photos: Dr. Straetmans, Irina Bg (face), Valentina Razumova (juniper), Jason Patrick Ross (palmetto), Shutterstock.com
INGREDIENTS
38
l
COSSMA 4 I 2017
Sebum reduction
helps to
fight
bacterial
infections
inside
skin pores
OVER-
PRODUCTION
Sebum
overproduction
can lead to
a series of
imperfections
How the active
ingredient works
The causes of blemish-prone skin
are tightly connected. They ena-
ble and reinforce each other and
their relative impact might dif-
fer widely between individuals.
Hence, to be effective, cosmetic
treatments should ideally address
all factors at once.
To this end, the selection of in-
gredients for our blend focussed
on complete functional coverage
and functional reliability accord-
ing to scientific data, compara-
tive in vitro and in vivo in-house
screenings and cosmetic formula-
tion know-how.
After application to the skin, the
very mild surfactant in the blend,
Dermofeel G10L**
, removes ex-
cess sebum from the stressed skin
without causing additional side ef-
fects such as irritation or dryness.
inside the pores causing the
formation of
comedones
.
Bacterial growth and
irritated skin
d) Once blocked, the anaero-
bic conditions inside the fol-
licles favour the growth of
anaerobic bacteria such as Pro-
pionibacterium acnes. This
bacterium feeds on the fat-
ty acids of the sebum and
damages the cells of the folli-
cles. Additionally, their meta-
bolic by-products can trigger
the production and release of
pro-inflammatory cytokines,
leading to irritated, red skin.
Further, oxidative stress pro-
motes the inflammation of the
comedones, resulting in pim-
ples or even pustules and skin
lesions, common characteris-
tics of acne vulgaris.
In order to reduce and contain ex-
cessive sebum production from
happening again after cleansing,
components of saw palmetto (Ser-
enoa serrulata) extract in the blend
interact with the regulation of cel-
lular sebum production. According
to scientific literature, topical ap-
plication of the main components
of saw palmetto extract success-
fully inhibit 5 alpha-reductase; its
enzymatic activity inside the se-
baceous glands regulates sebum
production.
A successful sebum reduction also
helps to fight bacterial infections
inside skin pores. By lowering the
amount of sebum, the blend re-
duces the bacteria’s nutritional
basis in addition to actively fight-
ing P. acnes. The consequential
normalisation of the skin’s nat-
ural microflora is a prerequisite
for the recovery of the skin and
The blend’s juniper extract has antimicrobial and antioxidative properties
The blend’s saw palmetto extract helps regulate cellular sebum production
