Writing in the international patent, the Lod-headquartered cosmetics firm said the formulation was made using Dead Sea water concentrations, salt or mud blends and aqueous extracts of callus cells from the leaves, roots, seeds, fruits or bark of Apple of Sodom (Calotropis Procera) – a tree native to the Dead Sea region and parts of Africa and Asia.
The formulation, AHAVA said, could be used in skin care and pharmaceutical compositions in various leave-on formats, including lotion, ointment, gel, masks, sunscreen, spray, foam or make-up to protect the state of the skin or treat and improve certain skin conditions. More specifically, it said the composition could be used to treat acne and improve imperfections, under-eye rings and symptoms of aging and protect the body against pollution and promote lipolysis.
Targeting inflammatory skin diseases
Apple of Sodom was known for its complex mix of chemicals found in the milky sap of the tree, one notable compound being Calotropin, AHAVA Dead Sea Laboratories said. Used in ancient Hindu Ayurveda medicine for centuries, Apple of Sodom extracts were well-known for their antifungal properties used to cure skin fungal diseases like athlete’s foot as well as anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.
Previous studies had demonstrated topical and oral formulations of cardiac glycosides from the tree could be used to treat skin diseases.
Dead Sea extracts such as water, salts, minerals and mud were also well-known for their therapeutic efficacy in treating skin conditions like psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, acne and other inflammation skin diseases, AHAVA said, and so the combination of both could be used synergistically.
An active combination? There are ‘biological beneficial properties’
“The inventors of the present disclosure have surprisingly found that combinations of Dead Sea extract and an extract of the Apple of Sodom have shown biological beneficial properties such as anti-inflammation and anti-irritation properties,” the company wrote in its patent filing.
“Further, the inventors of the present disclosure have surprisingly found that combinations of Dead Sea extract and an extract of the Apple of Sodom have positive effect on several biological pathways in both the gene and the protein level.”
The inventors said the composition regulated various genes and altered the expression of certain proteins involved in some important biological pathways like glycolysis, hypoxia, epithelial mesenchymal transition, mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (MTORC1).
“The combination comprising a Dead Sea extract and an extract from the Apple of Sodom has proven to have skin care and therapeutic attributes, particularly skin related, both protective/preventative and therapeutic,” the company wrote.
A sustainable Apple of Sodom option
AHAVA Dead Sea Laboratories said “advantageously” it had managed to use extracts of Apple of Sodom produced from induced callus of ex-vitro plants or in vitro plantlets callus or roots which meant production did not impact local flora and its sustainable growth. This was important, the company said, given Apple of Sodom was a protected plant “under danger of extinction”.
Source: WIPO International Patent No. 2019.130301
Published on: July 4, 2019. Filed on: December 26, 2018
Title: “Compositions comprising Dead Sea extract and an extract of Apple of Sodom and uses thereof”
Inventor: AHAVA Dead Sea Laboratories Ltd – M. Portugal Cohen et al.