From Hair Growth to Skin Longevity: Science-Backed Beauty-from-within Actives

Sponsored by Mibelle Biochemistry

Alice Olufeso, Senior Product Manager Food & Health at Mibelle Biochemistry, outlines the consumer needs being met by three new beauty-from-within nutraceuticals. DracoBelle™ Nu targets healthy skin aging by increasing collagen levels in the skin and improving moisture levels; PhytoCellTec™ Md Nu helps improve visible signs of skin aging by rejuvenating skin stem cells; and AnaGain™ Nu helps reduce hair shedding and hair loss.

According to Olufeso, recent scientific data show that AnaGain Nu not only stimulates hair growth but also influences several key pathways within the hair growth cycle. The ingredient upregulates the pathway responsible for hair growth as well as increases insulin-like growth factor 1, a hair growth factor involved in the proliferation of hair follicles. In a mechanistic study, AnaGain Nu helped to increase hair growth compared with placebo, improved the ratio of the anagen to telogen phase, and increased the number of follicles. Since an imbalance between new growing hair and degenerating hair follicles can result in hair shedding and hair loss, AnaGain Nu has been shown to help rebalance the hair growth cycle by upregulating key hair growth factors.

Olufeso also describes the science behind DracoBelle Nu’s collagen-boosting effects. The ingredient activates an intrinsic pathway called the longevity pathway, which stimulates the production of collagen in the skin; in a Caenorhabditis elegans model, it increased collagen content by upregulating collagen production genes. DracoBelle Nu has been tested in two clinical studies, and a more concentrated version improved dermal thickness and skin firmness in a clinical study, while hydration mapping showed a steady improvement in skin hydration over three months. PhytoCellTec Md Nu, meanwhile, specifically targets skin stem cells. In a 3D model, aged skin stem cells acted like young skin stem cells which translated in a clinical study into denser, firmer, and more elastic skin with a daily dose of only 10 mg.