Chromadex buys second license for anti-aging preparation pterostilbene

The move is part of the company’s ambitions to build its presence in the skin care category by developing a strong portfolio of ingredients targeting various areas, including the anti-aging market.

"We intend to continue our strategy to build intellectual property around our ingredients,”​ said Frank Jaksch, founder and CEO of ChromaDex.

“By building a robust skincare IP portfolio, we are positioning to become a meaningful provider of patent protected innovative ingredient technologies to this growing multi-billion dollar market place."​

Treating age-related skin damage​

The preparations are said to be particularly effective to treat age-related skin damage, especially that caused by exposure to the sun, but they are also used to treat skin diseases, damage or injuries, and can be used in pharmaceutical formulations, too.

According to ChromaDex, pterostilbene belongs to the class of compounds known as antioxidant polyphenols – plant substances that help prevent or neutralize the damaging effects of free radicals thanks to antioxidant properties.

Although pterostilbene has been used commercially for such applications for around ten years, the big challenge is to produce it in large enough quantities, as in nature it is only available in tiny quantities.

Nature-identical version of the compound​

However, Chromadex is using a patented technique to produce a nature-identical version of the compound for its ingredients portfolio, bringing a readily available and cost-effective supply to the market.

The acquisition will see the company underline its presence in the cosmetics arena and also brings the total number of patents and pending patents relating to pterostilbene that are owned by Chromadex to eight.

This is the second such patent acquisition from Green Molecular, as it also acquired the worldwide patent rights to pTeroPure associated with skin care.

The company has also been building on its capabilities in this area through a joint patent application for skin care applications with the University of California, Irivine, which was signed in September 2011.