Fish ingredients improve dry skin treatments

The scientists, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NUNU) in Trondheim and the University of Bergen, claim that the skin cream they have developed has shown particularly promising results in the treatment of psoriasis and eczema and is still under development.

The research team says that an important part of the cream is the enzyme zonase, which is found in fish eggs. This enzyme can break down dead skin cells without harming living cells.

Its properties, which were discovered quite by accident by researchers at the University of Bergen, mean that when it is used in the treatment of psoriasis, it helps dead skin to flake off, while stimulating the growth of new cells. Similarly, it can also be used for the same purpose as an eczema treatment.

But there is a significant challenge for formulators to overcome if they want to successfully combine both the zonase and the fish gelatine (also known as collagen) in a skin care product.

The problem is that the fish gelatine needs to be immersed in water for it to maintain its active properties. When combined with topical creams, the researchers have found that it does not maintain those properties for very long, once it is applied to the skin.

According to NTNU's Dr. Ingvild Haug, a specialist in fish collagen, the challenge for manufacturers is to find a new and better method to bind water to the cream.

The molecular structure of fish collagen is completely different to mammalian collagen, which means that fish collagen has an unrivalled ability to bind water within a mixture of water and oil, thus retaining moisture.

Formulations combining water with water and oil traditionally need a stabiliser to keep them from separating, but Dr. Haug has discovered a method which means fish collagen can be combined in such formulations.

Now, with the sponsorship of a major cosmetics player, work is being carried out that should see the process brought to market.

"A Swedish research team at the University Hospital in Linköping is currently working on how to tackle this problem and a new formulation is being tested,"​ Dr. Haug told CosmeticsDesign.com​. "Once a suitable solution is realised it could open up a whole new market to fish gelatine, which will be useful for a wide spectrum of skin care products,"​ she added.

Currently mammalian gelatine is most commonly used in skin care products, but as Dr. Haug points out fish gelatine should prove to be more effective.

"The reason for this is that the fish gelatine molecules are far more flexible than mammalian molecules, which means that the fish-derived substance penetrates the dermal layer far more easily, ultimately improving it moisturizing efficacy,"​ Dr. Haug added.

The upstart is that eventually the widespread use of mammalian gelatine could soon be replaced by more effective fish gelatine, providing formulators with a more effective ingredient.