83 ANTI-AGEING
A collagen alternative from acacia trees
Dr Bernd Walzel, Dr Anja Herrmann, Beatrix Senti, Tamina Shah, Dr Stefan Bänziger – Lipoid Kosmetik Moreover, animal proteins, including
Collagen is the most abundant structural polymer throughout the animal kingdom. It provides strength, elasticity and resilience to animal and human tissues. Collagen is found in connective tissues, in cartilage, bones, tendons, ligaments and skin. For example, it makes up 80% of the skin by dry weight and gives the dermis its mechanical and structural integrity1
. Collagen is also one of the most popular cosmetic ingredients2 . According to a worldwide
Mintel database search, about 2,500 new products with collagen as a raw material have been launched within the past three years: 1,472 in skin care, 582 in hair care, 310 in colour cosmetics, 87 in soap and bath products, and 12 in shaving and depilatories. Thanks to its versatile cosmetic properties, collagen finds applications as an anti-ageing active, a moisturising agent, a film-former or a texture-improving ingredient, among others. Despite its popularity, collagen has a
disadvantage in being mainly derived from animal sources. It is manufactured on an industrial scale from hair, skin, nails, bones, ligaments or skin, which originate from cattle, pigs, poultry or fish1
.
Consumer awareness of animal welfare has made animal-derived cosmetic raw materials unpopular. In fact, cosmetic shoppers increasingly trust in natural, plant-derived, sustainable and cruelty-free beauty products. This drives innovation towards ethical cosmetics and pushes brands to think of alternatives, including alternatives for animal-derived collagen.
Animal-derived collagen
ABSTRACT
collagen, carry health risks. Animal proteins are associated with causing allergic reactions, with the transmission of prion disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) or with microbial contamination3
religious constraints over using bovine- and porcine-derived materials. To replace animal collagen, synthetic
collagens have been developed. In vitro cultures of GMOs, such as bacteria, yeast or wild plants, produce biomimetic collagen fragments or recombinant collagen peptides, which after further processing mimic the structure and function of conventional collagen4
. Like animal collagen, artificial collagens
also suffer from disadvantages: for example, collagen-producing in vitro cultures are expensive, they suffer from low yields and the collagen produced often lacks functionality2
.
Furthermore, the use of GMOs is a concern to many consumers. For all these reasons, animal collagen remains the standard today. Figure 1 shows the pros and cons of the different kinds of collagen.
Acacia tree alternative Is there collagen from plants? Yes and no. Unlike animals, plants do not produce true collagen. Instead, the functional requirement for strength, elasticity, resilience, wound healing, water retention and more, in plants, is filled by long, branched, vegetable biopolymers, which are
Synthetic collagen
Plant-derived collagen alternative . In some communities there are
PhytoCollagen is a unique plant-derived collagen alternative sourced from the acacia tree, which combines the cosmetic benefits of collagen with a green, sustainable source and matches consumer preferences. In vivo studies confirm that it entirely mimics the cosmetic benefits of animal collagen. This makes it an ideal replacement – a truly plant-derived, sustainable, green, vegan alternative to animal collagen.
complex structures of interlinked protein and carbohydrate chains. One example is arabinogalactan from the . The acacia is a thorny tree growing
acacia tree5,6
up to six metres in height. It is the predominant species of the African savannah in two species: Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal. The acacia produces a unique set of
biopolymers that have been harvested in a traditional way since antiquity. Native farmers introduce small incisions into the trunks or branches of acacia trees. After injury, an amber- coloured, gum-like substance exudes, which is scraped off, collected in leather bags and dried in the sun. It is also known as gum Arabic or acacia gum. Due to its functional homologies to collagen, however, we will call it acacia collagen (Figure 2). Acacia collagen consists of multi-functional
hydrocolloids with a neutral to slightly acidic, arabinogalactan-protein complex, a branched- chain polysaccharide with arabic aid as the main component. It is characterised by a high proportion of carbohydrates (D-galactose and L-arabinose) (~97%) and a low proportion of proteins (<3%), complexed to calcium, magnesium and potassium6
.
Pros: ■ Industry standard ■ Cheap, high availability
Cons: ■ Concern for animal welfare ■ Human health concerns ■ Consumers prefer plant-based products
Pros: ■ Non-animal
Cons: ■ Consumer concern about GMO ■ Structural and functional analogue, but no genuine collagen
Pros: ■ Natural, safe, sustainable ■ Cruelty-free ■ Fits to vegan cosmetics trends ■ Preferred by consumers
Cons: ■ Only functional analogue
Rather like animal collagen, acacia collagen is a high molecular weight biopolymer with hydroxyproline as the characteristic and most abundant amino acid. Hydroxyproline anchors the polysaccharides to the peptide chains and provides flexibility to the polymer. Like animal collagen, its biosynthesis also depends on the co-factor vitamin C. When looking at its biological function, acacia
Figure 1: Sources of collagen PERSONAL CARE April 2022
collagen shares similarities with animal collagen. It gives structure and stability to plant cells, it binds moisture and it is directly involved in wound healing of plants, where it closes, protects and disinfects injuries on branches and trunks.
www.personalcaremagazine.com
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