Beauty sleep: Givaudan eyes potential in South Korea for active targeting the effects of digital stress on skin

Synchronight is an active cosmetic ingredient made from gardenia fruit extract designed to protect the skin from digital stress.

According to Givuadan, when the skin is exposed to digital stress such as blue light, the ingredient acts as a shield against external aggressions, allowing skin melatonin to play its natural role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle.

The active ingredient was launched in March earlier this year and showcased during in-cosmetics Korea’s Educational Week held from June 15 to 19.

BonWook Koo, senior account manager Korea, Givaudan Active Beauty, told CosmeticsDesign-Asia​ that the firm wants to tap into wellness trends emphasising the importance of a good night’s sleep.

“Sleep quality is one of the most important trends about well-being this year according to Mintel. Givaudan Active Beauty has discovered a natural active ingredient to improve sleep quality which acts as a shield against blue-light by absorbing it and preventing it from disturbing the human melatonin release cycle during the night.”​

In addition, Synchronight is converted by skin microbiome into a melatonin-like molecule and behaves like it to improve sleep quality overall.”

“Our accomplished scientific team in skin research and microbiomics identified a unique opportunity to bring this ingredient to life. Creating a natural ingredient with the strength to fight the effects of digital stress and improve sleep quality is a turning point for innovation in the beauty space today,”​ said Laurent Bourdeau, head of Givaudan Active Beauty.

While there are active ingredients that claim to perform similar functions, but Koo noted that Synchronight was backed up with clinical studies.

“There are some 'anti-blue light’ active ingredients as well as actives claiming sleep quality improvement without the clinical result. Synchronight links blue-light to sleep quality with the clinical result and sleep quality improvement will lead to better skin.”​

The firm believes the active has huge potential in the Asia Pacific region, especially in digitally savvy countries like South Korea.

“South Korea is a country which develops IT technology and quickly applies it to daily life, such as 4G or 5G mobile network speeds. This means consumers are likely to spend lots of time using digital devices such as smartphones, tablets, and desktops. As a result, they are exposed to plenty of blue-light and an effective solution to 'digital stress' is required,”​ said Koo.

The dependence on digital devices has also increased due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, which has forced a majority of people to stay indoors.

As such, Givaudan believes the launch of Synchronight has come at the right time to help consumers mitigate the side effect of the digital overload.

“Due to COVID-19, consumers are spending longer at home and often working from home more often. Their exposure to digital stress has dramatically increased. As their lifestyles change, their sleep quality is a concern and so Givaudan Active Beauty hopes Synchronight will address the side effects of those trends,” ​said Koo.