54 SKIN CARE
Extremolytes: fighting urban stress by the model of nature
n Eva Galik, Janina Kienemund – bitop AG, Germany
In the past years, extremolytes became well-established active ingredients thanks to their special efficacy and characteristics. These natural molecules, which are found in impressive microorganisms and plants, are used wherever skin and hair needs regeneration and repair or has to be protected from damaging stress factors such as dryness, pollution particles or visible light. Extremophilic microorganisms are a
pretty wild bunch, boldly living on the edge. Extremophiles are so-called because they thrive in the most hostile environments one can imagine - so intensely hot, cold, salty, acidic, alkaline, pressurised, dry, radioactive, or barren that other creatures could not survive for a second. Belonging to the smallest and most ancient forms of life on earth, these primeval creatures have developed survival and protection strategies tried and tested over millions of years. Extremophiles accumulate osmolytes, special protection molecules, in their cells to adapt to their extreme habitats. These organic osmolytes from extremophiles are called ‘extremolytes’. Extremolytes stabilise and protect the biological structures of the microorganisms such as cell membranes, proteins or DNA, thus cellular stress reactions are significantly reduced.1
These protection molecules are a
group of heterogenic substances including sugars, polyols, amino acids and their derivatives. However, as different as the individual extremolytes are, they have some basic commonalities: they are polar and highly soluble in water, which consequently leads to protection benefits when applied on human cells. Due to this efficacy, the use of extremolytes in cosmetics and personal care products has various benefits. In skin care formulations, the amino acid proline, the sugar alcohol mannitol and the amino acid derivatives betaine, ectoine and hydroxyectoine2, 3
are of particular interest. Proline is a major component of the
protein collagen. It essentially determines the mechanical properties of collagen and supports its renewal. Applied on the skin,
PERSONAL CARE ASIA PACIFIC Figure 1: Ectoine hydro complex.
Figure 2: Protection shell around protein formed by ectoin hydro complexes.
proline leads to tightening of the upper skin layers.
Betaine is chemically known as trimethylglycine or glycine betaine and named after its natural source Beta vulgaris, the sugar beet. This ingredient is a by- product of sugar production and a multifunctional active, showing anti- inflammatory efficacy and reduction of skin irritation. Betaine furthermore moisturises the skin by controlling the water balance. Mannitol is found in abundance in
nature, particularly in trees, in marine algae and fresh mushrooms. In cosmetics, it is used as a humectant, emulsifier, masking agent, flavouring agent and skin conditioner.
Ectoin®
One of the best-known extremolytes is (chemical term: ectoine, INCI:
Ectoin). It was discovered in 1985 as the self-defence substance of extremophilic bacteria found in a salt puddle in Wadi El Natrun (Egyptian desert). Today ectoine is a safe and multifunctional active ingredient, formulated worldwide in cosmetics and personal care products as well as in OTC medical devices. It offers various benefits for skin and hair, but also for oral mucosa and lung tissue due to its simple but yet effective mode of action.
Mode of action Ectoine is a strongly kosmotropic substance. The amino acid derivate binds
November 2017
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