LAS VEGAS—Looking youthful is no longer just for the young, as noted by David Djerassi in his SupplySide West presentation, “Nutricosmetics for Senior’s Wellness and Beauty." Seniors also want to stay beautiful as well as healthy well into their later years so they are searching for ways to slow aging and maintain health.
While many people are staying younger due to increase awareness of lifestyle effects, they cannot escape their genes, the wear and tear of life, the shortening of telemores, reduction of sirtuin production (enzymes that protect cells from dying) and reduced immune systems.
Djerassi, founder and president, Intrachem Technologies, used the term he coined “de-aging," and said seniors are becoming more inclined to avoid invasive lasers, Botox and other injections to slow aging. Insteat, they are more interested in using cosmetics and cosmeceuticals. The problem with cosmetics, however, is that the claims are ahead of science; he said most studies are done in vitro and don’t account for the skin barrier that limits nutrient absorption. For this reason and more, he said cosmeceuticals and nutricosmetics are the answer.
When companies formulate products for seniors, they should take into account that they need extra active compounds because of their slow metabolism, reduced absorption of nutrients from the diet, decreased cell turnover, hormone changes and moisture loss. Ingredients they are interested in for the skin include amino acids, botanicals oil, green tea and other antioxidants (vitamins E and C, carotenoids, and polyphenols).
Sunscreens are another important issue, Djerassi said, because topically, they should have UVA and UVB protection, but these usually cause oxidative damage when they penetrate the skin. Therefore, sunscreens should offer both sun protection and antioxidants to protect the consumer from the damage caused by the active ingredients.
Djerassi concluded his session by detailing studies on lycopene that show it is an antioxidant and also protects against sun damage.