50 NATURALS
expression lines (in the crow’s feet and forehead areas), and reducing effort-induced sweat excretion. The data presented here demonstrate the potential of the extract for a variety of Botox-like applications aimed at a beauty-conscious, active public, including anti-ageing, anti-wrinkle and reduction of perspiration, while avoiding the main drawbacks of periodic Botox injections. Leucojum aestivum (Figure 1) is a small
bulbous crop, which is usually grown for landscaping and rock gardens. It originates from the Mediterranean area, where summers are hot and dry, but winter conditions are favourable for the growth and development of such a plant. Its common name is summer snowflake or summer snowbell. Leucojum aestivum naturally produces bioactive substances as a means of defence against herbivores and pathogens, and is a medicinal plant with recognised applications against several important diseases.10 Summer snowflake bulbs are considered
to be a rich source of alkaloid secondary metabolites7
to have muscle-relaxant effects.11 and some alkaloids are known This inspired
us to examine the muscle-relaxant properties of a summer snowflake bulb aqueous extract, developing a technology that captures and transfers the plant’s defence mechanisms and delivers it to the skin as the power to freeze away facial expression lines and sweat. Leucojum aestivum bulb extract is a safe
alternative to Botox injections that answers market needs in terms of naturality and sustainability. It is of 100% natural origin according to ISO 16128, COSMOS-approved, preservative-free, and vegan-compatible.
In vitro efficacy Botox-like effects can be observed in vitro on a contractile nerve-muscle co-culture. The assessment of the effect is based on the counting of the muscular contractions over a defined time, before and after treatment with the product. The Leucojum aestivum bulb extract was
tested at 1.5% dilution in culture medium. Culture medium was used as a negative control, while 5 mM carisoprodol, a drug which blocks muscular contractions in a reversible way, was used as a positive control. The extract and the references were applied to the nerve-muscle culture, and the system was incubated at 37°C with 5% CO2
.
40 30 20 10 0
-10 -20 -30
Figure 4: Illustrative photographs of perspiration reduction (Vol. #8), D0 (left) vs. D7 (centre) & D14 (right)
At the start, then after two, six and 24 hours
of incubation, a video sequence was recorded over a span of 30 seconds and the contraction frequencies were counted. The number of contractions observed was expressed as a percentage compared to the initial number of contractions. After as little as two hours, muscle
contractions were observed to stop completely upon treatment with 1.5% Leucojum aestivum extract (Figure 2). These results are comparable to those observed with the positive control, while untreated cells continued to contract normally.
In vivo efficacy The aim of the study was to evaluate the capacity of the extract of Leucojum aestivum bulbs to reduce effort-induced perspiration and the appearance of wrinkles (Botox-like effects). Two groups of 27 healthy Caucasian female volunteers were formed. They were aged 35-50 years, with skin phototype II to IV (Fitzpatrick), of all skin types, with some ageing signs, self-assessed excessive
1% Leucojum aestivum bulb extract ■ Placebo ■ -19% -39%* D3 D7 Wrinkle volume -43%* D14 * p<0.05 Figure 5: Wrinkle reduction (AEVA image analysis) in crow’s feet area PERSONAL CARE April 2022
www.personalcaremagazine.com
20 15 10 5 0
-5
-10 -15
-20 -25
D3 D7 Wrinkle volume D14 * p<0.05 -31% -34%*
sweat and the ability to perform physical exercise. A simple gel-cream formulation containing
1% extract of Leucojum aestivum bulbs was used for this study, alongside a placebo product in which the active ingredient was replaced with water and glycerin (to account for glycerin content in the extract). The tested product was applied twice a day for two weeks. One group of panellists was assigned the
product, and the second group was assigned the placebo (using double-blind product encoding). Measurements were taken before application on D0 and after three, seven and 14 days of application. On D0, D7 and D14, measurements related to perspiration rate, triggered by 20 minutes of exercise on a treadmill, were taken before and after exercise.
Sweat reduction 1% Leucojum aestivum bulb extract in formulation delivered a rapid and very strong reduction in sweat gland activity observed upon standardised exercise. This can be observed
1% Leucojum aestivum bulb extract ■ Placebo ■ * p<0.05
60 50 40 30 20 10 0
D7 -15% -28%*
70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
D14 Perspiration droplets number D7 Figure 3: Perspiration reduction (Silflo imprint analysis) in the forehead area Vol. #8 (age 35)
Perspiration droplet imprint D0
D7 D14 * p<0.05
-25% -41%*
D14 Perspiration droplets area
-11%
Variation (% vs. D0)
Variation (% vs. D0)
Variation (% vs. D0)
Variation (% vs. D0)
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