Lipotec has developed Pollushield functional ingredient through Aimtec peptides and synthetic molecules, and the new ingredient has been created in response to increased concerns of consumers about pollution and its effects on the skin.
Pollushield functional ingredient provides a barrier between the skin and pollutants as well as a boost to the antioxidative defence of the skin. This active offers two complementary effects: binding of toxic metals by a polymer with metal chelating properties to prevent their interaction with the skin as well as a strong antioxidative action by a potent free radical scavenger to avoid oxidative damage within the skin.
Several tests were performed to prove the effectiveness of this new anti-pollution active ingredient. To highlight a few key findings: in vitro, epidermal cells treated with the ingredient presented statistically significantly higher cell viability of keratinocytes in the presence of urban dust, maintaining close to normal levels and indicating its protective effect. Ex vivo, the treated skin exposed to pollution preserved normal epidermal and dermal morphology as well as showed reduction in several markers of damage.
Finally, an in vivo test was also performed on female volunteers that applied a placebo cream and a cream containing 5% Pollushield functional ingredient to half the face twice a day for 30 days and were regularly exposed to air pollution in Beijing (China). After 6 hours of exposure, the skin treated once with the active showed significantly reduced levels of metals when compared to placebo, demonstrating the ingredient’s ability to prevent metal build up in the epidermis. At the end of the study, the skin’s antioxidative capacity against damage was improved with higher antioxidative power and decreased lipid peroxides.
