The offering, from France-based ingredients supplier Silab, is being launched as part of the company's men's range, adding to the increasingly sophisticated male skin care market.
The ingredient, SMS Energy, is designed to improve skin tone by accelerating skin cell renewal and boosting cell metabolism.
The ingredient is based on a collection of oligopeptides extracted from chick pea seeds, and the company claim it works on the energy system of the cell in the mitochondria.
The ingredient stimulates the synthesis of ATP molecules and boosts the activity of creatine kinase (facilitating the availability of ATP), boosting dermal cell metabolism, according to the company.
An in vitro test, of a 1 per cent solution on cells from male donors whose ATP levels were first depleted, illustrated a 74 per cent increase in ATP levels in human fibroblasts and 53 per cent in human keratinocytes.
A further in vitro test of the 1 per cent solution on human keratinocytes illustrated an increase of 20 per cent in creatine kinase activity, according to Silab.
Creatine kinase plays a role in the ATP cycle and thus the company conclude that an increase in creatine kinase favours the regeneration of cellular stocks of ATP.
An in vivo study was conducted by the company on 20 healthy male volunteers, where the product was applied twice daily and compared to a placebo. The SMS Energy ingredient at 4 per cent in a formulation performed well in parameters such as skin reflection and complexion when evaluated by a trained expert, according to the company.
The expert identified the side treated with SMS Energy in 79 per cent of the cases, according to the company, leading Silab to conclude that SMS Energy significantly improves skin radiance.
The market for male skin care products is becoming increasingly sophisticated as male consumers demand more from their products. Anti-ageing ranges are growing in popularity, as are all natural ranges, leading the market to become increasingly niche.