Symrise and Ashland win Breakthrough Innovation Awards at PCHi 2014

In total, a jury of experts from Chinese research institutes, universities and authority associations awarded prizes to 15 products spanning nine categories, ranging from functional and active ingredients to processing and packaging.

Ashland wins with bio-engineered peptide​

The Breakthrough Innovation Award was given to Ashland Specialty Ingredients for its Actopontine Biofunctional ingredient, a bio-engineered peptide claimed to improve the skin's elasticity and density.

Actopontine Biofunctional is designed to support the skin's own production of dermatopontin, an important protein in rebuilding the foundation of skin. According to Ashland, its design is inspired by the latest advances in the role of dermatopontin in matrix-forming systems.

"Nurturing the normal biological processes associated with rebuilding and remodeling skin's extracellular matrix is one of the most practical yet innovative approaches to anti-aging skin care,"​ Anne Clay, marketing manager for skin care biofunctionals at Ashland Care Specialties, commented during the launch of the product.

"Actopontine biofunctional is conceived as a potential pathway to help skin restore its foundational proteins that diminish with age and ultimately cause skin to sag and lose its critical collagen integrity,"​ she added.

Symrise scoops two awards​

Fellow ingredients supplier Symrise also won the Breakthrough Innovation Award at PCHi 2014. It received the accolade for SymHair Force 1631, a natural hair loss prevention ingredient made from microalgae.

According to Symrise, users involved in a clinical study on the ingredient reported that it fortified hair and improved hair density. In an ex vivo​ assay on human hair follicles, SymHair Force 1631 was found to be effective after eight days of treatment, resulting in thicker and more voluminous hair.

Symrise also won an award in the functionals/preserving category with SymSave H, a nature-identical ingredient that boasts multifunctional and stabilizing properties. The company highlights that the ingredient's  soothing, antioxidant, emulsion-stabilizing and preservative-boosting properties make it the ideal component for all types of hair and skin care formulations.

Evonik wins Award of Merit with Sphingony​

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Also at PCHi 2014, Evonik picked up an Award of Merit for its Sphingony ingredient. A naturally occurring, skin-identical sphingolipid, it is claimed to prevent hair loss by rebalancing the life cycle of the hair, strengthening the hair follicle and improving scalp health.

According to Evonik, in vivo​ studies carried out on Sphingony found the ingredient effectively improves scalp health and hair quality, as well as significantly preventing hair loss by lengthening the hair's anagen growth phase.

Furthermore, the company notes, in vitro​ studies have shown that Sphingony balances the hair cycle by inhibiting 5-α-reductase, improves scalp health by equalizing the microflora and stimulates formation of essential building blocks such as ceramides and proteins.