Skin is a living organ with ever-changing and sometimes conflicting needs. To meet the expectations of today's consumers, skin care products must harness the skin’s own synergies, respond flexibly to daily changes in skin and move beyond the dichotomy of oily vs. dry, for example. Dual action products offer a host of options to meet these expectations, the duality claim must be logical, credible, and substantiated.
What consumers want: products that do more!
Recently, discussion among beauty experts (DSM Beauty Connection) has focused strongly on the changing nature of skin needs. This affects not only long-term changes due to the ageing process, but day- to-day fluctuations in skin condition depending on such diverse factors as whether the person has been eating well, getting enough sleep, or been exposed to environmental stresses. Sometimes skin’s needs are even conflicting. It is evident that the beauty industry needs to respond to daily variations in skin condition.
What users want are customisable formulations so they can dial up or dial down functions in response to their skin’s immediate needs.
Ageing skin – more than just wrinkles
Another aspect of skin care that demands a response to diverse needs is skin aging. Although all skin shows signs of ageing over time, DSM consumer research uncovered that the nature of these signs can vary considerably from one part of the world to another. Mention ageing skin and most people will think first of wrinkles, especially in the US and Western Europe. However, in Asia and in China in particular, DSM found that early signs of ageing tend, to have enlarged pores and duller, more uneven skin tone. Anti-ageing products designed to combat fine lines and wrinkles cannot be expected to positively impact even one of these concerns.
Enlarged pores in mature skin tend to develop after the age of 30. This is related to biological ageing and the accumulation of damage from UV rays. Both these factors weaken the skin’s natural collagen, leading to sagging skin and larger-looking facial pores.
Age spots appearing on more exposed areas of the body, such as the face, hands and décolleté, are another common complaint as skin ages. These are caused by long-term exposure to sunshine which increases melanocyte activity in the skin causing an irregular amount of melanin to be produced.
Although enlarged pores and age spots are especially troubling to many people, few products currently target both problems. Consumers seeking solutions will often try a vast array of products, only to find them ineffective.
DSM’s latest skin active, Beauactive®, addresses both these concerns and has the added advantage of strong green credentials. This highly pure, potent hydroxystearic acid is produced by the bioconversion of sunflower-derived oleic acid using a process developed by DSM. Importantly, Beauactive® is approved for sale in China, where enlarged pores and pigmentation are prime skin-ageing concerns.
In vivo studies have confirmed the outstanding efficacy of Beauactive® which results in a visible reduction of conspicuous facial pores and age spots, giving skin a younger, improved appearance after the age of 30.
Curious to know more about Beauactive®? Click here
