Launched by the Cosmetic Valley three years ago, the Cosmétopée (cosmetopea or cosmetopeia) project is the equivalent for the cosmetics sector of the "pharmacopoeia" in the pharmaceutical field. The aim of the project is mainly to identify and to formalize the cosmetic properties of the planet’s botanical resources, including through the structuration of individual initiatives. An ambitious project thus, that is carried on through several international partnerships and that should also facilitate the access to these resources for concerned companies, especially for SMEs. An interesting array of investigation for the cosmetics industry, which is well known for its permanent quest of new active ingredients, especially of plant origin.
Nagoya Protocol
While the project covers the census of traditional practices and usages of plants in the beauty field, the aim is not to plunder ancestral knowledge. From this point of view, states the Cosmetic Valley, the cosmetopea project is part of the Nagoya Protocol, signed in 2010, on the use of the world’s genetic resources and against biopiracy.
"It is important to know that 60% of botanical raw materials used by the aromas and flavours industry are sourced from wild plants," said Christain Moretti of the Research Institute for Development (IRD).
Data collection
In practice, ethnobotanists must always perform wide literature and field researches. The collection of information on traditional uses of plants implies to "take into account the information related to the origin and location of the interviewee; actually, different populations use similar plants differently and for different properties," said Blandine Akendengué of the Department of Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine of Libreville, Gabon.
However, the collection of data regarding traditional uses and the selection of plant materials is only a first step. For instance, the saponins from the African and Asian biodiversity are well known for their detergent properties. But researches have shown their high structural and biological diversity and have demonstrated that "some saponins are efficient against skin aging, as they interact with the membrane’s sterols at the dermal level," explains Marie Aleth Lacaille-Dubois, Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, University Burgundy. "Our research strategy combines complementary studies such as ethnobotany, phytochemistry,and pharmacology," she adds.
Innovative extraction methods
The cosmetopea project also includes the development of new extraction methods. The most recent advances are centred on green chemistry.
The supercritical fluids method is a good illustration of such advances. "It provides highly concentrated fractions, stabilizes and facilitates the production compounds difficult to obtain. This process suits perfectly to the production of samples with low water content and is consistent with the principles of green chemistry," said Eric Lesellier, of the Organic and Analytical Institute of Chemistry in Orleans.
Other innovative methods, such as sound waves extraction, microwave extraction, or electric pulsed fields extraction, also match "with the aim of developing low-cost, rapid, and environmentally friendly, extraction processes," added Joel Doussot and Christophe Hano from the Laboratory of Wood and Crops Biology at the University of Orleans.
Objectified biological activities
There are also promising outlooks regarding objectivation methods.
Patrick Trouillas, from the Faculty of Pharmacy of Limoges, uses quantum chemistry calculations and molecular dynamics to evaluate physico-chemical properties relating to the antioxidant activities of natural compounds. "In silico simulations have a predictive potential that could quickly be made available to the industry. Calculation can already allow us to understand the pigmentation of different compounds," said the researcher.
"Thanks to our models, we can measure the ability of antioxidants to interact with membranes, to quantify this interaction, to measure the penetration effects, and to determine the fraction which is responsible for the antioxidant activity," said Sandrine Morandet from Compiègne’s University of Technology.
Considering that, according to Joel Doussot, "only 15% of the 300,000 terrestrial plant species have been studied in terms of their biological activity," a lot of research remains to be done by the cosmetics industry.
