DSM has announced the launch of SYN-GLYCAN – a new peptide formula that can be used as a bioactive ingredient in cosmetics products to reduce the most visible signs of ageing. This will be welcomed by the cosmetics industry, which has long been searching for ways to meet the increasingly higher expectations of consumers for effective anti-ageing products.
SYN-GLYCAN works in two ways. It boosts the skin’s own production of hyaluronan as shown by in vitro experiments, which binds the dermal water into a gel-like form and protects and structures the skin’s collagen and dermis cells. This compensates for the lower hyaluronan levels seen in mature skin, which loses its ability to bind water. By boosting the amount of hyaluronan in the dermis SYN-GLYCAN firms skin from the inside out. SYN-GLYCAN also increases decorin and lumican levels, two important proteins present in human skin which improve collagen fibres by making them thinner and stronger. Both of SYN-GLYCAN’s modes of action work together to reduce wrinkle formation and skin sagging – the most visible signs of ageing.
Scientific trials have provided convincing evidence of SYN-GLYCAN’s efficacy in remodelling facial contours. When tested in normal human fibroblasts, SYN-GLYCAN peptide was shown to increase skin-identical hyaluronan synthesis by a factor of 4, while also boosting production of decorin (73%) and lumican (66%). A double-blind study was also performed with 40 female volunteers aged 55–65 and demonstrating visible skin sagging. In addition to noticing improvements in the firmness of their skin, the participants reported that it felt softer and more hydrated. In fact, SYN-GLYCAN significantly increased tension by 3%, tonicity by 17% and firmness by 7%.
“SYN-GLYCAN has already been met with a great deal of enthusiasm by key players in the cosmetics industry,” says Dr Goede Schueler, senior business development manager for skin care. “Part of its appeal lies in the versatility of the product, which is suitable for a wide range of cosmetic applications.”
SYN-GLYCAN comes in a glycerin-based aqueous solution, safe for cosmetics use and easy to formulate. It can be used in firming treatments, facial contour and remodelling creams, anti-sagging treatments, moisturising (from within) lotions, anti-ageing (filling wrinkles from within) solutions and anti-cellulite gels.
