LAS VEGAS Botanicals have become the new hot commodity in cosmeceuticals, as part of a larger trend that has consumers searching for natural ingredients in all kinds of products.
"Natural ingredients have become popular again," Dr. Diane Berson said at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery. "They have always been popular, but they definitely are having a renaissance."
"Part of this is consumer driven. Patients want things that are natural, so they want botanicals," she added.
It is estimated that 40%50% of new skin care products include a botanical agent, said Dr. Berson, who is with the department of dermatology at Cornell University, New York.
According to Dr. Berson, here are some of the currently popular botanicals:
▸ Soy. This highly potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant contains the phytoestrogen genistein.
It may inhibit hair growth, and it probably lightens pigment, which is why it is used for lightening and brightening skin. There are also suggestions that it can stimulate collagen synthesis and initiate skin elastin repair processes. "It's also a good product for sensitive skin," Dr. Berson said.
▸ Mushroom. Several companies sell products containing shiitake mushroom, including the Aveeno Positively Ageless line. According to Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Co., the mushroom has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It may also inhibit production of matrix metalloproteinases, which break down collagen, and it has been reported to stimulate epidermal proliferation.
"If this is true, that would be very interesting," Dr. Berson said. "It would actually be getting into retinoid territory."
As with so many cosmeceuticals that may have properties when tested in animals or culture, however, one cannot be surein the absence of randomized controlled trialsthat the topical application actually penetrates human skin in adequate concentration, she noted.
▸ Feverfew. Feverfew PFE (parthenolide-free extract) has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-irritant properties. It appears to inhibit tumor necrosis factor-α production, interleukin-2 and interleukin-4 production, and neutrophil chemotaxis, activities that may explain its anti-inflammatory properties, Dr. Berson said.
In fact, because feverfew naturally contains parthenolide, a compound that relieves smooth muscle spasm, it is being used orally as a prophylactic agent to prevent migraine, Dr. Berson noted.
In the skin care market, it is being sold to people with rosacea.
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is a member of the sunflower family and has been used for centuries as a folk remedy for headache, arthritis, and fevers.
▸ Coffeeberry. The extract of the husk around the coffee cherry contains quite powerful antioxidants. According to Stiefel Laboratories Inc., the company that makes the product (Revaléskin), its antioxidants have a free radical-absorbing capacity that is 10 times greater than those in green tea.
In a trial of 10 women treated in a split-face fashion for 6 weeks, the coffeeberry extract produced a 30% global improvement on the treated sides, versus 7% improvement on the control sides ("Novel Antioxidant Shows Promise as Photoaging Topical," April 2007, p. 1). The problem is that the study involved only 10 patients, Dr. Berson noted.
Even so, "I think we are going to be hearing more about this extract," she said.
▸ Witch hazel. The old folk remedy for sunburns is now included in a number of skin rejuvenation and skin toner products, such as SkinMedica Inc.'s Rejuvenative Toner.
Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), it turns out, contains anti-inflammatory polyphenols, Dr. Berson said at the meeting.
"It would be great if we could see that these natural compounds do indeed do what they are supposed to do," she said. "But, even so, a lot of these products are very popular."
Dr. Berson said that she has financial conflicts of interest with many cosmeceutical manufacturers, including her service as a consultant to Medicis Pharmaceutical Corp., Kao Corp., Stiefel Laboratories, Dusa Pharmaceuticals Inc., OrthoNeutrogena, and CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc.