SCALP CARE INGREDIENTS
“Accumulation of stressful periods, such as ones related to the Covid-19 crisis, exacerbate this demand. Also, due to the fact that part of the face is now hidden behind a mask, greater focus is placed on the hair.”
FIRE FIGHTING
One scalp issue that suppliers have sought to soothe is inflammation. But why is this phenomenon so damaging to scalp skin?
“Inflammation of the scalp can be divided into two categories according to their origin,” Maria Jose Lopez tells Cosmetics Business.
These are ‘exogenous inflammation’, “due to the use of hairdressing treatments such as hair dyes and hair dryers”, as well as pollution, and ‘endogenous inflammation’, which “can occur in different scalp conditions such as psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, tinea capitis, etc”. Lopez, who works in marketing and business development for Spanish biotechnology company AntalGenics, adds that a sensitive and reactive scalp can induce scalp inflammation due to the itch-scratch cycle.
“The itch-scratch cycle starts with the continuous scratching of the scalp,” she explains. “This scratching damages the outer layer of the scalp (stratum corneum) and disrupts the barrier function facilitating the entry of bacteria and allergens.
“These bacteria and pollutants act directly on sensory neurons of the skin producing their overactivation in a process called neurogenic inflammation, therefore feeding a positive feedback for itchiness and inflammation.” This year, AntalGenics introduced Capsisilence, which acts directly on the skin’s sensory neurons to reduce their overactivation and prevent ‘itchy’ signalling and neurogenic inflammation at their origin. Lopez further explains that Capsisilence acts on mast cells – immune cells at the scalp – reducing their release of proinflammatory mediators that induce inflammation of the scalp. “This reduction is then translated into a reduction in scalp redness,” she says. Thirdly, the ingredient reduces flaking and dandruff by increasing the adhesion of keratinocytes and the expression of corneodesmosomal
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genes; these genes code for the proteins that hold together corneodesmosomes, the cells at the outer layer of the scalp protecting it from external damage.
Other newly launched, inflammation- busting scalp ingredients include BASF’s PeptAIde 4.0, which acts on scalp and skin damage caused by ‘silent inflammation’. According to BASF, unhealthy lifestyles disturb one of the body’s most important defense systems: inflammation. While acute inflammation helps the body to heal and fight off infection, ‘silent inflammation’ fights against healthy cells and causes diseases, as well as gradually damaging the hair and skin. The company notes that a wide number of peptides were screened for their ability to help prevent the release of inflammatory mediators, such as TNFa. With the help of a controlled enzymatic hydrolysis process, four of these peptides, identified using AI, were unlocked from organic rice proteins (Oryza sativa).
PeptAIde 4.0 has been proven to soothe sensitive dandruff-prone scalps, reducing redness and ensuring a healthy scalp pH.
BALANCING THE BIOME Following on from the microbiome- balancing skin care boom, a lot of new ingredients focus their attention on cultivating healthy scalp microflora in order to avoid the dreaded inflammatory catch-22. “So far, the scalp microbiome’s functional role has been poorly studied,” says Clariant’s Droux, who additionally notes that it is important in skin homeostasis and protection. External stresses, she adds, trigger the irritation process, resulting in excessive sebum production and desquamation. “This can disturb the scalp microbiome, because microorganisms use sebum and squames as food – and this will strengthen the negative impacts already perceived.”
Men are accepting going bald and actively caring for their scalps
Clariant’s EquiScalp is an eco- friendly ingredient obtained by plant stem cells technology applied to the Fuji apple. Rich in phlorizin, a molecule with anti-inflammatory and anti-lipogenesis activities, EquiScalp tackles the key disorders related to scalp sensitivity: desquamation, redness and excess sebum. Although it modifies the surface composition of the scalp in sebum and squames (the source of food for the scalp’s microbiota), EquiScalp does not modify the population and diversity of living scalp bacteria and is microbiota-friendly.
It modulates the irritation process, reducing two irritation markers, IL-1Ra and S100A8/9, known to be overstimulated during the
inflammatory process. In addition, the release of histamine – a molecule known to trigger itching sensations and stimulate sebum secretion – also decreased.
Also looking to scalp ecology, BASF recently conducted a study comparing the composition of the microbiota of healthy and oily scalps to discover which microorganisms contribute to scalp health.
Its Scalposine, based on the amino acid derivative sarcosine, promotes recolonisation of the scalp with these microorganisms to restore a healthy microbiota balance.
In addition to a prebiotic effect, it inhibits the enzyme 5-a-reductase, which plays a crucial role in sebum secretion. Scalposine’s soothing effect was proven to be immediate and flakiness decreased after 28 days of application.
DON’T FLAKE IT
Dandruff is, of course, an issue linked with microbial imbalance: specifically, over-proliferation of the fungus Malassezia and associated inflammation.
“A negative effect of sebum buildup on the scalp comes from Malassezia, a genus of fungi that lives quietly on the scalp, but occasionally grows out of control, especially on those with an oily scalp,” explains Olga Laporta Alcántara, Marketing Manager at Lipotec Active ingredients Lubrizol Life Science, Beauty. “Malassezia feed on lipids of sebum and degrade them. Therefore, a scalp with a buildup of sebum will have
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