26 FORMULATING FOR MILDNESS
Stimulating the molecule of love and tenderness Oxytocin is a neuropeptide known to play a key role in social bonding, attachment and empathy. It is released in response to pleasant mental experiences – for example when seeing, hearing, smelling or thinking of loved ones – but can also be liberated by keratinocytes in the epidermis in response to the activation of somatosensory nerves, which mediate non-painful and pleasant information induced by touch and warmth.4
This
plays a particularly important role in skin-to-skin contact between mothers and infants.5 Ex vivo, the sacran extract patch has been
shown to help stimulate the release of oxytocin in the skin. Human skin biopsies of a 42 years-old woman were cultivated in a solution containing this active ingredient at a concentration of either 0.5% or 2%. After 24 hours, the oxytocin dosage was measured using the ELISA method. The innovative molecular patch was able to increase the neuropeptide’s release in keratinocytes by 25% and 40%, respectively, compared to the untreated control (Fig 1). Comprehensive in vivo testing confirmed
the emotional effect of the sacran extract patch. Clinical tests were performed on 87 Asian women aged 30 to 50 who suffered from sensitive skin. The test products – a placebo emulsion and an emulsion containing 2% active ingredient – were applied twice a day for two weeks on each side of the face. Clinical tests were divided into three parts: an emotional test performed immediately after the first application and two efficacy tests, a test conducted 8 hours after the first application, and a second test carried out after 14 days.
Perceptible boost for skin and mind For the emotional test, the volunteers were asked to correlate their perceived emotions while applying the product to visual stimuli. This non- verbal method is based on nine picture boards, each consisting of several images expressing a specific emotion: surprise, tenderness, curiosity, disgust, desire, anger, uneasiness, happiness, and sadness. The name of the emotion is never cited, allowing the volunteers to state how they felt. The emotional content of the boards had been previously validated with more than 1,200 naïve consumers from eight countries in Europe, the US and Asia. Correlation was indicated on a scale from 1 (does not match the board at all) to 7 (completely matches the board), with positive answers falling within the 5 to 7 range. The results confirmed the positive emotional
effect of the molecular patch immediately after application: 93% of the volunteers matched the use of the sacran extract patch with tenderness, 90% associated it with joy and happiness, and 61% linked it to desire. In all three cases, the active ingredient outperformed the placebo (Fig 2). The other emotions were not selected in a significant quantity. In addition, an efficacy evaluation of the
cream was performed after 8 hours and 14 days using a self-assessment questionnaire focusing on five efficacy parameters: moisturisation, soothing, nourishment, improvement in skin sensitivity and increased skin comfort. The scale ranged from 1 (totally disagree) to 5 (totally agree). Just 8 hours after the first application, volunteers
PERSONAL CARE April 2021
6.2 6.0 5.8 5.6 5.4 5.2 5.0 4.8 4.6 4.4 4.2 4.0
(*) / PI Placebo ■ Sacred Patch at 2% ■ (*) / PI
Statistic vs Placebo Mean answer value on 87 volunteers Wilcoxon test (*) p<0.05
(*) / PI
Tenderness
Joy/Happiness
Desire
Figure 2: Evaluation of emotional impact of Sacred Patch® in a cream. Results after first application compared to placebo. Scale from 1 (does not match the board at all) to 7 (completeley matches the board).
120 100 80 60 40 20 0
(*) -93% (***) (***)
Untreated control + S. aureus
Sacred Patch + S. aureus
Sacred Patch without sacran + S. aureus
Concentration 0.3%
Figure 3: Inhibition of the inflammatory messenger IL-8 released by keratinocytes following infection by the pathogenic bacteria S. Aureus.
felt that the cream containing Sacred Patch significantly soothed and moisturised the skin, resulting in a score of 4.4 and 4.3, respectively. After two weeks of application, volunteers also agreed that their skin was less sensitive and more comfortable (with a score of 4.0 each). All test results were significantly better than those of the placebo formula (data not shown). These results confirm the positive impact
of the sacran extract patch on mood as well as sacran’s exceptional sensorial properties, with its texture between liquid and solid gel, that truly awaken the senses.
Keeping skin irritation at bay A second test series was conducted to demonstrate the effect of the sacran extract patch on sensitive skin. Sensitive skin is an overreaction to external stimuli such as irritants or microorganisms, and can be exacerbated if these unwanted invaders manage to penetrate the skin, e.g. as the result of an impaired skin barrier. In this case, the irritants cause the epidermal cells to produce inflammatory messengers such as interleukin IL-8, leading to feelings of discomfort. In an in vitro test, the sacran extract patch was shown to help reduce inflammations
caused by pathogenic bacteria. To this end, human keratinocytes were cultivated and incubated for 24 hours with either the sacran extract patch, the molecular patch without sacran, or sacran on its own, each at a concentration of 0.3%. The cultures were then infected with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) to induce an inflammation process. After incubation for another 24 hours, the release of IL-8 was measured with the ELISA method. The sacran extract patch at a concentration of 0.3% performed best, reducing the secretion of IL-8 induced by S. aureus by as much as 93% compared to the untreated control (Fig 3). This reduction was confirmed on a 3D
model of a reconstructed epidermis treated with a proinflammatory cocktail and 0.2% active ingredient, with the sacran extract patch able to reduce IL-8 release by 24% (data not shown). By helping to inhibit the activation of inflammatory messengers, the molecular patch clearly helps comfort irritated skin.
Superior film-forming and water- attracting properties Aside from its ability to boost emotional well- being and to help soothe sensitive skin, the sacran extract patch has demonstrated exceptional
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Sacred + S. aureus
(***)
Statistic: Mean ± SD n=8 Mann-Whitney test vs untreated control ± S. aureus or vs Scared Patch + S. aureus (*) p<0.05 (***) p<0.001
IL-8 released (vs untreated control +
S.aureus)
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