‘Not for vanity’s sake’: Biotech firm Renovatio focusing R&D towards therapeutic skin care

Renovatio Bioscience was founded in 2016 and has a range of health, wellness and beauty cosmetic products that contain activated phenolics extracted from apples.

This ingredient is extracted using a technique developed by Renovatio founder and technical director Dr Vincent Candrawinata, which extracts the phenolic antioxidants with water. The result is an antioxidant that is water-based and not chemically synthesised.

Last year, the company introduced two new skin care​ products, a face and body cream, under its APSKIN brand. It also inked a A$10m (U$7.39m) deal with supermarket chain Woolworths to stock the brand in around 1,000 stores.

In the first three months, APSKIN was among Woolworth’s top 25% brands in the category, a huge feat for a brand that essentially only had two skin care products.

“I believe that is a testament to how our customers view our brand. They know our products always come with a credible claim. That means when we say you’ll notice a difference in three to five days, most people will notice a difference within three to five days,” ​Candrawinata told CosmeticsDesign-Asia.​

The success the brand has experienced has also convinced Candrawinata that skin care needs to be viewed differently. While APSKIN products are marketed as anti-ageing solutions, they can also be used by people suffering from conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.

“Many might think that skin health is something superficial, but I would argue that the quality and health of our skin has a lot to do with our confidence – our mental health. So, I disagree with people who say that skin health is all about vanity. It’s a lot deeper than that.​

“Around 65% to 70% of our customers use our products not just for vanity’s sake. They are using it for therapeutic reasons, and I think this is where skin care innovation should be heading towards. And I’m really happy because I think that we are ahead of the curve when it comes to this strategy.”​

Moving forward, the firm will continue its therapeutic skin care research and treatments for skin conditions like dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis and acne. Furthermore, Candrawinata told us that he has a ‘vested interest’​ in developing a sun care product.

“A lot of people with sensitive skin struggle a lot with sunscreen. For some of them, it’s a choice between protecting their skin from UV damage or having healthy skin. I want to find a way to create a sunscreen that has all the benefits of our APSKIN cream, and at the same time, can filter the UVA and UVB optimally without taking a toll on skin health.”​

New additions to the line

Since the launch, the company also collected consumer data that informed its product development plans.

“From the data we collected within those three months, we saw that there was customer demand for more products, specifically, serum, eye cream and acne treatment,” ​said Candrawinata.

In line with this, the company has launched a new serum this month after experiencing delays caused by the flash floods in Australia.

Like the previous products, the new serum addresses the major concerns of skin ageing, including wrinkles, sagging and firmness. Additionally, it also provides protection from UVA rays and blue light.

“When we launch a product, we make sure it works. With the new serum, we’ve been able to increase the concentration of activated phenolics antioxidants and added different types of peptides to create a network of active ingredients can penetrate deep into the skin. With it, we can emulate the skin-boosting effect of micro fillers,”​ said Candrawinata.

To ensure the actives end up where they are most needed, the company applied the fractionisation method, Candrawinata elaborated.

“We separated the active ingredients and studied where each active ingredient should be in terms of the layers of our skin. Then we fractionated each active ingredient, So every single one had a different molecular size. This allowed our product and active ingredients to penetrate into the skin without irritating it.”​

This efficient way of delivering the actives into the skin means that the serum only needs five seconds to fully absorb into the skin. Furthermore, when used with the face cream, the effects are amplified 10 times more compared to using the cream alone.

In addition to the serum, the firm has also launched a chewable skin supplement to support its topical skin care products.

“When it comes to skin, it is also important to support it from the inside. From our data we know that people use our skin care for eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis, so with our supplement, we wanted to focus more on that aspect of skin,” ​said Candrawinata.