SUSTAINABILITY
hypothesis, we must recall that cells have been hitherto considered to contain two immiscible liquid phases: water and lipid. And yet cells contain numerous compounds of intermediate polarity in high concentrations that neither dissolve in lipids nor water. This raises the question of how these compounds are biosynthesised, stored and/or transported. While most enzyme-mediated reactions in the cells occur in water, scientists were puzzled: how do these reactions function with substrates and products that are poorly hydrosoluble? Furthermore, the biosynthesis of water- insoluble polymers such as cellulose, amylose, and lignins probably requires a stage in which the macromolecule is dissolved to enable the further addition of building blocks. The occurrence of DES may explain the presence of compounds like flavonoids, anthocyanins and polymers at much higher levels in plants than can be solubilised in water. Logically, Verpoorte et al. added the
adjective ‘natural’ to the term already proposed by Abbott et al. of ‘deep eutectic solvents’ to give rise to the so-called ‘natural deep eutectic solvents’ or NaDES. However, the name introduces some artificial differences between NaDES and DES. Indeed, though they were not specifically labelled as NaDES, most of the DES used before the introduction of the concept by Verpoorte’s group were in fact true NaDES, being formed from naturally arising building blocks. Most of the DES were NaDES, but were never labelled as such.
Deep eutectic solvents: a game-changer in botanical extraction Apart from implying a paradigmatic change in ‘cellular green chemistry’, deep eutectic solvents have an enormous potential for a wide range of industrial applications. Among different sectors, cosmetics is probably the best suited for them, due to the need for botanical actives and the endless search for novelty. The biomimicry approach is also particularly relevant to the cosmetic market for another reason: eutectic extracts are created through a technology that plants naturally use to solubilise essential molecules, as phytochemicals are not always soluble in lipid or water phases. Added to the fact that there is a strong demand from consumers and manufacturers for biodegradable, nonvolatile, low-toxicity, and 100% natural solvents, NaDES can now be imagined as a new natural alternative for botanical extraction. Despite such great potential, their implementation beyond the laboratory scale has been quite limited. However, this situation has recently
a
1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0
–0.1 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Acquisition time (mn) b
40 30 20 10 0
*** n Rose of Jericho GlyH2 ***p<0.001 Melanin inhibition on NHEM-LP
Figure 5: Rose of Jericho Eutectys: a) augmented phytoactive content [LC/UV chromatogram of Rose of Jericho Eutectys BG (red) compared to a standard Rose of Jericho glycerine extract (blue) at 280 nm]; and b) enhanced biological property [Rose of Jericho Eutectys BG showed whitening properties at 0.1% by inhibiting the synthesis of melanin in normal melanocytes from human epidermis].
changed with the launch of the first-ever botanical extracts based on NaDES: the Eutectys collection. These eutectic extracts are obtained using a patented extraction process6
called
eutectigenesis-assisted extraction, which consists of extracting the active secondary metabolites of the plant through the formation of a eutectic between the plant’s primary metabolites. Concerning the botanical origin, the Eutectys collection is composed of six high-definition extracts including olive leaf, saffron flower, horsetail, rosemary, rose of Jericho, and sea fennel, all well-known for their regenerating, radiance and anti-ageing properties (Fig. 3). Interestingly, these liquid extracts are endowed with augmented phytoactive profiles and improved in vitro efficacy compared to standard glycerin extracts (Figs. 4 and 5). With regard to the freedom to operate, it is worth mentioning that our NaDES, along with the corresponding extracts, and their use in cosmetic formulation, are all covered by our own patent application and also by a group of patents (granted) whose exclusive license has recently been obtained by Naturex from Scionix Ltd.
Conclusion Finally, by creating these six Eutectys, we have paved the way to the development of a new generation of botanical liquid extracts that anticipates the demand of the cosmetics market. From a general
perspective, this collection exemplifies our way of thinking at Naturex: figuring out what customers want before they know themselves. Henry Ford once said: “If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me ‘a faster horse’!” To date, we are poised near a paradigm shift in the production of cosmetic ingredients, of which, Eutectys may constitute the tipping point.
O 0.1% n Rose of Jericho EutectysTM BG 0.1% 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 A higher content in phenolic acids
PC
References 1 Abbott AP, Capper G, Davies DL, Rasheed RK, Tambyrajah V. Novel solvent properties of choline chloride/urea mixtures. Chem Commun (Camb) 2003; 7(1): 70-1.
2 Abbott AP, Capper G, Gray S. Design of improved deep eutectic solvents using hole theory. Chemphyschem 2006; 7 (4): 803-6.
3 Abbott AP, Boothby D, Capper G, Davies DL, Rasheed RK. Deep eutectic solvents formed between choline chloride and carboxylic acids: versatile alternatives to ionic liquids. J Am Chem Soc 2004; 126 (29): 9142-7.
4 Smith EL, Abbott AP, Ryder KS. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and their applications. Chem Rev 2014; 114 (21): 11060-82.
5 Choi YH, van Spronsen J, Dai Y et al. Are natural deep eutectic solvents the missing link in understanding cellular metabolism and physiology? Plant Physiol 2011; 156 (4): 1701-5.
6 Lavaud A, Laguerre M, Birtic S et al. Solvant eutectique d’extraction, procédé d’extraction par eutectigénèse utilisant ledit solvant, et extrait issu dudit procédé d’extraction, 2015.
February 2016 PERSONAL CARE 47
Inhibition of melanin synthesis (%)
Response units (x102
)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
