Skincare is constantly evolving in its emotional and experiential paradigms. It's a blend where sensoriality, science, and dermatology merge with the use of innovative ingredients and formulation synergies. The goal is always to improve performance, but above all, to stimulate the senses and promote increasingly immersive products to engage the cognitive, affective, and conative aspects evoked by a beauty routine. The cognitive aspect aims to preserve a memory of the experience, the affective aspect allows for reflecting an accurate and positive image of it, and the conative aspect aims to make one desire to possess and continue to experience that emotion over time. This is how immersive, functional, and sensorial skincare is creating a new formulation language.
Functional Skincare
Functional dermocosmetics are formulated to offer specific and targeted results. This is a very useful communication classification to help frame the positioning and advice of the pharmacist. An example is the formulation synergies with controlled-release technologies such as fospidin. This is an anti-aging liposomal regenerating active ingredient based on phospholipids (main constituents of cell membranes) and glucosamine (a precursor of hyaluronic acid) known for delivering functional molecules more effectively and for longer through the skin layers or systemically. Thanks to a structure similar to cell membranes, fospidin, delivered via serums and creams, releases glucosamine directly into the dermis to form new hyaluronic acid. (Source: B. Mandalari and D. Tedeschi, Journal of Plastic Dermatology joined with Update in Plastic Surgery, vol 12, 2, 2016 Phospholipids, glucosamine, phytoestrogens and skin regeneration)
Phospholipids arrange themselves in a double layer to form a hollow sphere (liposome) within which glucosamine molecules are positioned. The liposome penetrates the deeper layers, transporting glucosamine, which will help promote the production of new hyaluronic acid and physiological cell regeneration. The liposome, which consists of phospholipids like cell membranes, easily integrates with the cell membrane.
Cleanical Beauty
Being a functional cosmetic also means combining a "clean" formula with a scientific and dermatological approach to increase its effectiveness. This is how the trend of cleanical beauty (from clean + clinical) was born, which is a high-performing and innovative, exclusive, and prestigious cosmetic that does not forget the importance of using safely and controllably sourced raw materials, as well as those tested for their tolerability and olfactory notes with low allergen content (CLEAN), and where the efficacy of products is proven by clinical skin tests (CLINICAL), as well as by sensory self-assessment tests. A blend where sensoriality, science, and dermatology merge synergistically to increase the performance and functionality of products. So, go ahead with formulas enriched with anti-pollution and anti-blue light ingredients, and raw materials with strong antioxidant activities, useful for skin exposed to polluting factors such as smog or radiation emitted by smartphone, tablet, and computer screens.
Sensorial Skincare
Skin cells, like all cells in our body, communicate with each other to ensure good functionality. Glycobiology studies glycans, a family to which the glucosamine present in fospidin belongs: according to a presentation at the American Academy of Dermatology, glycans allow cells to identify and communicate with each other.
Sensoriality is an unconscious process that aims to organize the multitude of information reaching the brain through skin receptors with material and transformative textures. Let's think, for example, of thixotropic formulations, cooling or warming agents, polymers, gums, and gelling agents.
Scent for sensitive skin
The most innovative sensorial cosmetic formulas also develop olfactory pyramids with low allergen content, making the formula optimal from a functional and emotional point of view. The sense of smell is connected to the limbic system and particularly to the hippocampus, which is the area of memories, and even the application of a cosmetic can stimulate it. This is how dermatological expertise merges with unforgettable textures aimed at holistic well-being, where the blend of efficacy and sensoriality promotes treatment compliance over time, one of the keys to success for tangible cosmetic results.