There was much ado about Munich when the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists (IFSCC) held its 31st Congress in the Bavarian Capital last month. About 1,200 attendees flocked to the city, just days before Oktoberfest, to drink in the festive atmosphere, listen to more than 90 podium presentations, view more than 400 posters and visit with 38 industry suppliers in the exhibition hall.

“Our expert working group reviewed 690 abstracts to get down to 90 oral presentations,” noted Dr. Hartmut Schmidt-Lewerkühne, chairman, program committee, while outgoing IFSCC president Peter Kang called the roster of presentations and posters, “the most up-to-date collection of cosmetic science.”

Delegates came from 28 countries. Interestingly, Japan sent the most delegates, followed by Germany and France. But no matter where they came from, attendees had the opportunity to hear from leading experts on skin biology and protection, hair, modern lifestyles, delivery systems, decorative cosmetics, sensory analysis and cosmetics around the world.

In one of the Day 1 keynote lectures, Leonhard Zastrow, Charité Universitatsmedizin, called skin biology a breathtaking field that is filled with many subjects such as the microbiome, UV and cosmetology. In his presentation, “A New Approach to Cosmetics,” he urged the audience not to focus on one field, instead, they should look to many fields for inspiration. He said there is a need to bring more oxygen to improve skin’s ability to delay wrinkle formation. Zastrow reviewed the damaging action of free radicals, noting that there are two types, reactive oxygen species and lipid oxygen species, and explained that more than 45% of potential skin damage is caused by visible light.

Test Methods
Glycation damages skin as well. Fatima Alsamad, University of Reims Champagne, explained how Raman spectroscopy is an effective tool to detect and investigate the glycation process. Initial research focused on CML (N-carboxymethylysine), an abundant Advanced Glycation End product (AGE). On the mean Raman spectra of control and glycated collagen samples, some spectral differences between native collagen and CML collagen were highlighted.

Samara Eberlin of Kosmoscience Group detailed her research on transcriptome analysis of human skin exposed to infrared-A radiation. She noted that skin damage from sunlight exposure is attributed nearly exclusively to ultraviolet radiation, which represents only 6.8% of solar radiation in comparison to infrared and visible radiation, which represents, respectively, 54.3% and 38.9% of incident solar energy. Eberlin noted that FOXO3a genes play an important role in cell longevity and prevention of diseases related to cell senescence by reducing oxidative stress and regulating genes involved in cell metabolism, cell cycle and apoptosis.

“The reduction of FOXO3a expression accelerates the process of aging,” said Eberlin. “Our study revealed changes in a set of genes associated with these pathways in human ex vivo skin culture subjected to IRA radiation.”

Mathias Rohr, Institut Dr. Schrader Hautphysiologie, detailed a non-invasive in vivo SPF test method using hybrid diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, which he described as the future of SPF testing. According to the speaker, HDRS provides excellent correlation to SPF, with several advantages:

• No irradiation of skin (no ethical concerns) is done;
• No definition of any Minimal Erythemal Dose is needed;
• No training for MED reading is required;
• No definition of an expected SPF value is needed;
• Photostability is linked to ISO 24443;
• No limitations of different types of sunscreen filters occur so far;
• A wide range of different formulations matrices is covered; and
• SPF values of SPF>100 are covered.

Radiance is a common term to describe skin, but the definition remains cloudy for many cosmetic chemists. Theresa Phamduy, L’Oréal USA, described a fractal dimension measuring technique that correlates with expert grading. As a result, with bare skin images, image libraries can be generated that provide easy-to-use standards to rank radiance. Phamduy detailed a preliminary study to understand the influence of aging on radiance output. Then, she explained how fractal dimension-based image rankings are superior to traditional tools when it comes to measuring radiance.

Aging Gracefully
Fred Zuelli of Mibelle Biochemistry detailed the mechanisms of skin aging, including chronic inflammation and telomere shortening, noting that by 2030, one in four Americans and Europeans will be 65 or older.

“Cosmetic actives will help us look good as we age,” explained Zuelli. “It’s not about lifespan, it is about healthspan.”
In his presentation, “The Missing Link Between Collagen and Longevity,” he noted that inhibiting TOR (target of rapamycin) expression increases lifespan.
Using C. Elegans (which is not subject to animal testing regulations) as a model, Mibelle researchers found that overexpression of collagen helps delay the formation of wrinkles and even extends lifespan in C. Elegans.

Pierre-Yves Moran, Codif International, reviewed the protective effect of Artemisia capillaris extract (ACE), a material that is rich in polyphenols and has been shown to reduce the inflammatory cascade. When incorporated into creams at 1%, test subjects (30-55 years old) reported a significant increase in skin radiance, improved homogeneity and improved pigment disorder, according to the speaker.

What Is Beauty?
On Day 2 of the Congress, L’Oréal’s Fréderic Leroy took the audience on a tour of beauty around the world in his keynote lecture. He noted, for example, that actress Aishwarya Rai is often called the most beautiful woman in the world. But it is not the opinion of a few—it is due to the fact that Rai possesses all the elements of what is considered beauty, including symmetry, youthfulness, averageness, sexual dimorphism, body scents, movement, skin complexion and hair texture; of these, six can be enhanced by cosmetics.

“People started using products to enhance their beauty 30,000 years ago,” explained Leroy. “The oldest chemistry is cosmetics chemistry.”

As an example, he pointed to Pharaoh Ramses II who lived to be 90 and used henna to color his hair auburn red.

Universal beauty ideals include youth; symmetry; well-defined, clear eyes; straight noses and large mouths.

“In all cultures, light and fair skin was viewed as the most desirable, especially among upper classes,” noted Leroy. “It wasn’t until the 1930s that tanning became popular and it was associated with health and wealth.”

He predicted that globalization and urbanization will result in mixed populations that will lead to the disappearance of local beauty ideals.

The melding of cultures could lead to the best of all worlds. In that respect, Arnaud Aubert of Emospin presented how the efficacy of an anti-aging cream (evidenced-based cosmetics or EBC) received a boost when combined with Chinese herbal medicine (traditional Chinese medicine or TCM). In a 28-day test, this combination boosted skin luminosity and homogeneity, while reducing wrinkle depth. Furthermore, a combination of EBC and TCM provided emotional benefits by reducing stress levels in subjects, according to Aubert, who concluded: “We have a lot of work to do!”

Valérie Cenizo, Groupe L’Occitane, explained how her team developed a 3D skin model colonized with an uncultured skin microbiota. L’Occitane researchers were able to grow and count a viable microbiota on a 3D skin model in seven days. This microbiota is more stable in a long-term culture than S. epidermidis, probably due to its biodiversity, which leads to competition between the numerous bacterial strains. According to Cenizo, the microbiota-colonized 3D model skin gets closer to skin physiology. Further investigation will focus on the microbiota composition and the skin’s response.

A Life of Luxury
The final day of the lectures included a keynote by Amy Wyatt of Chanel, who discussed drivers of desirability in the luxury market.

“Coco Chanel was bold and audacious,” noted Wyatt. “We keep the value and tradition of Chanel at the heart of the brand.”

A brand that encompasses fashion, jewelry and of course, cosmetics. Despite its long history, Chanel remains on the cutting edge, led by designer Karl Lagerfeld, perfumer Olivier Polge and makeup maven Lucia Pica. Their skills enable Chanel researchers to match and exceed the six drivers of desirability, which are: innovation, “storyliving,” transgression, singularity, aspirational proximity and counterculture.

For example, regarding singularity, people don’t want to be told what to look like, but Chanel gives them the tools to create their own look, according to Wyatt, who said her company draws on their founder for inspiration.

“Our innovation and development department works with suppliers and we create our own solutions, especially in actives,” explained Wyatt. “Every day we ask ourselves, ‘What would Coco do?’”

Shiseido’s Ezure Tomonobu Earns Top Honors…Again! • During the Closing Ceremonies at the IFSCC Congress in Munich, attendees were sated with a Bavarian feast, while several speakers were feted for their dynamic presentations. After presenting to a standing-room-only crowd earlier in the week, it was no surprise that Shiseido’s Ezure Tomonobu received the basic research award for his eye-opening research on 3D visualization of skin structures. Tomonobu also received an award at the 2016 IFSCC Congress in Orlando. The award for applied research went to Torsten Ertongur-Fauth of Brain AG for his podium presentation entitled “Towards Novel Bioactive Antiperspirants for Cosmetic Applications.” Other award winners included: Best Poster Award—Keiko Nagami, Mibon Co. DGK Golden Award—Alexandra Lan, Shanghai Pechoin Daily Chemical Corp. Henry Maso Award—Nelly Dubrulle, DNA Genesse Rainer Voegeli Travel Grant—Mandeep Dutta Joshi Lester Conrad Award—Peru Society of Cosmetic Chemists

 

It’s Never Too Early… Italy, 2019 & Japan, 2020! • The 30th IFSCC Congress has come and gone, but the Italian and Japanese Societies are hard at work preparing for upcoming global events. First up, is the 25th IFSCC Conference, which will be held Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2019 in Milan. The Conference theme is CosmEthic Science & Conscience, and will include sessions on the microbiome and microbiology, sustainability, formulation, wellness, ingredients, sensory and more. More info: www.ifscc.2019.com Further out, the 31st IFSCC Congress will take place Oct. 20-23, 2020 in Yokohama. The Congress theme is Beauty & Happiness, Pushing Boundaries. Themes include cutting edge life science, future formulation and function, and novel concepts. More info: www.ifscc2020.com For more on the 30th IFSCC Congress, visit nitesh_happi.rodpub.com.