Future of ageing: Mibelle Biochemistry zeroes in on skin ageing to tackle healthspan and lifespan concerns

Speaking to CosmeticsDesign-Asia​, founder and managing director Fred Zülli expressed his growing interest in the topic of healthspan and lifespan, and how it is fuelling the company’s research into the mechanisms of ageing.

“Anti-ageing is our main focus, and we want to find new activities. We are collaborating with the Federal Institute of Technology in Switzerland, where there is a department studying ageing mechanisms in general.”​

With countries such as Japan and Singapore grappling with the burdens of ageing populations, the topic of healthy ageing is driving the development of products that can help us thrive and flourish even as we age.

“I think its not only important that we can extend the lifespan but also the healthspan. We can adopt the findings into cosmetics so we can not only live longer and help the skin become healthier,” ​said Zülli.

With more research and interest in this space, Mibelle sees potential in expanding into the health supplements market.

“Mibelle Biochemistry is also now entering the food supplement industry with our actives for that market – that makes it even more interesting,”​ said Zülli.

The Swiss ingredients maker was in Bangkok, Thailand to attend the in-cosmetics Asia trade show, where it unveiled its latest ingredient to tackle skin ageing, CALMandrin.

The new active specifically targets inflammation to counteract the signs of skin ageing. It is obtained by upcycling the peels of organic mandarins from the Greek island of Chios.

These special Mandrins are grown specifically for the fragrance industry as their copious number of seeds make them undesirable as produce. This leaves behind the waste peels that the firm extracts valuable antioxidants.

“The concept here is ‘inflammageing’. Our bodies have chronic inflammation reactions and will cause ageing. This is something we’ve known for a long time – a very slight inflammation in the skin can cause an ageing process.”​

Zülli highlighted that he saw a lot of potential for this ingredient in the Asia Pacific region.

“The opportunities here in Asia is that there are a lot of skin impurities, so it will help against inflammation lesions. It also it helps to get better skin regarding elasticity, and moisturising, so I think it fits the market quite well.”​

Furthermore, the upcycled nature of the product is sure to garner interest in Asia, he added. “The upcycling stories is slowly getting more popular. In Europe, it’s a really hot topic and it’s bound to come here to Asia.”​

On November 2, Mibelle Biochemistry bagged the Innovation Gold Award for NovoRetin, a plant-based retinol alternative with potent anti-ageing effects and excellent benefits for acne-prone skin.

It is based on mastic, a resin from the bark of the tree that also grows on Chios. The ingredient increases the amount of natural retinoic in the skin, which gives it retinol-like effects without the common drawbacks.