On the occasion of in-cosmetics Global 2019, the Germany-headquartered specialty chemical company debuted a new seaweed active ingredient pioneering a new cellular target to improve the appearance of the skin. Derived from Laminaria japonica (Kelp or Kombu), Epseama targets long non-coding RNA nc886 to improve signs of rejuvenate skin and reinvigorate its self-defense abilities.
“Commonly known causes of aging are the genetically-determined factors (chronoaging), extrinsic factors like UV exposure (photoaging), and chronic inflammation,” explains Clariant.
Epseama does not address these factors separately but goes down to the root cause they trigger. It does so by targeting the long non-coding RNA, called “nc886”, recently recognized as a key regulator of PKR, a protein known for inducing premature aging. A research by Clariant Active Ingredients, demonstrated the correlation between aging and the decrease of nc886 expression. Thus, when properly expressed nc886 is a fundamental player in the rejuvenation of skin.
Dermal-epidermal junction
The new seaweed active ingredient targets chronoaging, photoaging and inflammaging at once and gets to the heart of these problems by addressing the real cause of aging by reverting the natural increases of nc886 production in order to prevent damage to the dermal-epidermal junction.
In vitro and ex vivo tests have confirmed that Epseama improves the skin appearance by reducing wrinkles, skin roughness and skin dehydration. “It prevents collagen IV degradation through direct inhibition of MMP-9, and boosts it so that the junction between the epidermis and dermis is strengthened. Epseama heightens keratinocytes proliferation by improving the synthesis of CD44 hyaluronic acid receptors. It also enhances epidermis thickness, and inhibits the inflammasome pathway,” claims Clariant.
The ingredient’s performance is confirmed in clinical trials on 19 women over 50 after only four weeks. Difficult to remove nasolabial wrinkles are smoothed - reduced by 19% in volume and 10% in roughness after only four weeks. Spots decreased by 10% and skin moisture levels increased by 14.2%.
“By 2050, the over-60s are projected to make up over 21% of the global population [1]. This, together with the increasing middle-aged population, presents a big opportunity for Personal Care to contribute new approaches to aging and wellness. Understanding the biological processes that influence skin aging processes makes us better placed to focus our innovation on advanced ingredients to delay it. By uniquely targeting nc886, Epseama offers formulators a new source of rejuvenation erasing age-related and photo-related signs, tackling the true causes of skin aging with an ingredient derived from the sea,” said Julie Droux, Senior Technical Marketing Specialist, Clariant Active Ingredients.
According to Technavio, the global anti-aging products market size will grow by USD 17.2 billion during 2019-2023 [2], with the increasing older population between the ages of 30-45 and motivation to look younger among the key drivers for this expansion.
