Cosmetics & Personal Care | Monthly bulletin | October 2022
Nutritional Impact on Hair and Scalp
Healthy hair is a good indicator of general wellbeing. Hair integrity, growth and function has a significant correlation with the quality and quantity of nutrition being delivered to both the scalp and the hair follicle.
Healthy hair is not only about the hair itself, but also the follicle, sebaceous gland, and overall health of the skin.
Studies investigating the effects of oral supplements containing relatively high doses of vitamins, trace minerals, and fatty acids have indicated that dietary factors may modulate both scalp and hair health.
A variety of analytical techniques can be used to assess the benefits of nutritional supplements.
Hair growth, reduced shedding, and improvements in hair diameter all are directly linked to supporting the anagen phase of the cell cycle and can be measured using global hair counts, image analysis of individual hairs, and length analysis.
Methods to evaluate the qualitative aesthetics of hair, such as shine, frizz, colour and moisture, can also be measured instrumentally, as well as subjectively through expert and self-assessment surveys.
Through its network of 19 laboratories specialised in hair testing, the Eurofins Cosmetics & Personal Care network offers the latest testing facilities and techniques for determining the efficacy of haircare, supporting products claims and competitive benchmarking.
Cosmetic products for babies
From birth, babies quickly become exposed to many chemical substances, often through the use of cosmetic products. On average, caregivers use seven cosmetic products per day for a child aged 0 to 3 years. It is therefore crucial to evaluate the safety of these products according to the specific characteristics of babies and their skin.
A baby's skin changes gradually after birth. Due to its neutral pH, pathogen development is a particular risk. The hydration and physiological structure of the skin also varies, depending on age. All of these factors influence the skin's function as a protective barrier.
The skin on a baby’s bottom is also quite particular. This area has a higher pH, and combined with the high level of humidity when wearing a diaper, this leads to a high risk of bacterial infection, making the skin fragile. Contact with a mixture of urine and faeces, as well as the occlusion of this environment, can cause strong irritation and an increased risk of substances being absorbed through the skin. This necessitates a specific risk assessment for cosmetic products applies to this area.
Cosmetic products, especially those for babies, must meet stricter requirements in terms of formulation, presentation, and claims. The safety assessor therefore has a key role in advising, supporting, and evaluating cosmetic products intended for this target population.
The Eurotox Toxicologists team has a strong industrial background and extensive expertise in the complexity of products for babies, and will offer you personalised support for your cosmetic products compliance procedures by working closely with all the relevant departments.
A new re-innervated skin model to assess the efficacy of cosmetic products
Pruritus is an unpleasant sensation. It can lead to scratching and participating in the manifestation of inflammatory skin pathologies that are quite debilitating. It is often associated with a deregulation of neuro-cutaneous interactions in the frame of sensitive skin.
In partnership with one of the world research leaders in the characterization of neuro-cutaneous system, the laboratory UBO of Bretagne Occidentale, Eurofins Bio-EC is developing a totally humanized ex vivo model based on re-innervated human skin.
This new model mimics sensitive skin and it allows the efficacy of soothing cosmetic products intended for this type of skin to be evaluated.
It integrates neurons which are differentiated from skin-derived precursors (SKPs) stem cells of human origin and human skin explants.
In this context, the NERVESKIN project aims to facilitate the development of new classes of soothing cosmetic products for sensitive skin, based on natural plant extract.
This innovation allowed Eurofins Bio-EC laboratory to win the Cosmetic 360 award 2022 in the category of tests and analyses during the Cosmetic 360 exhibition, which took place in Paris in October.
Contact us to learn more about our ex vivo skin models and our latest innovations: cosmetics@eurofins.com
