Croda claims 'breathrough' active tackles senescence aging process

At Croda's annual Suppliers’ Day press breakfast, Cosmetics Design was introduced to a development that claims to be the first to target microRNAs to prevent the decline of protein synthesis that worsens with age and is associated with unsightly phenotypic changes.

Marketing manager Sonia Dawson sat down with this publication to discuss the approach she says leads to a visible macro embellishment which recovers the skin's density, firmness and elasticity, and lightens age spots.

"The senescence process is constantly happening throughout life and these cells don’t go away, but it's only as we get older that the effects begin to show up on our skin and not every anti-aging product will attend to this​," she explains.

The trouble with telomeres​

Inside the nucleus of a cell, our genes are arranged along twisted, double-stranded molecules of DNA called chromosomes.

At the ends of those chromosomes are stretches of DNA called telomeres which protect our genetic data, make it possible for cells to divide, and hold some secrets to how we age.

Telomeres have been compared with the plastic tips on shoelaces, because they keep chromosome ends from fraying and sticking to each other, which would destroy or scramble an organism's genetic information.

Yet, each time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When they get too short, the cell can no longer divide; it becomes inactive or "senescent" or it dies. This shortening process is associated with aging.

Efficacious​

According to Dawson, the results of using this Senestem active in a cream to treat this process can be seen in the first month of its' use whereby the skin's firmness and elasticity are increased by 31% and 22%.

"Thickness and density are restored with a calculated youth gain of six years," ​she adds. ​

This ingredient follows the recent acquisition of Istituto di Ricerche Biotecnologiche which combines Sederma’s testing capabilities with IRB’s sustainable plant cell technology.

On inquiring as to how long it takes to develop new actives from plant cell culture as opposed to the normal ingredients, the marketing manager says it can take anywhere from three to five years.

"The benefits are sustainable and reproducible - you never need the plant again, whereas significant active yield from traditional means will always require years of cultivation and high land and water resources."​