Referred to by the company as a “vital ingredient to protect and energize the skin”, the claims also hit on the all-important sensorial trend, which focuses on texture and skin feel.
The natural-based active ingredient is also being marketed on the strength of its ability to provide skin protection, another major trend given the huge interest that consumers are showing in anti-pollution skin care products.
Getting skin cell water content right
But perhaps most importantly, the ingredient has been developed around the premise that the ratio of water to skin cells is crucial to maintaining healthy skin, ultimately aiming to maintain optimal hydration levels.
The development team at DuPont achieved this by focusing their work on small molecules called osmolytes, which play an active role in the water regulation and ultimately help to optimize the osmotic balance and skin health.
The fact that Genencare OSMS MI helps to optimize the water balance within skin cells means that the skin itself forms a natural protection against damage from environmental hazards such as heat and UV rays.
“Our entire Genencare line helps to unlock nature’s secrets and apply the power of natural active ingredients to create products that consumers will love,” said Piera Pericu, global personal care segment leader within DuPont Industrial Biosciences’s Home and Personal Care division.
Improves skin tonicity
Suited to both skin care and color cosmetic products, the new ingredient has been Ecocert Certified, the developers say that beyond being an osmoprotectant and moisturiser, it also has vitamin-like ingredient qualities and acts as a precursor molecule and enhances skin cell metabolism.
The DuPont research team say that in vivo testing has shown that the ingredient can help to improve the tonicity of the skin.
DuPont will be launching and promoting the new ingredient at the in-cosmetics Global event, which is being held at London’s ExCel event space, 4 – 6 April.