Rovi Cosmetics launches ingredient to target skin impurity

The complex is a combination of extracts of willow bark, magnolia and the Bu Gu Zhi medicinal plant common in Chinese medicine and is said to have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties as well as helping combat excessive sebum production.

Acne is usually caused by increased activity in the sebaceous glands. Sebum provides a breeding ground for the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes, and together with increased keratin deposits in cells, obstructs hair follicles which can lead to skin inflammation and the formation of papels or postules and the eventual rupturing of the follicle wall, according to Rovi Cosmetics.

Anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties​

Sarah Teichmüller, business development and marketing manager at Rovi Cosmetics told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com that Herbapurifine intervenes on different levels to combat the above factors.

“This active blend has a strong antibacterial effect, so it is able to reduce the Propionibacterium Acnes. The fact that it is encapsulated into liposomes leads to a regulation of the skin keratinisation. It is also proven to reduce the sebum production, which suggests that it inhibits the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, which is involved in the production of skin sebum,”​ said Teichmüller.

“Furthermore, Herbapurifine inhibits the pro-inflammatory mediators of cytokines and prostaglandins… ​[and] reduces skin itchiness which can be attributed to the fact that there is less inflammation on the skin,”​ she added.

Herbapurifine reduces skin impurities ​

In in vivo​ clinical tests, 20 subjects between the ages of 16 and 36 with impure skin applied a gel containing 3 per cent Herbapurifine to the same side of the face twice a day for 28 days.

Herbapurifine was shown to reduce the appearance of efflorescences (comedones, papels and pustules) by 35.2 per cent on average after four weeks.

According to Teichmüller, the Ecocert-approved and preservative free Herbapurifine can be used in cream or gel formulations, and could even be used in anti-aging skin formulations given that impure skin is often experienced during adulthood.