Today is the second part of a focus on segments that have seen major developments in 2015. Here, Cosmetics Design offers a roundup of the most exciting and unusual developments to emerge from the anti-ageing arena over the year.
Something fishy
Skin care company Startlet Derma earlier this year revealed that its work with sea anemones has led to the development of a natural microinjection system based on the stinging cells found within the ocean-dwelling creatures.
The team say that the same micro injectors used by sea anemone to inject venom into their prey can be collected to deliver the likes of anti-wrinkle and brightening creams, deeper into the skin. It offers, the company claims, a sustainable way to deliver higher amounts of marine collagen.
Stem cell science
Slightly ethically contentious in some circles, stem cell treatments, which have been used in medicine for many years, are now starting to find their way into beauty.
Self-regenerative stem cell solutions are increasingly joining the offerings of beauty brands, with ingredients provider Lucas Meyer’s new solution offering one recent example.
Based on the latest reconstructive tissue engineering, according to the company, the SWT-7 solution aims to give users smoother looking skin, as well as the ability to ‘blur’ the appearance of vertical wrinkles, skin texture, lip contour wrinkles and roughness.
Snail slime creams
Beauty products containing snail extract have been enjoying booming sales lately, particularly in the Asia Pacific region.
One brand in particular; 'It’s Skin', has seen success in the region, with a product that contains 12,600mg of a filtrate of snail slime, and enthusiasm for the ingredient is spreading globally.
"One of the products sells every 6 seconds all over the world, and its sales are expected to exceed 5 million soon, if the trend continues," a company rep told Business Korea.
Copper-plated faces?
Copper is another beauty product element which has been heralded as a key anti-ageing component, with skin care experts in the US reckoning the metal will be this decade’s ‘most prominent anti-ageing ingredient’.
Dermatologists now say that unlike heavier metals, such as silver, topically-applied copper can be metabolized by the body, and so lower the risk of toxicity.
"Compared with other anti-aging ingredients, the science, safety, efficacy, and clinical validation of copper peptides make it unique," says Francine Porter, founder of Osmotics.