“Beauty from within”: Mibelle enters nutricosmetics space with ingestible anti-aging ingredients

25 Jan 2019 --- Swiss company Mibelle AG Biochemistry has developed three “beauty from within” ingredients targeting hair loss, skin collagen formation and skin stem cell vitalization. Following 25 years in the cosmetics industry, the company is launching the ingredients as food actives suitable for applications such as gummies, functional beverages, dairy products and bars. Mibelle will be presenting the products this May at the Vitafoods Europe in Geneva.

“We plan to leverage our know-how in creating unique new active concepts for cosmetics to the food supplement industry. With our strategy ‘inspired by nature - realized by science’ we want to serve the growing market for sustainable and innovative dietary supplements,” says Dr. Fred Zülli, Managing Director at Mibelle AG Biochemistry.

Moldavian DragonheadMibelle Biochemistry is a subsidiary of Mibelle Cosmetics, the largest cosmetics manufacturer in Switzerland and has a wide portfolio of cosmetic actives. This new move will expand its reach in the food, beverage and dietary supplement industry.

“We have been in the international cosmetic ingredient business for over 25 years. In the past couple of years, customers worldwide showed more and more interest in complementing their skin care product portfolio with nutritional products,” Dr. Torsten Grothe, Mibelle Biochemistry’s Portfolio Manager Food & Health tells NutritionInsight.

The company wishes to expand to new markets and plans to launch more actives progressively. “We plan to launch at least one ingredient per year, achieving a portfolio of up to ten ingredients in 2025, all supported by clinical evidence,” he adds.

The ingredients’ properties
The actives are cultivated in bioreactors without using soil, which makes them eco-friendly as the sprouting process does not require much water and keeps the risks of contamination with pesticides and heavy metals quite low, says Grothe.

The first ingredient, AnaGain Nu, stimulates hair growth and fights hair loss and is based on an organic pea sprout extract. Developed by a bioassay-guided approach, AnaGain Nu enhances FGF7 and noggin expression which are specific signaling molecules in the dermal papilla cells and benefit the natural hair growth cycle. Clinical results show that AnaGain Nu reduces hair loss and improves visual hair density, the company says.

 DracoBelle Nu is touted as the “key to beautiful skin” as it boosts collagen production and repairs skin tissue. It is prepared from organic Moldavian Dragonhead (Dracocephalum moldavica) and is rich in flavonoid-glucuronides. Clinical results show that, at a daily dosage of 200mg, DracoBelle Nu increases skin moisture, density and elasticity after two months, according to Mibelle. 

 PhytoCellTec Md Nu is an apple cell culture extract that promotes skin cell vitality. It is a powder based on the cultivated fruit stem cells of a rare Swiss apple variety and is suitable for food and supplement applications. The active is rich in epigenetic factors and metabolites which protect and assure the longevity of skin cells. Clinical results have shown that PhytoCellTec Md Nu increases skin density and elasticity, according to the company.

“AnaGain and PhytoCellTec Md already exist within the cosmetic ingredient portfolio; they are now available in a food-grade version. DracoBelle Nu has been totally newly developed from scratch,” Grothe tells NutritionInsight.

The actives’ various industry applications
The powders tout organoleptic properties and their water solubility enables them to be used in a broad range of synergistic ingredients and a large variety of functional food and beverage formulations.

The ingredients are all natural and are prepared using organic certified raw materials. The recommended dosage is up to 200mg per product application, according to Mibelle.

By Kristiana Lalou