Skin barrier boosters: CP Kelco, Lucas Meyer, Cargill Beauty and TriNutra showcase innovations

23 Apr 2024 --- Personal Care Insights explores the latest innovation in skin barrier enhancements and spotlights key industry players’ standout solutions. CP Kelco addresses skin pH balance, Lucas Meyer Cosmetics introduces a biomimetic peptide, Cargill Beauty unveils nature-based emollients and TriNutra showcases a black seed oil solution, offering insights into enhancing skin health and resilience. 

CP Kelco’s pH balancing solution
CP Kelco’s director of Global Consumer Care Sales, Jacqueline Scarborough, talks about the skin’s acid mantle, which plays a key role in the skin barrier but is easily disrupted by daily activities like washing, shaving and exposure to pollutants.

“Some products can also raise the skin’s surface pH to neutral or higher, making it difficult for the body to restore its acid mantle and resulting in a dry, uncomfortable feeling. A naturally acidic pH in the range of 5.7 encourages the growth of skin-healthy microflora that boosts the skin’s defense system and inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria. However, skin pH can increase after washing to 7.2,” she explains.

“Fortunately, nature provides the material to help in the form of citrus peels, which are upcycled and used to make Genu pHresh Pectin. It has a clinically demonstrated moisturizing effect on the stratum corneum and helps protect against water loss, providing thickening, gelling and stabilizing properties. Genu pHresh Pectin is ideal for helping skin restore its naturally acidic pH and for the speed with which it can adjust skin pH after use.”

Following its cleansing properties, Genu pHresh Pectin offers the capacity to stabilize skin pH, as CP Kelco discovered using an in-vivo battery test. Additionally, transepidermal water loss tests were performed to demonstrate the product’s ability to increase skin moisture retention.

“We offer formulation flexibility in regards to buffering effect. For example, if the desired result is rapid pH decrease due to alkali generation, we offer a rapid buffering grade to help develop aftershave products. We also offer a grade of Genu pHresh Pectin with sustained buffering to counteract environmental effects on the skin throughout the day for products including hydrocolloid patches, lotioned tissues, day creams and hair care,” continues Scarborough.

Lucas Meyer Cosmetics’ biomimetic peptide
Genu pHresh Pectin offers the capacity to stabilize skin pH (Image credit: CP Kelco).Anne Zibi Elbaz, senior product line manager of Active Ingredients at Lucas Meyer Cosmetics, spotlights the supplier’s recent launch, Corneopeptyl, “a biomimetic peptide that strengthens the cornified envelope of the corneocytes, empowering the barrier function and consequently preventing the skin from aging prematurely.”

“Lucas Meyer Cosmetics offers other active ingredients such as IBR-UrBioTect, Exo-H and Hydrosella that target different approaches to improve the quality and cohesion of the stratum corneum, making them perfect partners for Corneopeptyl for a complete skin barrier-rebuilding action,” says Elbaz. 

“IBR-UrBioTect is an upcycled elecampane (Inula Helenium) extract that upregulates expression of key enzymes involved in stratum corneum differentiation and maturation including Caspase-14 and Transglutaminase-1 leading to optimal barrier function.”

“Bio-inspired from Kopara, a unique ecosystem made up of pure microbial mats in French Polynesia, Exo-H is an exopolysaccharide obtained by blue biotechnology that induces intercellular lipid synthesis for a better corneocyte cohesion and provides a prebiotic activity for an optimized skin microbiota, leading to a stronger skin barrier.”

Hydrosella is a multi-target moisturizing ingredient that effectively restores the skin’s protective barrier by boosting keratinocyte recovery, stimulating the production of neutral lipids and tight junction proteins and thickening the stratum corneum by mimicking the Wild rosella survival mechanism, she explains. This process ensures rapid and continuous protection against skin dehydration. 

Cargill Beauty’s nature-based emollients
According to clinical findings, the RSPO-certified BotaniButter enhanced skin hydration and lessened the visibility of redness brought on by irritation.Tiffany Quinn, Applications and Clinical services manager at Cargill emphasizes that effective skin barrier-boosting ingredients must remain aligned with consumer preferences for natural, sustainable skin care formulations.

“When choosing skin care products, sensory properties are the number one attribute that drives consumers’ purchase decisions. As a formulator, it’s key to carefully select the emollients that will form the basis of the sensorial profile of the product. Cargill Beauty, recognizing this dynamic landscape, developed BotaniButter and BotaniDesign, products that mark a significant step forward in the pursuit of sensorial excellence and environmental responsibility,” she says.

“BotaniButter is a natural creamy wax emollient derived from botanical sources such as palm, mustard and rapeseed. Like traditional silicone waxes, BotaniButter boasts a unique sensory experience, offering a rich texture that melts seamlessly into the skin upon application, leaving behind a soft, non-greasy feel. What sets BotaniButter apart is its nature-derived and dual functionality — it enhances sensory pleasure and supports skin barrier health.”

According to clinical findings, the RSPO-certified BotaniButter enhanced skin hydration and lessened the visibility of redness brought on by irritation. “BotaniButter shines as a beacon of eco-conscious formulation. With its 100% derived natural composition, vegan suitability and inherent biodegradability, BotaniButter meets the stringent criteria set forth by environmentally conscious consumers,” continues Quinn.

Cargill’s principal scientist, Smita Fulzele, spotlights the complementary BotaniDesign solution, “a rich, opaque and firm emollient that is 100% Derived Natural and is a readily biodegradable alternative to conventional petroleum jelly.” 

The vegetable-based alternative is comparable to its petrochemical counterpart, “providing skin barrier protection due to good occlusivity and enhances long-lasting moisturization. Its skin protection property is also well suited in diaper cream products, keeping the baby’s gentle, sensitive skin safe.”

TriNutra’s “blessing seed” extract
Black seed is known for its health and beauty benefits for over 2,000 years (Image credit: TriNutra).Dr. Liki von Oppen-Bezalel, business development director at TriNutra, talks about Nigella sativa or black seed, known for its health and beauty benefits for over 2,000 years.

“Much of the biological activity is attributed to the oil’s thymoquinone content. A specific composition between the various phytochemicals and free fatty acids is critical to achieving optimal efficacy, stability and bioavailability. Our branded ingredient, B’utyQuin, is a cold-pressed proprietary, standardized to 3% thymoquinone black seed oil with very low free fatty acids (<1.25%),” she shares.

“Being a multifunctional active ingredient that is also completely safe, B’utyQuin has been shown to possess multiple benefits, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and mitochondrial functionality improvement properties to improve and protect skin and scalp health.”

A more detailed connection to the maintenance and improvement of the skin barrier can be found in a clinical study conducted on an anti-aging facial cream containing 3% B’utyQuin. After 28 days, the skin showed a 22.2% increase in hydration, an 11.2% improvement in firmness, a 6.8% increase in elasticity, and a slight (but significant) increase in luminance. “These parameters are directly linked to enhancement of skin barrier,” says Oppen-Bezalel.

Lucas Meyer Cosmetics’ protein discovery
Elbaz highlights that Lucas Meyer Cosmetics and a team specializing in epidermal barrier and keratinocyte differentiation from the Infinity Institute in France discovered LCE6A, a new protein. 

Lucas Meyer Cosmetics and a team specializing in epidermal barrier and keratinocyte differentiation from the Infinity Institute in France discovered LCE6A, a new protein.“LCE6A, part of the ‘Late Cornified Envelope’ protein family, is expressed by the differentiated keratinocytes in the granulosum layer of the epidermis, and covalently crosslinked by calcium‐dependent enzymes called Transglutaminase-3 to corneocytes form the mature cornified envelope. The components of the cornified envelope, including the LCE6A protein, through their structural and biochemical properties, are essential for the mechanical resistance of the stratum corneum. Their impairment leads to defects in the skin barrier function,” notes Elbaz.

“By mimicking the LCE6A protein activity, Corneopeptyl strengthens the corneocyte envelope, resulting in a more resilient epidermal barrier with improved skin barrier function demonstrating a reduction of skin permeability, water loss and inflammation in seven days,” she details. 

“Corneopeptyl empowers the natural protective action of the skin and consequently prevents the skin from premature damage and battles visible signs of aging in 14 days. In addition, by using AI combined with a patented algorithm based on eight key skin parameters, Corneopeptyl makes the skin appear up to four years younger in 28 days.”

Latest Cargill innovation
Fulzele of Cargill observes that consumer worries about outside aggressors affecting skin health are becoming more prevalent. “Addressing these growing concerns, Cargill Beauty developed Actigum Care — a revolutionary nature-derived rheology modifier designed for personal care applications,” she says.

Blending Actigum Care into skin care products provides a barrier of defense against the damaging effects of pollution and other environmental stressors and nourishes the skin.

“In a recent sensory analysis comparing Actigum Care to Carbomer, a commonly used synthetic polymer, notable differences surfaced. Actigum Care exhibited more peaking during pick-up, a quicker break effect and enhanced freshness and absorption during rub-out, culminating in maintained smoothness after two minutes of application. These findings underscore Actigum Care’s efficacy in delivering superior sensorial experiences to consumers, challenging the status quo of skin care formulation,” explains Fulzele.

Personal Care Insights recently spoke to the beauty supplier about Actigum Care at In-cosmetics Global in Paris, France.

TriNutra solution to barrier irritation
Oppen-Bezalel of TriNutra says a dysfunctional barrier is susceptible to “dry, itchy, discolored, inflamed or acne-prone skin,” but research shows that plant-based oils with antibacterial, antioxidant and inflammation can help solve these problems.

“TriNutra’s proprietary black seed oil, B’utyQuin, has several in vitro and clinical data demonstrating the ingredient’s ability to do just that, plus support mitochondrial function and ATP production, a direct link to skin revitalization and rejuvenation,” she says.

“A published human clinical trial demonstrated significant improvements for irritated, itchy, scaly skin and scalp. Study participants with mild to moderate seborrhea of the scalp used a 5% B’utyQuin Scalp Serum application. After 28 days, there was a statistically significant decrease in erythema scores (58.8%) and a substantial reduction in scaling scores (30%) compared to baseline.”

TriNutra recently conducted a study examining B’utyQuin’s potential to influence the mechanisms underlying acne. B’utyQuin was found to be able to target five key modulators: To reduce susceptibility to infection, particularly acne-causing Propionibacterium acnes, enhance ATP production, inhibit nitric oxide production to modulate inflammation and decrease salivary cortisol levels to relieve stress.

By Venya Patel