Core Biogenesis has revealed clinical studies showing that a novel cosmetic serum combining its biotech-derived Peauforia and Peauvita ingredients demonstrates superior anti-wrinkle efficacy compared to a serum containing retinol.
Per the company, the head-to-head comparison also showed the blend offered enhanced benefits for the skin barrier.
Plant Biofactory Protein Production
As previously reported, the biotech-derived ingredients are growth factors produced using a patent-pending plant biofactory production process. The process yields compounds such as peptides and proteins from the seeds of Camelina sativa plants.
These proteins are then fused to the surface of oleosomes — natural oilseed reservoirs — to create Peauforia and Peauvita, stable actives with enhanced skin delivery, which the company put to the test against the gold standard in anti-aging: retinol.
Anti-aging Study Design and Objectives
The 60-day, open cohort study was conducted to evaluate and compare the anti-wrinkle, firming, depigmenting and skin barrier effects of two cosmetic products. The trial involved 44 male and female Caucasian volunteers, aged 40 to 65, all exhibiting visible signs of aging such as crow's feet wrinkles and melasma.
The products tested were:
Sample A: A serum formulated with:
1% Peauforia (INCI: Water (Aqua) (and) Glycerin (and) Xanthan Gum (and) Camelina Sativa Oleosomes/Camelina Sativa sr-(Arabidopsis Thaliana Polypeptide-2 sh-Oligopeptide-1) (and) Gluconolactone) and
1% Peauvita (INCI: Camelina Sativa Oleosomes/Camelina Sativa sr-(Arabidopsis Thaliana Polypeptide-2 sh-Polypeptide-1) (and) Oligopeptide-1 (and) Water (Aqua) (and) Xanthan Gum (and) Glycerin (and) Gluconolactone (and) Sodium Benzoate); and
- Sample B: A serum formulated with 0.3% retinol.
Volunteers applied their assigned product twice daily for 60 consecutive days, with instrumental evaluations conducted at baseline, day 14, day 30 and day 60.
Wrinkle, Barrier, Elasticity and Pigmentations Findings
After 30 days of treatment, both formulations demonstrated significant improvements in skin firmness and elasticity. However, Sample A showed a more pronounced and statistically significant impact on wrinkle reduction and skin barrier function.
Wrinkle Reduction
- Sample A achieved a 25.5% decrease in maximum wrinkle depth and a 27.2% decrease in wrinkle length after 30 days.
- In contrast, Sample B showed a 16.3% decrease in depth and a 22.2% decrease in length.
- Notably, the improvements for Sample A were statistically significant at day 14, whereas Sample B's results for wrinkle depth and length were not significant at the same timepoint.
Skin Barrier Function
- This study measured transepidermal water loss (TEWL) to assess the integrity of the skin barrier. Sample A produced a 30.7% decrease in TEWL at day 30, indicating a substantial strengthening of the barrier.
- Sample B also improved barrier function, but to a lesser extent, with a 23.9% decrease in TEWL.
Firmness and Elasticity
Both products effectively improved skin firmness and elasticity by the 30-day mark. Sample A and Sample B showed nearly identical improvements in firmness, with decreases of 23.3% and 23.0% in skin deformation, respectively. For elasticity, Sample B showed a slightly higher increase (6.5%) compared to Sample A (3.7%).
Depigmenting (ITA° Ratio)
Finally, in terms of dark spot reduction, both samples increased the ratio between the ITA of skin at 60 days (significant), rendering dark spots less visible.
Biotech Duo Offers Retinol Alternative
The clinical data suggests the combination of 1% Peauforia and 1% Peauvita is a highly effective alternative to 0.3% retinol for addressing the visible signs of aging. While both treatments yielded positive results, the Peauforia/Peauvita serum demonstrated a faster and more significant reduction in wrinkle depth and length.
Furthermore, its superior performance in reducing TEWL highlights the added benefit of fortifying skin's natural barrier, a critical aspect of skin health and anti-aging strategies.
