An international team of scientists has come away from a collaborative research project with potent new plant extracts they say could change the face of skincare.
The InnCoCells project, a joint research effort by scientists from 11 European countries, screened more than 100 plant extracts for their effects on biomarkers related to skin inflammation and aging.
About 25 were deemed suitable for development, with three breaking through as “the most exciting discoveries,” says the VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland, which hosted the project.
These extracts can be derived from plant matter cultivated in greenhouses and bioreactors, or harvested from side-streams normally discarded from agriculture production, "making them not only effective but also environmentally sustainable.”
VTT researchers point to extracts from Cochlearia danica (Danish scurvygrass), Capsicum chinense (a habanero-like chili pepper) and the hairy roots of Ocimum basilicum (basil) that show potent anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties on par with retinols, vitamin C, and other skincare actives — but without their side effects, such as irritation and dryness.
The extracts showed exciting antimicrobial evidence as well, VTT says, with cultures from the chili pepper able to inhibit the growth of the powerful staph bacteria MRSA, which is resistant to many antibiotics.
“For the first time, we are building a pipeline of ingredients that combine scientifically proven skin benefits with responsible, scalable production,” says InnCoCells coordinator Kirsi-Marja Oksman-Caldentey.
“This direction reflects what consumers and the beauty industry are actively seeking.”
InnCoCells is a 4.5-year project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program. It had a total budget of €7.9 million, about $9 million U.S.
The project’s objective was to develop new, sustainable production of scientifically validated, plant-derived cosmetic ingredients.