Brands are looking for ways to focus on what makes us feel better. This is as a result of more than a year of global stress brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and a growing awareness of the need for improved health and wellbeing. Cobiosa’s new skin care active, Sugicare harnesses the power of neuro-cosmetics i.e. skin care products that biochemically impact one’s mood.
According to new research, beauty and anti-ageing products lead the wellness category with more than $679bn in annual sales. Leading on from this, wellness enthusiasts are seeking products that support their health goals choosing personal care products and cosmetics that contain fewer chemicals and seeking out those formulated with natural and organic ingredients.
Global Data’s figures show that 67% of consumers consider a product’s impact on health and wellbeing when purchasing beauty products. But can a topically applied skin care product really have an impact on our emotions? Cobiosa believes the answer is “yes”.
The brain-skin connection
The skin is basically an extension of the brain. Essentially skin gets information from the surrounding environment. The nerve endings at the dermis carry signals directly to the brain, generating an emotion. The result is a state of wellbeing, peace and calm, which leads to healthier-looking skin. Therefore, you could say neuro-cosmetics directly connects our emotions to our skin.
Sugicare is a botanical extract from Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), which is a native tree from Japan known as sugi. It is very rich in energising phytochemicals and can induce neurogenic response feelings of joy and calm associated with a well-being sensation and positive emotions.
The phytoncides (volatile organic compounds) content in sugi cedar have been proven to have a calming effect, as well as boost the immune system, whilst its isopimaric acid, which is known as ‘cedar acid’, is the main contributor to its skin-renewal efficacy.
It also contains a wide range of skin-stimulating biomolecules including high levels of polyphenols (with antioxidant, anti-lipase, antibacterial and melanin-biosynthesis-inhibition activities), peptides and sugars.
Wellbeing and neuro-cosmetic activity evaluation
These parameters were evaluated using the Galvanic Skin Response and Advanced Facial and Eye Tracking System (AFETS).
Our skin gives information on how we feel when exposed to emotionally-loaded images, videos, events, or other kinds of stimuli – both positive and negative. No matter if we are stressed, nervous, fearful, happy or surprised – when an emotion arises, the electrical conductivity of our skin subtly changes. One of the most sensitive measures for emotional arousal is Galvanic Skin Response (GSR). While GSR is an ideal measure to track emotional response, it is not able to reveal its quality. Facial Expressions Analysis complements GSR with conclusions about how strongly an individual felt, and what those emotions consisted of, in response to a set stimulus.
To evaluate the sensorial qualities of Sugicare, test subjects were asked to apply the product and think about its qualities while being filmed using a camera. The facial expressions of the subjects were analysed during this period.
For eye tracking evaluation, several visual stimuli (images and words) related to the sensorial attributes of the product were included. The software analysed the eye movement and eye fixation of the subject in order to evaluate the sensorial qualities of the product. In this case, the concept chosen was well-being.
It was shown that Sugicare was associated with positive feelings. The results suggest that 3% Sugicare in a topical skin care product leads to a well-being sensation and positive feelings.
During in vitro and in vivo testing, Sugicare was proven to:
- Induce feelings of wellbeing and positive feelings (neuro-cosmetic activity)
- provide effective anti-ageing properties (46% wrinkle reduction)
- provide antioxidant and oxidative stress protection
- protect against UVA damage
- act as an effective antilipoperoxidant.
Cobiosa is represented locally by Botanichem. For more information on Sugicare and neuro-cosmetics, send an e-mail to Robyn Brown or visit Botanichem’s website.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment. Need an account? Register here.