SKIN CARE
Plant polypeptides for inflamed skin
Caterina Deganutti, Piero Cristin, Bruno Ricardo Ramos Loureiro, Luca Dobetti, Bruno Bembi - Transactiva Paolo Macor - University of Trieste
The term ‘cosmeceutical’ was coined in 1984 by Dr. Albert Kligman of the University of Pennsylvania describing a hybrid category of products midway on the spectrum of cosmetics and pharmaceutical.1
The most practical
definition of this term may be “a cosmetic product that is purported to have beneficial actions capable of affecting the skin positively beyond the time of its application”. In other words, cosmeceuticals are products where cosmetics and dermatology, or beauty and health, meet.
Based on their intended use and ability to
beneficially affect structure and function of the cutis, cosmeceuticals fall in the cosmetic regulation in the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Union. Cosmeceuticals have undoubtedly taken
over the personal care industry across the globe. Almost 30% to 40% of any dermatologist’s prescription count across the world consists of a cosmeceutical.2
Although the precise numbers
depend on the source, the global market of cosmeceuticals is valued over 65 billion USD in 2024 with a growth ranging from 4 to 9% CAGR in the next years.3 Skin care dominates this market with the
largest revenue share, reported ranging from 40 to 60% in the last two years. Consumers are increasingly seeking effective skin care solutions that provide both cosmetic action and beneficial intervention, and address various skin concerns. The continuous innovation in skin care
formulations, including the incorporation of advanced ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, retinol, and peptides, further enhances the appeal of these products and encourage companies and consumers to invest in high- quality cosmeceutical products.
Plant molecular farming Plant molecular farming (PMF) is an application of biotechnology that involves the production of proteins of great pharmaceutical and commercial interest in heterologous systems, i.e. outside their natural origin. The route involves identifying the specific protein with the desired therapeutic activity, knowing its nucleotide and amino acid sequence and its ability to be expressed in plants. The cornerstone is the development of an
optimised expression platform followed by the expansion (scale-up) of the system to industrial production levels. PMF as a means of biotechnological drug
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production is today a booming field and has led in recent years to the production of therapeutic proteins used in both humans and animals, with safe, cost-effective and highly competitive production compared to the use of traditional systems, based mainly on mammalian cells.4 The use of plants offers numerous
advantages, the most significant of which include low financial investments, high degree of biosafety (low risk of contamination), possibility to express complex proteins, maintenance of high quality standards in manufacturing, ease of scale-up and ecological/ ethical benefits.5 Among the different cultivation techniques,
hydroponic cultivation represents a sustainable and eco-friendly choice. Hydroponic cultivation refers to an indoor, above-ground cultivation technique where the soil is replaced by an inert substrate. The plant is irrigated with a nutrient
solution consisting of water and the necessary minerals to supply all the elements required for its growth. Hydroponics allows controlled production from both a quality and hygiene point of view throughout the year and is a very sustainable production system. Hydroponic cultivation has the advantage
ABSTRACT
Transactiva has developed two innovative plant-derived polypeptides, LenEasy (hydrolysed vegetable protein) and Orycalm (hydrolysed rice protein), using sustainable plant molecular farming (PMF). These cosmeceuticals ingredients target sensitive and inflamed skin, with the first showing particularly impressive clinical results: a 65% reduction in redness and 60% less water loss within just two hours, surpassing standard peptides. A 28-day study also revealed anti-ageing benefits, including a 5.1% decrease in skin roughness and visible wrinkle reduction in 55% of users, with 90% reporting overall satisfaction. These outcomes position Transactiva’s polypeptides as fast-acting, eco-friendly alternatives to traditional skin care actives
of not using pollutants (pesticides, herbicides, etc.) and of reducing the use of fertilisers and the consumption of water by more than 80%. The vertical design of the cultivation modules reduces the need for horizontal space, as the system grows upward rather than outward.
October 2025 PERSONAL CARE
91
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