ANDREA MITAROTONDA
Neal’s Yard Remedies, Research & Innovation, Gillingham, United Kingdom

This product was launched in September 2017 and is claimed to have been designed to protect the skin against daily aggressors, leaving it soothed, reinforced and looking radiant after one month. The product actually features two formulae, a “blue concentrate” and a “base concentrate”, that are isolated from each other until the first use (Figure 1), when the product is activated according to the procedure shown in Figure 2. The “blue concentrate” is mostly anhydrous, even though a little amount of water can be found coming from the botanical extracts. Dipropylene Glycol is used as a carrier for anti-oxidant actives, namely Tocopherol and Ferulic Acid. Tocopherol, which is naturally occurring in four different isomers, (α, β, γ, δ), plays an important role in skin-care preparations thanks to its potent anti-oxidant properties. Tocopherol protects cell membranes and other important cell structures against photo-oxidative and oxidative stress, i.e. against damage which is produced by free radicals of different kinds. Because of its anti-oxidant properties, Tocopherol also helps protect other ingredients from oxidation which can ultimately lead to stability issues, f ...