New ingredient blocks damage from UV that slips past filters, claims Symrise

17-Mar-2009 - Last updated on 17-Mar-2009 at 12:55 GMT

Related tags Protein

Symrise’s new ingredient promises to protect against UVB damage by blocking the creation of toxic substances produced when the rays penetrate the skin.

SymHelios 1031 is not a UV filter so it does not stop UV rays from penetrating the skin.

Addition not replacement

However, it can strengthen the protection of a formulation by helping to stop the damage caused by rays that slip past the filters, according to the company, which has a number of UV filters under the Neo Heliopan trade name.

“SymHelios 1031 is an excellent addition to the UV protecting products we have in our portfolio, it is not a replacement but an important addition,” senior vice president for sun care Dr William Johncock told CosmeticsDesign.

The ingredient targets the transmitter protein aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) which is the victim of UV-modified tryptophan.

Tryptophan is an amino acid found in cells that is turned into FICZ (formylindolo(2,3)carbazole) when radiated with UVB.

In normal skin, the FICZ binds to AhR which causes it to lose some of the chaperone proteins that usually accompany it. These free chaperone proteins interact with the epidermal growth factor found in the cell membrane and produce, among other things, MMP1 which breaks down collagen, explained Dr Johncock.

In addition, the FICZ/AhR complex then moves into the nucleus of the cells where it sets off a reaction responsible for turning the FICZ into toxic products.

Binds to AhR, blocks toxic pathway

However, Symrise’s new ingredient binds to the AhR protein and stops it from interacting with FICZ, thereby blocking the toxic pathway, explained Johncock.

According to the scientist, even with a high protection UV product, some UVB rays will penetrate the skin as no product offers complete protection. And it doesn’t take much FICZ to set off the pathway.

Symrise is advertising the new ingredient for skin care products, face creams and sun care formulations, claiming it is has a positive influence of the skin’s long term health and beauty.

“SymHelios 1031 is deep protection for the skin because it acts exactly where the process of skin damage begins. It prevents toxins from being transported, which in turn reduces the long-term damage to UVB rays,” said Johncock.