82 HYGIENE
Red kapok flower extract for intimate care
Inès Duvillier - Laboratoires Expanscience
The skin is colonized by billions of bacteria that participate in the regulation of immunity and barrier functions, preserving the microbiota homeostasis are essential to maintain a healthy skin and mucosa. The vaginal microbiota is composed of 90% lactic acid bacteria (lactobacilli) that colonize the vagina at puberty. This microbiota is critical to maintaining vaginal health. About 250 bacterial species have been identified in the human vagina. In healthy women of reproductive age, the vaginal microbiota is generally dominated by the genus Lactobacillus, with a prevalence of L. crispatus (59%), L. gasseri (16%), L. iners (22%), and L. jensenii (3%) species.1-5
However, in most cases,
only one species of lactobacilli is present. These lactobacilli have very specific functions.
They stimulate the local immune system and form biofilms that create real protective shields. They transform glycogen secreted by the genital mucosa cells into lactic acid, thus creating an acidic environment necessary to maintain the vaginal pH between 3.5 and 4.5. The vaginal pH reflects the vaginal
microbiota’s health: a pH higher than 4.5 indicates an imbalance in the vaginal flora, also called dysbiosis. Dysbiosis can be accompanied by symptoms such as unusual discharge, itching or vulvar pain and can sometimes lead to infection (mycosis, vaginosis etc.). During menopause, the pH is naturally 4.5. Each woman hosts several types of
lactobacilli which will evolve during her cycle and her life according to hormonal variations, her environment, her intimate hygiene, her sexual life, etc.6 During menopause, there is a progressive
decrease in estrogens, and therefore also in lactobacilli of the vaginal mucosa. It is estimated that between 55% to 70% of menopausal women suffer from vaginal dryness.7 Furthermore, more than 30% of postmenopausal women and 16% of women in general, are suffering from dyspareunia (pain during sexual intercourse),8-9
an unrecognized
and often hidden problem mostly due to a microbiota imbalance. Women speak more and more about their intimacy and want to limit their discomfort but very few products meet consumers’ specific needs.
Red kapok flower extract Red kapok flower extract (Bombax costatum) is
PERSONAL CARE March 2023
100% natural, obtained by aqueous extraction, a COSMOS-certified process that concentrates the polysaccharides contained in the red kapok flower’s calyxes. Red kapok flower extract protects and maintains the skin microbiota balance while respecting the most sensitive skins. By protecting women’s intimate flora, red
kapok flower extract helps all women feel good & comfortable in their intimacy, especially menopausal women. Red kapok flower extract is a unique opportunity ingredient to develop formulations able to act on women well-being by reassuring their femininity and improving their sexual life.
Biological activity in vitro The biological activity of red kapok flower polysaccharide has been demonstrated by various in vitro models on the skin microbiota. The results of these different studies indicate a beneficial effect of the active ingredient on the balance of the cutaneous microbiota. Several possible applications, for which the balance of the microbiota is of major interest, follow from these results: intimate hygiene, atopic dermatitis,
acne, seborrheic dermatitis, deodorant. These in vitro results were confirmed in a
clinical study focusing on intimate hygiene. This study showed a beneficial effect of the red kapok flower polysaccharides, formulated in a cream and in a cleansing gel at a concentration of 1.25%, on the vaginal flora.
Anti-inflammatory activity Red kapok flower polysaccharides strongly and significantly inhibited the production of inflammatory cytokines IL1a, IL1b, IL8 and TNFa stimulated by PMA in the keratinocytes (Figure 1). The extract also inhibited the PGE2 marker. Together, these results demonstrate the anti-inflammatory potential of red kapok flower polysaccharides.
Balance of the vaginal flora Bacterial vaginosis is the most common syndrome of vaginal dysbiosis in women of reproductive age and can lead to discomfort (itching, burning). Vaginosis results in a shift from a microbial composition dominated by lactobacilli to a highly complex polymicrobial community, with the presence of anaerobic
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