Monteloeder tackles skin aging and oxidative stress with Zeropollution ingestible supplement

10 May 2021 --- Monteloeder’s proprietary, polyphenol-rich dietary ingredient, Zeropollution, may improve the signs of skin aging, strengthen skin barrier function and counteract oxidative stress, according to a new clinical study. 

Zeropollution is a natural extract designed for internal use and composed of four standardized botanical extracts: Olea europaea leaf, Lippia citriodora, Rosmarinus officinalis and Sophora japonica. 

“One of the things to highlight [from the study] is that despite not selecting a population with dry skin, we saw a significant improvement in skin moisture (+15 percent),” Nuria Caturla, chief R&D officer at Monteloeder, tells NutritionInsight.

“We are sure this would be even more significant with dry skin individuals. The same happened with the sebum production. We saw an 11 percent reduction, despite the fact that the subjects didn’t have oily skin.”

Caturla says the extract allows for a lower dosage of 250 mg, which makes the ingredient convenient for a wide variety of formats. 

“We found most market examples in capsules or tablets, but some companies have gone for more innovative and appealing formats as teas or ready-to-mix powder stick packs,” she adds.

Battling air pollution effects
Exposure to air pollution can result in accelerated skin aging and inflammatory or allergic skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and acne. 

A low dosage of 250 mg makes the ingredient convenient for a wide variety of formats, such as capsules, tablets, teas or ready-to-mix powder stick packs.

While cosmetics can protect the most external layers of the skin from pollutants, it is well-known that internal structures of the skin can also be affected, the company says.

Certain pollutants can penetrate the skin via indirect systemic distribution of inhaled or ingested pollution through the blood. Ultra-fine particles may accumulate in the hypodermis, dermis and can even reach the deep epidermis.

Anti-pollution skin care is seeing significant growth in the last few years due to worsening air quality across the world, says Caturla. This is also amplified by the increasing awareness and concern regarding the adverse impact of various environmental pollutants on the skin. 

“There is also an increased prevalence of skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne and extreme sensitivity that are driving the demand.” 

“Zeropollution is a complementary strategy to the topical products that are already on the market addressing pollution skin damage. Acting from within, it can reach deeper skin layers resulting in long-lasting effects,” Caturla highlights.

According to Innova Market Insights, the ingestible skin care market is fast accelerating in popularity. Growth in F&B launches featuring skin health claims rose by 58 percent from 2017 to 2019. Top market categories in NPD tracked with a skin health claim include Supplements, Soft Drinks, Sports Nutrition, Baby & Toddlers and Snacks (Global, 2019 versus 2015). 

A complementary nutrition strategy
In the 12-week study, the researchers concluded that Zeropollution reduced oxidative stress-induced skin damage and that the oral intake of this supplement may be considered a complementary nutrition strategy to avoid the negative effects of environmental pollution exposure.

Exposure to air pollution can result in inflammatory or allergic skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis and acne.Positive effects such as decreased wrinkle depth, increased elasticity and firmness, strengthened skin barrier function and reduction of dark spots were noted after only two weeks of ingredient consumption.

The study was designed to assess the efficacy of oral supplementation with Zeropollution in reducing pollution-induced oxidative stress and in improving a variety of skin parameters related to skin aging. 

It included 100 female subjects between the ages of 35 and 65 years, in generally good health, with normal or sensitive skin, who spend at least two hours outdoors every day in a polluted urban area.

The study included the following measurements:

• Total antioxidant capacity on saliva (FRAP).
• Oxidative damage on the skin (lipoperoxides content).
• Skin moisturization (corneometer).
• Transepidermal water loss (tewameter).
• Skin radiance and color (spectrophotometer).
• Skin elasticity (cutometer).
• Skin sebum content (sebumeter)
• Wrinkle depth (microtopography imaging).
• Skin roughness (image analysis).

The researchers observed that after 12 weeks of supplementation, Zeropollution provided significant improvements compared to the placebo in all clinically measurable efficacy parameters including skin lipoperoxides. 

“This research lends support to the efficacy of beauty-from-within solutions, and potential benefits of complimenting the use of topical skincare and shielding products by incorporating a dietary approach as part of a more sophisticated skin-protection strategy,” says Caturla.

Choosing the right ingredient
The benefits of the ingredient were further substantiated by a self-assessment questionnaire in which the treatment product was highly rated regarding its efficacy, with 82 percent of participants in the treatment group stating that they would purchase the product.

The choice of ingredients for the blend was determined based on historical expertise, previous studies and literature evaluation, says Caturla.

“Moreover, when we chose the actives, we prioritized a possible synergy among them. For instance, in the case of antioxidant activity, we included actives with more lipophilic properties e.g., rosmarinic diterpenes, and others with more hydrophilic properties such as those exhibited by oleuropein or verbascoside.”

This strategy was designed to enable a more efficient inhibition of cellular oxidative reactions. 

“Prior to choosing Zeropollution, we evaluated, defined and tested in skin cell models three potential formulas. We finally selected this one based on the conditions studied and that met the objectives we had set at the beginning, which were effective antioxidation, anti-inflammatory and whitening properties,” Catural concludes.

By Kristiana Lalou, with additional reporting from Missy Green

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