ANTI-POLLUTION 61
Antiviral claims as a ‘new anti-pollution’
n Richard Scott – Editor, Personal Care
Anti-pollution has been one of the major success stories in skin care over the past five years. Originally a trend that emerged from the heavily-polluted megacities of Asia, in particular China, it swiftly grew in popularity as consumers realised that nearly all cities in the world had issues with pollution, and peoples’ skin health (among other things) was being compromised as a result. After initially focusing on industrial and
vehicle pollution, focus has steadily spread to a wider range of pollution sources; from indoor pollution caused by furnishings to blue light radiating from laptop and phone screens. Awareness that modern life is full of unseen dangers has surged, and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has only served to heighten this concern.
Anti-viral ingredients As we have discussed in Personal Care in the past, the ‘anti-pollution’ trend has developed in tandem with a growth in skin protection claims. Consumers do not just want to ‘nourish’ their skin, they want to protect it from all that modern life throws at it: anti- pollution, anti-blue light, skin microbiome protection. So, with the current heightened hygiene awareness, will anti-viral and anti- bacterial claims now join these other forms of skin protection? It is a slightly confusing position as previously consumers have been wary regarding biocides in their products. Despite years of attempted education about expiry dates on creams, etc, some consumers simultaneously believe their products to be safe to use indefinitely and want to avoid a range of high-performance antimicrobials. Dora Bert, supplier development
manager at oil supplier Kerfoot, commented: “We’re in a whole new era of formulation thinking. In response to consumer enlightenment around the environment, many brands are talking to us about integrating natural, organic and sustainable oils into their formulations. But with the latest focus on Coronavirus and the importance of keeping hygiene front and foremost in consumer thinking, many of our customers are now exploring how they can integrate natural antibacterial functionality as well.”
November 2020
So, it seems theCoronavirus pandemic
could potentially lead to more prominent use of natural antibacterial and antiviral ingredients in formulations. Ecovia Intelligence (formerly known as Organic Monitor) revealed more on this topic in a report that showed demand for antibacterial/antiviral ingredients is set to remain buoyant after the current crisis.1 Ecovia Intelligence added that Australian companies are reporting a surge in demand for lemon myrtle, which is used in hand sanitisers and cleaning products. Australian Natural Products, the largest producer, is planting 180,000 new lemon myrtle and anise myrtle trees to ramp up production. Another ingredient used in personal care
products that is seeing a big increase in demand is tea tree oil, well-known for its antibacterial and antiviral properties. Aloe vera is another, and we have seen consumers making their own had sanitisers at home using ingredients such as Aloe vera, which has potent antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. Other
natural ingredients mentioned in the report as being in high demand include eucalyptus oil, propolis, and oregano. Asian ingredient suppliers are reporting a spike in demand for eucalyptus oil. In Indonesia, the Agriculture Ministry is actively using eucalyptus oil to help stop the transmission of the Coronavirus. The range of potential natural
ingredients that can be used for these purposes is incredible and more will potentially emerge as our knowledge of natural plant properties develops. Many can be used as multifunctional ingredients and offer fragrance, antioxidant, even insect repellent properties. A good example of the use of
multifunctional natural fragrance compounds is Citriodiol.2
This is a
compound normally used as a natural insect repellent and made headlines a few months ago as it was tested by the military for helping to add protection against COVID- 19.3
It is a natural active ingredient that is effective against a range of biting insects,
PERSONAL CARE EUROPE
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