P.L.Thomas brings oral skin hydration ingredient to US
Lipowheat, when taken orally or topically, can help improve skin hydration, according to the company.
It cites studies on ceramides (lipid molecules found in the cell membranes) that suggest a lack of the molecules can lead to problems with the skin barrier.
Therefore, argues P.L.Thomas, adding these molecules into the system, either topically or orally, can help improve skin hydration and ease the associated roughness, itching and redness.
Beauty beverages, supplements and creams
According to head of cosmeceuticals at the company, Alda Brandao, the ingredient is suitable for three types of application: topical; oral in supplement form; and oral in beverage formulations.
As the ingredient is colorless, has good solubility and little taste, it has potential for use in beauty beverages, she told CosmeticsDesign.
The company is also trying to target cosmetics companies looking to branch out into the increasingly popular world of oral cosmetics with supplement products.
However for Brandao, the most beneficial approach would be a combination of oral and topical application.
“There is an important synergy between the two. The longer term benefits come from the oral ingestion, but topical application can provide short term protection from daily threats such as pollution,” she said.
The ingredient has been available for some time in Europe and Asia, and is manufactured by France-based company Hitex, part of the Lavipharm group. P.L.Thomas is bringing this ingredient to the North American market for the first time.
P.L.Thomas recently launched SkinGestPSOR, an oral ingredient for psoriasis sufferers, and confirmed that edible beauty will be an increased focus for the company in the years ahead.
“There is a lot to be explored in this area but I firmly believe in it and I will continue to promote my own motto: ‘cosmetics so natural you can eat them’,” Brandao said.
