Algae for the skin? Caroline Nègre explains what's behind it!
As head of Biotherm's research department, the biotechnologist is also the chief expert for the "Life Plankton" series, which contains a microorganism from algae.
© BiothermChroniquesDuVasteMonde: What fascinates cosmetics developers about these microorganisms?
Caroline Nègre: Microorganisms have long been in the focus of scientists because they have skin-soothing, regenerating, almost healing properties. But it was not clear to us for a long time how exactly this went with the skin.
In the last 15 years, as part of the human genome project, in which all microbiome genes were determined and coded, the important role of the skin microbiome crystallized. The knowledge of how these organisms communicate with other and also with care products in order to protect our skin: that can be compared a bit with the moon landing. And we are just there at the beginning.
So a small cosmetic revolution?
One in silence, I think. Definitely.
Why in silence?
As soon as something lives and crawls - as microorganisms do - it is not really attractive to many. Absolutely not as a skin care agent. Care products support the balance of the microbiome. But living organisms are generally not used in cosmetics production either.
Because people would disgust?
There are many reasons. First, these sensitive organisms need a specific environment, with all the nutrients they need to live and reproduce, certain fats, for example, or biochemicals. Otherwise they simply die. "Vitreoscilla filiformis" that we work with, we call it "Life Plankton", is very sensitive and only occurs in one particular source, nowhere else. Until recently, it was even considered non-cultivable.
And he likes it cozy, only every six months he propagates himself. To be honest, that's far too slow to get the levels of plankton you want to use for skin care. So that's also a reason. And finally: In order for the organisms to work for the skin, they first have to be processed. For example, cosmetics use fermentation.
Fermented agents are currently in vogue, right?
Absolute. People have used this process for centuries - and get yogurt or sauerkraut. As a result of this process of fermentation, white cabbage suddenly has a long shelf life and is still extremely rich in vitamins and nutrients. Just by adding salt and allowing the bacteria that live on the cabbage to do their job.
However, the whole thing is a bit more complex in cosmetics. We, for example, centrifuge the organism in the last step and obtain exactly the specific active ingredient, combine it with complementary biotechnological components and then obtain the complex we need.
How did you actually find "Vitreoscilla filiformis"?
We discovered it in a warm sulphurous thermal spring near Tours, in the Pyrenees. For many decades it was considered a kind of "source of youth". People who bathed in it then had a beautiful skin. Of course we would like to bring that to Tiegel.
