Botanic Innovation targets anti-oxidant rich tomato seed oil at hair and skin care

The company says it has developed the oil to have a bright reddish orange color, but more importantly it is a rich source of carotenoids antioxidants,  which include lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin.

Likewise, it is also a significant source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols and dissolved minerals, while the lipid antioxidants include a range of different forms of vitamin E.

Combatting oxidative stress in hair and skin cells​

These properties help give the oil a range of functional properties, that serve to protect and maintain the cell structure of both skin and hair, qualities that are particularly heightened by the fact that both the carotenoid and vitamin E antioxidants have been clinically proven to serve as part of the fight against oxidative stress, particularly in skin.

The company is hoping that its foray into tomato oil will serve to make the ingredient a big hit in the skin and hair care categories, particularly by tapping into the still growing naturals trend, which has seen a lot of fruit-based ingredients become very popular for cosmetics formulations.

“The carotenoid antioxidants in Tomato Seed Oil will make this the next hot ingredient to enhance skin care product performance,”​ said Mark Mueller, founder and CTO of Botanic Innovations.

Targeting mature and aging skin as well as dry, brittle hair​

For skin care the ingredient is particularly well suited to mature, aging and dry and irritable skin types, together with dry and brittle hair, as well as hitting on specific functionality for the acne and sun care categories.

The company also says that it has raised the sustainability profile and carbon footprint of the ingredient by processing it using its NatureFresh-Cold Press system, which uses significantly less energy than conventional extraction processes and is organic certified.

Although there are some tomato-based ingredients available to the cosmetics and personal care market, most have targeted the beauty from within category.

Probably the best known provider in this area is LycoRed, an Israel-based company that markets a tomato-based ingredients targeting the supplements category, providing skin and sun care properties.