Antioxidant claimed to fight wrinkles for longer
impact on the lucrative anti-ageing market because it lasts longer
than many of its commercial competitors, according to researchers
at The University of Hebrew.
The scientists behind the discovery say that the antioxidant is also able to withstand high temperatures.
This could make it a suitable ingredient for sunscreens, which are increasingly marketing their anti-aging effects.
One of the more interesting features of the new antioxidant is its ability to maintain its effectiveness over time.
"A problem with many of the commercial antioxidants found today that are said to retard the ageing process is that they oxidize quickly and therefore their efficiency declines with time," said Dr. Bossi from The University of Hebrew.
Bossi, who conducted the research during her doctoral research, said Vitamin C and E as well as EGCG, which is found in green tea, were all examples of common antioxidants that oxidize quickly and therefore become redundant rapidly.
Unfortunately, the Univeristy refused to reveal the plant used to derive the antioxidant because the research is currently being patented.
Anti-oxidants work by lending electrons to free-radicals to make them stable so that they stop breaking down collagen and elastin fibres in the skin, a process that leads to the formation of wrinkles.
Dr. Bossi said wrinkles can be fought more effectively with the new antioxidant, because it continues to neutralize free-radicals when others would have lost their powers.
This was established after experimenting on mice skin tissue.
After exposing the tissue to sunlight and treating one group of skin cells with the antioxidant, the scientists found the level of free radicals rose significantly in the treated cells and negligibly in the untreated ones.
As for other aspects of the new antioxidant, the scientists at the University said it is soluble in water, which makes it easy to incorporate into skin creams.
Dr Bosso also said the antioxidant would lead to a new generation of products able to combat deeper wrinkles than the current crop of lotions and potions.
The commercial potential of an antioxidant that is truly more effective than its rivals is enormous, because the anti-ageing market is large and and continues to grow at an industry-leading rate.
The category is also expanding into new niches, with a recent Mintel report outlining that anti-ageing products were driving growth in the US make-up market.
According to the information provider, the anti-ageing lines of L'Oreal and Revlon have nearly tripled their combined sales in the last two years, growing from $22 million to $61 million.
