Specialising in high-tech active ingredients, Greentech’s Urbalys contains three protective functions in the one single skin care ingredient.
After recently conducting an analysis of the cosmetics and personal care market, growth partnership company, Frost & Sullivan, recognised Greentech’s contributions by awarding it with the 2017 European Frost & Sullivan Award for new product innovation.
Designed for Asia
While the biotech name won the European-based award, Greentech first launched its new anti-pollution ingredient, Urbalys, in April 2017, specifically for the Asian market.
With high pollution levels in Asia, more and more consumers have demanded anti-pollution ingredients, leading brands to introduce diverse and competitive products.
Biology in ingredients
“This novel biological ingredient activates the skin's defence and cellular detoxification pathways while providing a barrier function, cellular defences, and an anti-inflammatory response to combat the negative impacts of air pollution,” stated Frost and Sullivan in a recent press release.
As air pollution continues to be a main health concern for the cosmetic industry, it has led brands to introduce anti-pollution ingredients, such as plant extracts, polymer films, vitamins, and/or natural antioxidant complexes.
"Greentech has a proven track record in pioneering innovation for cosmetic ingredients," observed Dr. Antonella Lisella-Wright at Frost & Sullivan.
"As part of the Greentech Group, the company is one of the market leaders in developing ingredients from plants and biotechnology in the cosmetic and nutraceutical fields, often producing innovative ingredients every year in the Greentech laboratories.”
Anti-pollution impact
Commenting on the company’s latest release, Lisella-Wright also noted: “Urbalys is the latest in a continuous stream of innovative products from the company, which just last year launched Soliberine, a whole photo protector that prevents the formation of free radicals and reduces inflammation and cell apoptosis after exposure to UV, infrared and blue lights radiations."
The newest ingredient, Urbalys, is an “all-in-one protection ingredient which protects skin tissue against all urban pollution forms: Activates the skin's defence and cellular detoxification pathways, while providing a barrier function, cellular defences, and an anti-inflammatory response.”
It achieves this by activating the cell signal pathways of the nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and by decreasing activity of the Nuclear Factor-KB (NF-KB), which are transcription factors that regulate cellular responses to oxidative stress and inflammation, respectively.
Covering multiple purposes
"Most companies today have to create a combination of different ingredients in the same cosmetic formulation to achieve the same amount of protection as Urbalys," said Lisella-Wright.
“This innovative ingredient offers measurable value to end users by providing a multi-purpose skin care ingredient that offers protection against pollution, anti-ageing properties by eliminating free radicals, an increase in the skin's natural defence, and anti-inflammatory properties."