Belinda Carli
Director, Institute of Personal Care Science (IPCS)

Abstract

As the quest for mind-body balance becomes ever prevalent for consumers, so too have the raw material offerings. We are now seeing an increased launch of ‘neuro-cosmetic’ actives: cosmeceutical active ingredients that work on various nerve and/or stress related pathways to reduce sensitivities and inflammation while also having a beneficial effect on skin wellness, smoothness and wrinkle reduction. This article will highlight key neuro-cosmetic actives along with their respective action within the skin for a comprehensive review of this emerging field in cosmetic science.

MORE THAN JUST IMMEDIATE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY BENEFITS

We’ve already seen instant acting ‘anti-inflammatory’ actives such as allantoin and alpha-bisabolol become ‘mainstays’ in the personal care industry to help accelerate healing and reduce skin redness and sensitivities in those prone to irritation. These actives work as local
anti-inflammatory agents to reduce skin redness, and soothe and heal the skin shortly after application, but one particular neuro-cosmetic material works in a different way. Derived from the red micro-algae Rhodosorus Marinus Extract, Mariliance from Soliance is instead,
‘neuro-soothing’. It works by limiting the production of neuro-inflammation mediators to reduce skin sensitivity not just on application, but to also build up a ‘tolerance’ of sorts over time, to enable the user to become less sensitive to inflammatory mediators in general, when used regularly.
It works by limiting the production of:

• TRPV 1, the pain receptor involved in cutaneous sensitivity;
• NGF which becomes overexpressed during inflammation and leads to an increase ...
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