LAS VEGAS—Consumers have accepted nutraceuticals as part of their hair- and skin-care routines, and they will always see topical delivery systems as essential. They are increasingly seeking products with more than one benefit, and they want to see results, according to Shyam Gupta, Ph.D., Bioderm Research, who presented “Beauty / Inside-Outside: Formulating Natural Cosmeceuticals and Nutraceuticals for Skin and Hair Care" at SupplySide West.
Natural cosmeceuticals- and nutraceutical-based skin and hair care formulations that are made with natural ingredients, such as phytosterols, ascorbic acid, hydroxy acids and trace metals, can offer superior delivery systems and exciting marketing opportunities for new business development, Gupta said. During the presentation, he discussed how these and other natural solutions can be used in effective brightening, anti-aging, anti-acne, sunscreen , hair removal, hair loss and hair-graying prevention formulas.
He said companies that employ a dual-marketing strategy that touts both nutraceutical and topical solutions will be better positioned in this market, especially for the personal-care areas of skin anti-aging, hair anti-aging, acne treatment and skin whitening
Most biological problems are solved at cellular level, so he cautioned effective products must address the body’s cellular biology whether the products are topical or ingested.
Topical products that penetrate the skin boost the efficacy and consumers’ perceived benefits, he noted, adding a variety of topical delivery systems, such as pro-drug transport, catalytic converters, electron transfer (d-orbitals) and antioxidant cascades, can allow natural ingredients, such as phytosterols, hydroxy acids, ascorbic acid, amino acids, peptides, antioxidants, trace metals and phytosterols, penetrate the skin and offer effective results.
Topical phytosterols are hot right now, as they have been shown to be effective in the management of acne, age spots, collagen loss, loss of skin pliability, skin suppleness, skin wrinkles, damage from radiation, damage from free radicals, damage from UV light, dark circles under the eyes, skin pigmentation, eczema, pruritic skin, psoriasis and dry skin.
In the hair-care arena, Gupta started with the problem of too much. For hair removal, he said sugar gluconates work well and offer a number of benefits to consumers, including hair removal in a single application, no microwave heating, no dry-down period, residue clean-up by water, no product crystallization and water-clear transparency.
Keeping the hair youthful also concerns consumers, and product formulators need to know all hair problems tart at the root. Thankfully common hair issues can be addressed with effective formulation technologies. For instance, hair loss can be reduced by inhibiting MMP enzyme production, graying can be eased by activating tyrosinase, and dandruff can be treated with trace metals.