Nicolas Berthelemy and Monia Benvegnu of BASF introduce a study featuring a novel active ingredient derived from the phoenix plant aimed at addressing oily skin imbalance *
Phoenix from the ashes : A bioactive to improve oily skin
Nicolas Berthelemy and Monia Benvegnu of BASF introduce a study featuring a novel active ingredient derived from the phoenix plant aimed at addressing oily skin imbalance *
Oily skin affects up to 80 % of young people in their teens and early twenties in both genders and all ethnicities . 1 It is usually accompanied by excessive production of sebum by sebaceous glands located in the reticular dermis . 2 These glands are identifiable by their ‘ foamy ’ appearance on microscopy and are highly concentrated behind the ear and on the face , upper chest , and back . 3
The fully developed adult sebaceous gland contains sebocytes at different stages of differentiation . Its peripheral zone is composed of mitotically active sebocytes , which differentiate towards the centre of the gland . During this process , they lose their mitotic activity , increase their size and accumulate lipid droplets . The terminally differentiated sebocytes then disintegrate and release their content to the skin surface via holocrine secretion . 4
Cause of oily skin
The sebaceous gland , through its holocrine activity , excretes a complex mixture of lipids called sebum onto the skin surface . This forms an amorphous sheet of variable thickness , contributing to ultraviolet protection , antioxidation , compound absorption , antibacterial effects and skin hydration , to protect the human skin . 5
The average rate of sebum production in adults is 1 mg / 10 cm 2 over three hours . When rates are less than 0.5 mg / 10 cm 2 , patients
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Figure 1 - Effect on ( a ) cell number & lipid level in Caucasian sebocytes , ( b ) cell number & lipid level in Asian sebocytes , ( c ) lipid droplet volume in Black American sebocytes
38 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981