As climate change becomes an everyday reality, Gattefossé has prioritized developing solutions that help the skin better withstand increasingly unpredictable weather-related stressors: rising temperatures, increasing UV radiation or pollution, and fluctuating humidity levels.
“The market is shifting toward climate-adaptive beauty products that focus on skin resilience rather than simple protection. The unpredictability of stress factors requires the development of responsive formulas that adjust to individual lifestyles,” explains Laurie Canel, Product marketing leader, active ingredients, at Gattefossé.
Derived from white mulberry leaves
For its new organic-certified active ingredient, Gattefossé drew inspiration from the natural mechanisms by which silkworms extract from white mulberry leaves (Morus alba) the compounds that give silk its characteristic softness and protective properties. The company sought to replicate this phyto-structural sophistication by incorporating white mulberry leaves into a supramolecular extraction system known as NaDES.
“Thanks an exploratory work combined with our strong expertise in phytochemistry, bioprocessing, and skin biology, we developed a bioinspired phytocomplex that demonstrates exceptional adaptive capabilities. Leveraging AI, specifically bioinformatics, allowed us to further characterize the ingredient’s activation pathways in skin cells, with a particular focus on the post-translational phosphorylation process,” says Lucie Couturier, Head of R&D, active ingredients.
Increased skin resilience
Thus, Gattefossé has developed an active ingredient capable of significantly modulating protein phosphorylation in keratinocytes, a mechanism of cellular adaptation.
By activating critical signaling pathways for epidermal cohesion and vitality, Silkaress [1] strengthens skin resilience, supporting its ability to withstand shifting climatic conditions and preserve the integrity of the skin barrier.
In clinical studies on Caucasian volunteers with dry and sensitive skin, Silkaress was shown to restructure the micro-relief and homogenize hydration. This translates into a silk-like protective effect and a deep feeling of comfort and well-being.
According to Gattefossé, Silkaress offers “softer, smoother, protected skin” for a wide range of applications, including climate-smart skin care, everyday outdoor defense products, cocooning, and comfort-first formulas.
French supply chain
In search of premium quality white mulberry leaves, Gattefossé turned to the French company Sericyne, which specializes in silkworm breeding, silk processing and mulberry by-products transformation. Located in the biodiversity reserve of the Cévennes National Park in southern France, the historic cradle of French sericulture, Sericyne brings special attention to ethical and sustainability issues.
