The two Switzerland-based companies have placed a patent for the use of the amino acid chain in cosmetics, which is now available as an ingredient as well as within a finished product line.
Dermatopoietin is a chain of amino acids that is produced naturally in the upper layers of the skin. It is a messenger molecule that sets off a pathway leading to the generation of extracellular matrix proteins such as elastin, fibronectin and collagen leading to skin renewal, according to the companies.
However, the production of the substance decreases with age, as does the body’s response to it.
Compensate for age-related reduction
According to the two companies, administering dermatopoietin can compensate for this age related deficit and therefore help rejuvenate ageing skin.
One of the most important features of the ingredient is that it doesn’t have to penetrate the skin barrier, a spokesperson for United Cosmeceuticals told CosmeticsDesign.
Dermatopoietin binds to receptors on the skin's surface which will set off the pathway to skin rejuvenation, the spokesperson explained.
Getting through the skin barrier is one of the major limiting factors of many cosmetics ingredients and it is not easy to know exactly how much of the active ingredient manages to penetrate the dermal barrier.
‘Exceptionally efficient’
According to United Cosmeceuticals, the top-down mode of action used by dermatopoietin makes the ingredients ‘exceptionally efficient’ in comparison to other anti-ageing active ingredients.
The companies started marketing a line of finished products back in November 2008, including face, eye and body repair serums under the name Even.
Now available on its own, the companies showcased the ingredient at this year’s in-cosmetics show in Munich, and said interest was particularly high from Asia-based companies.