Seppic’s ingestible beauty launch at Vitafoods 2021 promises glowing skin powered by bilberries

07 Oct 2021 --- Seppic is debuting a new beauty-from-within ingredient at Vitafoods Europe 2021, which boasts glowing skin benefits and improved skin tone and texture. Based on fermented bilberry containing polycatechocyanidins, Sepitone is intended for use in functional foods and beverages, as well as supplements.

“This is an innovative positioning because we hear a lot about glow in cosmetics products but in nutricosmetics we talk more about radiance. The healthy glow and improved complexion positioning is still not tackled. Especially with ingredients that have clinical studies to support such a claim,” Lea Marchal, marketing product manager at Seppic, tells PersonalCareInsights.

“The clinical aspect means that our clients can use these claims on their products, because some ingredients can have some effect on the skin but if there is no scientific proof then you can’t claim that on pack.”

The ingredient is a water soluble powder and it is suitable for powders, stick packs and tablets. 

“The dose is only 100 mL per day, for 12 weeks, so it's a low dose and it's easy to formulate into different types of galenics,” Marchal notes.

Proanthocyanidins offer a powerful protection
against oxidative stress.Diet and beauty linked
As the awareness of the close relationship between dietary interventions, beauty and health is increasing, consumers are more and more interested in edible solutions in their quest of a beautiful skin. 

In the last few years, the beauty-from-within sector has grown from a niche category to a consistent market of almost US$7 billion, the company supports.

A healthy glowing skin can be defined as the combination of different parameters including the skin color, skin evenness and skin softness. These three factors can be beneficially influenced by an antioxidant-rich diet. 

Made without additives or preservatives, Sepitone is a natural ingredient, obtained from fermented wild bilberry extract, offering a unique richness in proanthocyanidins. 

Proanthocyanidins offer a powerful protection against oxidative stress, and research has confirmed their beneficial effects on collagen, skin elasticity and blood circulation.

Powered by fermentation
For a few years now there has been a lot of buzz around fermentation, Marchal states.

“Fermentation offers active ingredients health benefits and we are now also linking this to beauty because fermented ingredients have antioxidant power.” 

Wild bilberries are fermented and during fermentation they release anthocyanins which are a family of polyphenols full of antioxidants. 

“During fermentation these are polymerized into a complex of anthocyanins which contain proanthocyanidins.”

Clinically backed beauty
Marchal says that there is a lot of research on proanthocyanidins, which has shown that they have a 50 times higher antioxidant power than vitamin C and 20 times higher than vitamin E.

The healthy glow and improved complexion positioning is still not tackled in ingestible beauty, Seppic says.Sepitone’s efficacy was demonstrated on a panel of 60 women with dull skin during a randomized, double-blind and placebo controlled clinical trial.

During the trial beneficial effects were observed on the skin color, the evenness of the skin tone, the skin roughness and the harmonization of the skin microcirculation (publication pending peer review). 

“We have demonstrated its benefits for healthy glow and there are three parameters to take into account when you want to assess an improvement. These are skin tone, evenness and softness of the skin, which is to be understood as the opposite of a rough skin texture,” Marchal notes.

“We can yet disclose the complete results of the trial but we have observed very good results on improving skin color and there was evaluation from dermatologists who confirmed that supplementation with sepitone uniformized and homogenized skin tone and evenness.” 

R&D process
Seppic develops premium ingredients so it has a whole quality and scientific package. “It took three to four years to develop the ingredients because we do a thorough regulatory assessment,” explains Marchal.

She says the company evaluates the mechanisms of action and is carrying out clinical studies to observe the results and then analyze them. 

“The R&D process is very long but it helps us create an ingredient that we have all the information on which allows us to better serve our clients.”

Seppic also carries tests of compressibility at the lab to make sure that it can be formulated into tablets or capsules. 

“We also test stability and make sure we have all the active ingredients that are in the product during its entire shelf life. For Sepitone, the shelf life is two years,” Marchal concludes.

After a nearly two-year hiatus, Vitafoods Europe 2021 is back in full swing in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted physically from October 5-7, also taking place virtually from October 4-8.  

Monteloeder also unveiled a new ingredient that slows down signs of aging at a cellular level, at Vitafoods Europe 2021.

Reporting live from the Vitafoods show floor, our sister website NutritionInsight also spoke with industry experts from Gnosis by Lesaffre, Lipoid and PharmaLinea who share their expectations of their respective hybrid events. 

Meanwhile, representatives from Kerry and Kyowa Hakko Europe discussed their decisions to present only virtually, while spokespersons at Carbery and Mibelle unfold their views on the upsides of a solely physical exhibition.

By Kristiana Lalou, with additional reporting from Katherine Durrell from Vitafoods in Geneva, Switzerland