Retinoid alternative: Givaudan unveils botanical for sensitive skin and well-aging

27 Oct 2022 --- Givaudan Active Beauty is introducing Siliphos – a botanical skincare ingredient pegged as the “first” natural cosmetic alternative that provides anti-aging advantages equal to retinoids. The “secure and effective” skincare product is derived from the Silybum marianum Gaertn fruit and geared toward the most delicate skin types because it directly affects collagen formation. 

“The impact of Siliphos in the personal care industries is foreseen to be primarily in the anti-aging domain – as it offers the ‘best’ solution as a more natural and far safer version of retinol,” Giada Maramaldi, global category manager of botanical actives at Givaudan, tells PersonalCareInsights. 

“Consumers will find a retinol-like activity deployed in a safer ingredient that is not reserved to nighttime applications or needs to be coupled with SPF.”

Siliphos is the first natural alternative to retinoids and bakuchiol capable of providing well-aging benefits comparable to retinol, Maramaldi explains.

Green tech and wrinkle reduction
Siliphos is made from milk thistle fruit using green fractionation and phytosome technology. While providing advantages that challenge retinoid efficacy by reducing wrinkles without causing adverse effects, this novel active component beats the plant-based retinol substitute bakuchiol.

Consumers are increasingly looking for natural cosmetic alternatives, including a more natural form of retinol, the company details. 

Givaudan Active Beauty bolsters its well-aging product line by introducing the Siliphos retinoid substitute.“Siliphos responds to the criteria of efficacy (at least as effective as retinol in all tested endpoints) – it fully matches the criteria of safety – just as a reminder, none of the volunteers developed any discomforting sensation in the Siliphos group versus 42.9% reporting discomfort, stinging and burning in the retinol group,” Maramaldi details.

“According to our global study, 77% of customers in six countries said they would be highly interested in a natural retinol product that would allow them to experience the many skin advantages without worrying about irritation, redness or dryness.”

Siliphos’ well-aging performance was tested on volunteers with crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles in a clinical trial. All tests showed that Siliphos outperformed bakuchiol and worked just as well as retinoids at reducing crow’s feet, total facial wrinkles and the number of forehead wrinkles.

The solution also reduced the circumference of forehead wrinkles by 17.4% and skin redness by 22.9%.

Givaudan Active Beauty will present its Siliphos solution during the China-based Personal Care and Homecare Ingredients 2023 trade event.

Retinoid solutions and Givaudan’s moves
In previous retinoid-infused skincare solutions, a Slovenian study found “promising potential” in nanoformulations, including retinoids for topical delivery. According to the study, the use of nanotechnology in anti-aging cosmetics is the fastest-growing category in the skincare market.

In other related NPD, Givaudan Active Beauty previously released Zanthalene – a scalable natural active ingredient derived from green fractionation. According to the company, it can provide well-aging and soothing benefits depending on the concentration in the formula.

The company also introduced its newest pigment for cosmetics formulas – the New Purple 2364 – which was obtained from Raphanus Sativus L. through green fractionation. The purple pigment was created as a vegan, environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic pigments after market research showed that 88% of 110 women thought the New Purple 2364 pigment was a “trendy shade.”

By Nicole Kerr