SUN CARE
Novel biopolymers to shield UV damage
Patrick Gonry, Timo Dijkstra – Gobiotics ABSTRACT
In the past, people were only exposed to the sun during their two-week vacation. However, today there is a steady increase in sun exposure because of global warming. Although some people love these tropical
temperatures, being so much more exposed to UV radiation increases the occurrence of skin cancer dramatically. To put this in perspective, skin cancer is the most occurring type of cancer. Despite the powerful protection of
sunscreens, there are also downsides. First, sunscreens give a false sense of safety; people stay longer in the sun without reusing sunscreen. Secondly, sunscreens need to be sufficiently reapplied every two hours or if someone does an activity that readily removes the sunscreen, such as swimming. Finally, it is easy to miss a spot. People are sometimes not careful enough when it comes to sunscreens, which come at the expense of precious and beautiful skin. Even when sunscreens are used meticulously, the skin is still in danger. UV radiation causes disastrous permanent
molecular damage. When the damage is in a critical site of the DNA, the cell turns rogue. Such a cell no longer follows protocol and can mutate into a cancer cell. Luckily, cells have a safety mechanism to prevent mutation. They die for the greater good. Sun-burned skin turns into a complete
wasteland of dead and damaged skin cells. The ones who died did it to prevent skin cancer. In addition, UV radiation disrupts the skin cells, leading to inflammatory disorders.
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Other consequences of excess UV light are premature ageing and actinic keratoses. The latter is a condition where the skin develops dry scaly patches because of sun damage.
Cell types are involved in UV protection To understand how to better prevent cells from mutating, it is important to know which three epidermal cell types are involved in UV protection. First, 90% of the skin consists of keratinocytes. These cells form a barrier to protect the inner world from the hazards of the outer world, like water loss, pathogens, and UV radiation. They also produce essential proteins that
protect the melanocytes and optimize their performance. The second cell type is the melanocyte. The melanocyte is a dendritic cell. It is famous for pigment (melanin) production. Lastly, there is the immune cell of the
skin (Langerhans cell), which is efficient in repairing, protecting skin cells, and cleaning up mutated cells.
High-tech defence mechanism Together, these cells form a high-tech defence mechanism against UV radiation. All three cells are constantly with each other in communication to assure optimal protection of the whole skin. The primary defence mechanism is the
pigmentation system. Although pigments are produced by the melanocyte, it is the keratinocyte that starts the whole
Nowadays, the risk of UV-induced skin damage is more and more increasing due to climate change. The skin alone is not equipped to protect itself from the sun. Sunscreens are the only strategy to reduce UV exposure. Unfortunately, they cannot 100% block UV light. In addition, sunscreens can provide the consumer with a false sense of total protection. Here, a new strategy, on top of using sunscreens, is introduced by boosting the skin’s own protection using a glucose-mannose biopolymer (GMB). Produced through fermentation of upcycled molasses. This active biopolymer with sunscreens ensures that the skin is optimally prepared for a tropical summer. GMB improves the tan, which contributes to the first UV barrier. Secondly, GMB increases cell survival and the activity of the skin’s immune cells. When the immune cells are more active, GMB indirectly results in improved DNA repair, skin soothing, and skin purifying. The key here is that GMB enhances communication and collaboration between all skin cells. Finally, when UV still damages the skin, GMB slows down the premature ageing process. Thus, GMB is the ingredient of choice; suitable for any cosmetic application to get more beautiful and better-protected skin. Together with sunscreen, GMB offers a holistic approach and is an essential addition when consumers are so much more exposed to UV radiation.
pigmentation cycle. UV radiation induces the production of endothelin-1 (ET-1) and α-MSH by the keratinocyte. ET-1 enhances melanocyte growth, and it leads to a higher tyrosinase activity; it improves the overall performance of the melanocyte. Tyrosinase is an enzyme that is involved
in the production of the darker pigment eumelanin, which at the same time absorbs UV light and is a powerful antioxidant that protects the keratinocyte. On top of that, α-MSH promotes the production of eumelanin. Together, these messenger proteins work
synergistically to activate melanin production and to optimize the distribution of these
October 2023 PERSONAL CARE
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