ANTI-POLLUTION
Microalgae: skin remedy for air pollution
Charlotte Vignal, Pascale Goyat, George Rosson, Lucie Brun - Natura-Tec
Air pollution is an unseen threat to human health. According to the World Health Organization, almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds its guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants. Every day, skin is exposed to excessive concentration of pollutants, whether coming from outside ambient air or household pollution, affecting skin metabolism, inflammatory processes, and oxidative stress. Pollution is an important concern for
public health, as well as for earth’s climate and ecosystem globally. Fighting pollution at all levels is a win-win strategy, improving body and skin health as well as the environment, for a complete enhancement of human wellbeing. The development of a sustainable active,
effective in protecting skin from pollution, is valuable to improve skin health, as well as the holistic wellbeing of consumers, while considering the improvement of air quality generated by its production. In this quest of a better skin and mind
wellbeing, Natura-Tec develops actives able to improve consumer’s quality of life. Microalgae are an endless source of precious biological compounds, allowing the formulation of clean, natural, and safe cosmetic products with an extremely high efficiency.
Air pollution is still an active topic Air pollution is defined as the contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.1 Air pollution is composed of different
kind of health concerning molecules such as particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3
), nitrogen dioxide (NO2 sulfur dioxide (SO2 ), ), heavy metals, polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or even Radon (Rn), a radioactive gas. Particulate matter (PM) refers to a mixture
of many chemical species, solids and aerosols. These inhalable particles are composed of sulphate, nitrates, ammonia, sodium chloride, black carbon, mineral dust or water, and are classified according to their size. In direct contact with air pollution, skin is directly attacked by pollutants, leading to lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation, reducing levels of antioxidant and lowering ATP levels and cell proliferation.2
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A patented sustainable technology to reduce air pollution The use of an efficient active to protect skin from the damages induced by pollution is more than ever of interest. Carbon dioxide (CO2
) is a
greenhouse gas (GHG), and then can trap and absorb sun rays within the atmosphere, leading to a significant contribution to global warming and climate change.3 The growth of natural techniques involving
the application of microorganisms to capture and convert CO2
to food, chemicals or fuel is
crucial. Many researches are focused on carbon capture and storage technologies.
One of the most sustainable approaches to capture and store CO2
from the atmosphere
is photosynthesis, as photosynthetic microorganisms, such as microalgae, have the highest carbon fixing capabilities. Biological capture and sequestration of carbon using microalgae have been recognized as one of the world’s most important and effective carbon sequestration methods,4
fix approximately 100Gt of CO2 to fix CO2
as microalgae can into biomass
annually.5 Microalgae have an impressive ability efficiently, combined with high
photosynthetic efficiency, as algae and microalgae fix 40% of the global carbon dioxide production and produce 50% of the earth’s oxygen. Compared to terrestrial plants, microalgae provide a higher harvest index, a higher biomass productivity, a faster growth (with a multiplying rate of only a few hours), a higher carbon dioxide capture (ten to 50 times more) with a lower water consumption.6,7 Microalgae are studied for their strong ability
to improve air quality and reduce pollution. Recent studies demonstrate that microalgae are also able to trap and reduce components other than carbon dioxide, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2
) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).8
Figure 1: Microalgae sustainable production pattern
The dissolution of NOx in water which forms nitric acid, is beneficial to microalgae in their metabolism, which helps to save nutrient during cultivation. This observation highlights that
November 2023 PERSONAL CARE
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