INGREDIENTS NOBEL SCIENCE
From the O-Radium Hat-Pad, which promised to promote hair health, to being the star of multi-category beauty brands such as Radior and Tho-Radia, radium was the original wonder ingredient, akin to the far safer retinol or niacinamide today.
While it is highly likely that Curie did not intend for radium to be used in night cream or lipstick, the glamour of this newly discovered ingredient helped evolve beauty from rudimentary products to expert-led novelty. As a 1918 advert for Radior reads: “An ever- flowing fountain of youth and beauty has at last been found in the energy rays of radium. When scientists discovered radium they hardly dreamed they had unearthed a revolutionary ‘beauty secret’. They know it now. Radium rays vitalise and energise all living tissue. This energy has been turned into beauty’s aid.” Thankfully, radium has not been used in consumer goods for over 60 years, but the creative spark that Nobel Prize-winning research creates for cosmetic formulators keen to tap into the next big thing is only getting brighter. In recent years, there has been a wealth of brands and ingredient launches inspired by the coveted prize, including the makers of new hair care brand Victor Toro, who teamed up with Clariant on its recent ingredient B-Circadin, which was based on headline-grabbing research on the internal biological clock. With so many ingredients on the market today vying for attention, touting internationally acclaimed credentials, such as the Nobel Prize, will certainly help them to stand out, as Nayton Cutiño, Business Development Director of Victor Toro, agrees: “At the end of the day, when consumers buy products, they want to know what value added that product can give them. They read and research a lot, so when choosing a new beauty product, they try to investigate what is inside. So it’s not good enough just to have a nice texture, or pleasant smell, you have to stand out with your ingredients.”
He continues: “Plus [embracing Nobel Prize-inspired ingredients] is a way to honour the scientists who have invested a lot of time in their research and through our products we’re able to make their discoveries more accessible for consumers.” Here, Cosmetics Business highlights the ingredients drawing inspiration from scientific innovations with the Nobel Prize seal of approval.
CIRCADIAN RHYTHM
In 2017, the 108th Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine was awarded to a trio of US-based
18 June 2021
Lespedeza capitata forms the basis of Clariant’s circadian rhythm-inspired B-Circadin ingredient, which is used by hair care label Victor Toro (below)
scientists for discovering that the molecules controlling circadian rhythms – the 24-hour body clock – are synchronised with the Earth’s revolutions. In an age of increased stress, international travel, shift work and mobile phones that interrupt sleep (in turn disrupting the circadian rhythm), the findings could not come at a greater time for the beauty and wellness industry.
Inspired by the prize-winning research, Clariant Active Ingredients developed its take on the rhythmic cycle. The ingredient B-Circadin aims to fight the effects of skin damage and puffiness caused by a disruption to the circadian rhythm. Extracted from the Lespedeza capitata plant, grown and harvested in South Korea, B-Circadin is said to regulate the circadian cycle within the skin cells and support rhythm-dependent biological functions that detoxify the skin from free radicals.
According to tests by Clariant, when exposed to blue light as a stressor to deregulate the circadian rhythm, essential biological functions were seen to be improved by the ingredient. B-Circadin is also said to block the direct oxidative stress induced by blue light radiating from digital screens. “B-Circadin is a major leap forward in the development of innovative ingredients to protect skin from the stressors of modern living”, said Alexandre Lapeyre, Global Technical Marketing Manager of Clariant Active Ingredients, at the launch. “With the increasing usage of digital devices showing no signs of abating and the demands of the working environment meaning extended or unusual working hours, we believe B-Circadin will issue a real breakthrough in the treatment of dull, tired skin, improving its overall wellbeing.” But Clariant is not the only manufacturer keen to tap into all things circadian. Japanese naturals specialist Ichimaru Pharcos unveiled Chrono Chardy, an ingredient that boasts to “maintain the skin biological clock”. Made from chardonnay grapes, the launch is said to “enhance the action of the clock genes” by promoting moisture during the day, and support the gene BMAL1 by improving skin barrier function at night through increased ceramide transportation.
G-PROTEINS
Biochemists Martin Rodbell and Alfred Gilman shared the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in 1994 for their earlier discovery of G-proteins and demonstrating that cells communicate via messenger substances. In relation to cosmetics, Rodbell found that in order to move a muscle, the nerve messenger acetylcholine (ACh) is required. The more ACh is transported to the muscle, the more it contracts and the deeper the wrinkles become. In turn, Lubrizol developed Argireline, said to be the first
cosmeticsbusiness.com
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