Collagen is a long helical biopolymer that gives structure and stability to human tissues. In cosmetics, it is one of the most popular active ingredients - it finds applications as antiageing active, moisturizer, or as film former. Yet, collagen is derived from animal or synthetic sources which does not follow current cosmetic trends that drift away from animal-derived raw materials towards plant-derived, sustainable alternatives.
With PhytoCollagen we offer a collagen alternative sourced from the acacia tree that combines the cosmetic benefits of collagen with a green, sustainable source. This plantderived collagen alternative perfectly matches consumer expectations: In a consumer study, 69% of participants said they prefer vegetal collagen over animal collagen (5%) in their personal care products. Simultaneously, in vivo studies confirmed that the collagen substitute from the acacia tree entirely mimics the cosmetic benefits of animal collagen. This makes it an ideal replacement – a truly plant-derived, sustainable, green, vegan, alternative to animal collagen that is currently used in cosmetics.
Natural alternatives from the acacia tree
Collagen is the most abundant structural polymer throughout the animal kingdom - it provides strength, elasticity and resilience to animal and human tissues. In addition, collagen is one of the most popular cosmetic ingredients. Despite its popularity, collagen is mainly derived from animal sources, which is a disadvantage in times when consumer awareness of animal welfare has made animal-derived cosmetic raw materials unpopular. Unfortunately, plants do not produce genuine collagen. Instead, the functional requirement for strength, elasticity, wound healing and water retention, in plants is filled by long, branched biopolymers. One example is arabinogalactan from the acacia tree. The cosmetic preparation of such acacia tree biopolymers is marketed PhytoCollagen (Figure 1). Despite the structural differences, PhytoCollagen shares many of the cosmetic benefits with animal collagen.
Meeting consumer expectations
In a consumer study, participants were asked to directly compare plant-derived collagen with synthetic collagen and animal collagen, to find the most attractive form for cosmetics. And the results were very clear. First, consumers associate collagen with cosmetic benefits - they expect collagen to be a powerful active ingredient with anti-ageing, moisturizing and protective properties. Second, consumers have a clear preference for plant-derived collagen. When given the choice between plant-derived, animalderived, or synthetic collagen, they attribute higher efficacy and more safety to plant-derived collagen (data not shown). Therefore, strong cosmetic concepts can be built on collagen as consumers already associate it with cosmetic benefits and positive attributes. This advantage is elaborated even further by choosing the right source of collagen - a plant-derived collagen alternative.
As effective as animal collagen
To verify that PhytoCollagen mimics the action and cosmetic benefits of animal-derived collagen, a double-blind, placebo-controlled in vivo study was performed. Several age-related skin properties were measured and PhytoCollagen clearly improved all of them. These anti-ageing effects were supported by a clinical evaluation (data not shown). In addition, the moisturizing properties of PhytoCollagen to those of animal collagen were analyzed and PhytCollagen was shown to be as effective in improving skin hydration as animal collagen (Figure 2).
In summary, PhytoCollagen is an all-natural, plant-based alternative to animal collagen with similar cosmetic benefits. The powerful anti-ageing and moisturizing properties in combination with the vegan and sustainable source make it the perfect collagen alternative for the modern, conscious cosmetic consumer.
Lipoid Kosmetik AG
Sennweidstrasse 44/46, CH-6312
Steinhausen, Switzerland
Tel: +41 41 748 33 33
E-Mail: info@lipoid-kosmetik.com
Website: www.lipoid-kosmetik.com
