conditions. In this case, historically, low molecular weight HAs were obtained through fermentation but required the production of high molecular weight HA beforehand to perform hydrolysis and additional steps of purification and drying. These steps are, of course, energy-intensive and require additional inputs.”

He further details that precision fermentation enables obtaining directly the molecular weight of interest in a one-step fermentation process, as the microorganisms used for fermentation can produce HA and simultaneously hydrolyze it enzymatically.

“The yeast we designed is equipped with hyaluronidases on its membrane to directly reduce the molecular weight of the HA when it’s excreted into the fermentation medium.”

“What we demonstrated, thanks to a life cycle analysis, is that thanks to this new method, we reduce our environmental impact by a factor of ten. More precisely, it’s a reduction by 91% of our carbon emission, 75% of our water consumption, and 90% of our fossil energy consumption.”

Personal Care Insights previously spoke to Fleury about Givaudan’s PrimalHyal 50 Life, dubbed a sustainable HA with a 91% reduction in environmental impact.