TRENDING TECHNOLOGIES Rather, this ‘taste’ is a chemical reaction


occurring in our skin cells. Welcome back to chemistry, class is in session: The chemical reaction causes a conformational change, or rearrangement of atoms within the shape of a molecule, that occurs within the TAS2R receptor upon activation with a bitter substance.


The vital role of calcium This change elicits an increase in intracellular calcium levels. However, this calcium-boosting technology is far underutilized within the personal care space. This article aims to change that. Past neurocosmetic research has amounted


to real, tangible effects that can be harnessed to bring sensation into skincare. Neurocosmetic research clearly did not begin with lathering on creams and asking test subjects if they could taste anything. This scientific discovery of ‘taste’ receptors


present in our skin happened by accident, and has opened a new perspective to how skincare products should aspire to function and improve the skin from the inside out. Our skin is self- aware, and it strives to maintain a constant protective barrier by stimulating cellular division to replace dead skin cells. The skin barrier that we all so dearly love and obsess over has another element of protection now: self-produced calcium from bitter receptors. Calcium is vital for homeostasis of our skin’s barrier.4


Our skin does not retain


spare calcium like an extra bobby pin, it keeps the correct amount stored in the endoplasmic reticulum of keratinocytes. It is something that must be regulated with intention by mediating calcium influx channels.


K is for keratinocytes Skin cells, called keratinocytes, require sufficient calcium levels so they can efficiently migrate, proliferate, and differentiate during the process of keratinization. Keratinization is key for healthy skin renewal and skin cell regeneration. Skin cells are connected by filaments, called desmosomes, which form skin tissues and are everywhere within the skin barrier. When calcium levels are raised, desmosomes form more rapidly between cells which in turn strengthen the skin barrier.7 Desmosome formation is independent from keratinization, but both processes are dependent on calcium. With increased calcium, both processes are optimized. Cellular renewal rate can vary since the


calcium gradient present in the epidermis is the gatekeeper of cell differentiation, or the final stage before cell death exfoliation. In the upper epidermis, when cells die and pass through the stratum granular layer, their calcium content is absorbed into the upper epidermis. When the calcium content level is high


enough, keratinocytes absorb the excess and trigger the production of an enzyme called protein kinase C. This enzyme leaves the keratinocytes and travels deeper through the skin layers to the undifferentiated keratinocytes. When this occurs, the undifferentiated


keratinocytes receive their cue to produce keratin and differentiate, moving slowly upward


www.personalcaremagazine.com Willow bark June 2023 PERSONAL CARE


69


Liquorice


through the skin to replace the exfoliated cells. Our skin experiences changes at the cellular level, and our body’s physiology and function are better because of efficient calcium synthesis.


Finding the right ingredients There is a gap, dare I say canyon, in the raw material area for brands and formulators who search to implement this connection between bitter taste receptors and intracellular calcium. To bridge this gap and emphasize this natural ability of our skin, we must communicate this calcium boosting science for brands and personal care formulators to translate this to consumers. Pure calcium, if applied externally to the skin, is not readily recognized by the body efficiently. However, when the skin is encouraged to synthesize its own calcium, we optimize the body’s previously mentioned natural calcium recognition response. Our team of research and development


scientists initially huddled up to develop a way to activate the skin’s natural calcium production ability. Yet when combined with the neurocosmetic research about bitter receptor activation, and they had a hunch these two concepts could blend into an excellent partnership.


Our sustainability efforts steered us toward


sourcing upcycled methods of activating the TAS2R receptor. The result emerges as a bodacious blend of bitter substances: liquorice, artichoke, and willow bark. The triad makes for an excellent upcycled bitter solution, meeting market demands for sustainability and standardized components: glycerrhetinic acid from liquorice,6 bark.7


and tannic acid from willow


The science bit In the personal care industry, there is a plethora of claims that focus at the surface-level on what a product or raw material could potentially do to visually improve skin’s appearance. These claims, however, can lack scientific explanations or concrete evidence of mechanistic behaviour. The neurocosmetic discovery of taste


receptors in the skin will reframe efficacy and how we understand intracellular changes in the skin. We now can explain the scientific reason for the action of a product since the science pairs with real data to bolster claims. The technical communication of these


efficacy results to brands and formulators will be key to encompassing the neurocosmetic trend, especially to educate consumers who are not as familiar with the bitter taste receptor science.


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  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80