NUTRICOSMETICS APPLICATIONS

Authors

Anurag Pande, Ph.D.

Dr. Muhammed Majeed

Sabinsa

ABSTRACT:

The statement “Beauty from within” perhaps best describes the field or purpose of Nutricosmetics. Though considered a niche market in the West, the realization that skin health is affected by inner health is not new. The skin is the largest organ of the body and it not only provides cover and protection to inner organs, it also acts as a secondary organ of elimination. Whatever we eat or enters through the gastrointestinal tract is in some way expressed on the skin, hence the phrase “We are what we eat” makes sense. Even ordinary skin problems such as acne, rashes, dryness, or oily skin can be traced back to the food we eat. Today Nutricosmetics is viewed as a hybrid field of Cosmeceutical and Nutraceuticals. In this chapter we will be discussing the nutricosmetic potential of selected botanicals, their activities, and the formulation of concepts using these botanicals.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

9.2.1  Introduction (aAbout the Nutricosmetics in general)

9.2.2  Global market

9.2.3  Ayurveda and Botanicals

9.2.4  Multifunctional Nutricosmetics

a.  Amla – Saberry® (Indian Gooseberry)

b.  Green Tea polyphenols (Green Tea)

c.  Ellagic acid (Pomegranate)

d.  Curcumin C3 Reduct® (Turmeric)

e.  Cococin™ (Coconut Water)

Conclusion

9.2.1 INTRODUCTION

Though the concept of nutricosmetics is quite old, the idea of capitalizing on the concept of beauty foods is relatively new. One of the first nutricosmetic products introduced in the market was Imedeen, by Swedish biochemist Ake Dahlgren in the 1980s. The product contained certain marine extracts for restoring the structure and function of skin (F. Heule et al. 1992). Since then the nutricosmetic market has come a long way, with new innovative products getting launched into the global market every year.

9.2.2 GLOBAL MARKET

Emphasis on skin care and healthy aging has been a prime driving force for the sales of nutricosmetics. Greater appreciation of role of nutrition in the skin’s health is one of the causes of a booming market in Japan. The beauty market of the cosmetics and nutricosmetic industry has been showing a steady growth, with beauty food accounting for almost 19% of dietary supplement sales there. Total sales for 2010 were estimated to be 1.3 billion U.S. dollars.

Japan dominates the nutricosmetic market, with sales of over a billion dollars in 2010. Being an aging society, Japanese consumers are more concerned about skin beauty and aging.

Not far behind is China, with sales of 813 million U.S. dollars as reported by Eurometer (Nutraceutical World 2011).

The driving force for the growth of nutricosmetics is customized solutions provided to consumers, as in cosmetics. There has been a growing trend of segmenting the products based on requirement for skin health. Hence one can find products that are age, skin-condition, and even gender specific.

9.2.3 AYURVEDA AND NUTRICOSMETICS

The concept of beauty in Ayurveda, or “science of life,” is not limited to external beauty but also to inner beauty. The use of herbs both externally and internally has been advised in Ayurveda for good skin health. Ayurveda also believes in customized skin care, based on the fact that there is more than one kind of skin, depending on the constitution of the person. “One-size-fits-all” solutions don’t exist.

According to Ayurveda, skin health and youthfulness are dependent on a number of factors such as balance in the three doshas—Kapha, Vata, and Pitta. Doshas are primal metabolic forces as conceptualized for understanding the action of five basic elements (earth, water, fire, air, and ether) and for therapeutic application in diagnosis and treatment. The term doshas itself means “fault,” and represents the ways that a particular energy is out of balance. Skin can also be classified on the basis of doshas into three types—Vata, Pitta, and Kapha skin (K.P.S. Khalsa and M. Tierra 2008).

Thus for a youthful skin there should be a harmony in these three doshas—proper moisture balance (Kapha balance), proper functioning of metabolic mechanisms that coordinate all the chemical and hormonal reactions of the skin (Pitta balance), and efficient circulation of blood and nutrients to the different layers of skin (Vata balance).

9.2.4 MULTIFUNCTIONAL NUTRICOSMETICS

In the following section we will be discussing a few of the potential nutricosmetic ingredients obtained from nature or nature-derived resources. Apart from their nutricosmetic benefits, they also affect the health when administered orally as food or dietary supplements. For example, Indian gooseberries are well known for their digestive, detoxifying, and immune-boosting health benefits.

a. Amla

Amla or Emblica officinalis is one of the most revered fruits in Ayurveda. It is regarded as one of the best rejuvenating herbs in the Ayurvedic tradition and has been used as an adaptogen in several Ayurvedic formulations. Amla can also be used as a nutricosmetic for its antioxidant and anti-aging potential.

Emblica officinalis has been used for a variety of health conditions in Indian folk medicine such as metabolic disorder, liver diseases, stomach ulcers, and also skin disorders. Emblica officinalis has also been studied for its collagen-promoting action as well as its inhibitory action on matrix metalloproteinase enzyme in the human skin.

Amla has shown to increase pro-collagen type I C-peptide and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) production and to decrease MMP-1 production, concomitant with elevated mitochondrial activity in the fibroblast in a concentration-dependent manner (Fuji et al. 2008). This activity has potential in both cosmeceutical and nutraceutical applications.

In a 2010 study, its efficacy to inhibit UVB-induced photo-aging was studied in human skin fibroblast cells. Emblica officinalis not only stimulated fibroblast proliferation, but also protected the pro-collagen-1 against UVB, and inhibited inflammatory enzymes such as hyaluronidase. The study results showed that Emblica officinalis can effectively inhibit photo-aging in human skin fibroblasts (M.D. Adil et al. 2010).

Anticarcinogenetic activity of Emblica officinalis on DMBA (7,12 – dimethyabenz(a) anthracene)-induced skin cancer was studied in Swiss albino rats. Results showed that antioxidant activity of Embica officinalis can help to restore the imbalance between oxidative stress and antioxidant defense and limit oxidative tissue damage (G. Sancheti et al. 2005).

Saberry®, a biostandardized extract of Amla, has been developed with high ORAC activity, which is also a measure of antioxidant activity. The results from the ORAC assay on Saberry® are given in Table 1.

Table 1: ORAC activity assay on Saberry®

Saberry®, a light-colored extract standardized for beta glucogallin, is obtained from a proprietary extraction process enabling the preservation of natural actives in the amla.

Saberry® is a completely water-soluble and light-beige-colored extract, making it a suitable ingredient for Beauty Beverages

Related posts:

References – EMERGING STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING: BALANCING MATERIALS, DESIGN, AND APPEARANCE – METHODS TO ASSESS SKIN BARRIER INTEGRITY: EFFECTS OF CLEANSING PRODUCTS – SUSTAINABILITY & ECO-RESPONSIBILITY – FORMULATING COSMETICS AND PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS – IMAGING TECHNIQUES AND ANALYSIS FOR QUANTIFICATION OF SKIN APPEARANCE

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