Proline is the main building block of dermal collagen. Due to its significant role in skin structure maintenance and easy absorbance proline is a prominent ingredient of anti-aging skin care formulations.
Amino acids
Amino acids are organic compounds produced from the amine and carboxylic acid functional group. The key elements of amino acids are carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen. There are about 500 amino acids that can be classified in six main ways -- The Aliphatic, Hydroxyl, Cyclic, Aromatic, Basic, and Acidic plus their amide. Further, other non-protein amino acids act as metabolic intermediates.
Amino acids have not only found their uses in human nutrition but also in the cosmetic industry. In human nutrition, amino acids are used to synthesize proteins and additional biomolecules thus they are vastly found in the human body. These compounds are the building blocks our organism uses to build its proteins, enzymes, and peptides.
Famous skin proteins collagen, elastin, and keratin are also made of amino acids. In addition, they are oxidized to urea and carbon dioxide to generate energy.
However, the function of amino acids is not limited to just being building material for dermal proteins. They are also involved in regulating a large number of processes associated with skin healing, moisture retention (NMFs), and protection from UV irradiation. Due to their comprehensive beneficial features, safety, and insensibility, amino acids are common ingredients in many beauty concoctions.
Sarcosine (N-methyl glycine) is a natural amino acid found in human body tissues and ubiquitous in raw food such as egg yolks, meat, vegetables, and legume seeds.
Sepicalm™ S is a lipo-aminoacid-based complex enriched minerals and vectorized essential amino acids for all-around protection against stress, a genuine feeling of well-being, and skin comfort.
Serine is a small-molecule nonessential amino acid, the precursor of Glycine, thus involved in the synthesis of collagen. It also a part of essential NMFs (natural moisturizing factors) preventing transepidermal water loss.
Silk Amino Acids is a mixture obtained from pure silk fibers by hydrolysis to their free amino acids under carefully controlled conditions. The principal amino acids in this ingredient are glycine, alanine, and serine.
Sodium (disodium) Cocoyl Glutamate is a conjugate of coconut oil fatty acids and glutamic acid present in the collagen. It is a mild anionic surfactant and detergent used in cleansing formulations based on mostly botanical ingredients.
Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate is a clear to slightly cloudy liquid, a primary mild surfactant in EO- and sulfate-free cleansing products. It is a readily biodegradable surfactant based on natural raw materials.
Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate is an acyl-amino acid type (acylglutamate) mild anionic surfactant used in soaps and cleaners. It is compatible with anionic and non-ionic surfactants used in cleansing applications and incompatible with cationic surfactants and other substances.
Sodium Lauroyl Oat Amino Acids is a sodium salt of acylated oat (Avena Sativa) amino acids, a functional surfactant from modified natural raw material. It is compatible with anionic and non-ionic surfactants used in soaps and cleansing applications.
Sodium PCA is contained abundantly in the skin and plays the role of a "natural moisturizing factor" (NMF) ingredient. It is extremely hygroscopic and imparts a pleasant moist feeling to skin and hair.
Sodium stearoyl glutamate is derived from L-Glutamic acid and natural fatty acid (stearoyl acid), an anionic surfactant with a pH similar to human skin
Spirulina Amino Acids is an amino acid complex derived by the hydrolyzation of protein from Spirulina platensis cyanobacterium.
TEA-Lauroyl Collagen Amino Acids is a clear to slightly hazy, amber liquid with a mild characteristic odor. It is considered a "foaming protein" with conditioning properties. It is a mild and water-soluble foaming surfactant based on collagen amino acids.
Tetrasodium EDTA is a sodium salt of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (diamine amino acid), a widely used chelating agent against metal ions.
Sulfur and its derivatives are already well-established ingredients in preparations for the treatment of seborrhea and excess oil.
Tranexamic acid is an amino acid that is considered an analog of lysine. It is widely used in medicine as a hemostatic agent (stops or prevents bleeding) that inhibits the activation of the active site of plasmin.
Vegetable Amino Acids is a general name for grain protein (from Soy, Wheat, Maize, and Barley) hydrolyzates obtained by complete enzymatic or chemical hydrolyzation. Usually, it is a solution, a clear colorless to pale yellow liquid with a slight odor.
Voluform™ (Palmitoyl Isoleucine) is a lipo-amino acid, an active ingredient that acts on every layer of the skin, providing volume, firming, and detoxifying dermal tissues.
Wheat Amino Acids is derived by the complete hydrolyzation of wheat protein. Obtained amino acids and remaining short peptides small enough to penetrate the hair and robust sufficient to condition from the inside out!
The stratum corneum is the selectively permeable outer layer of the epidermis, responsible for protecting the skin from dehydration and external changes and retaining water to maintain skin functions.
Zinc has a critical role in the metabolism of one of the most important proteins in the epidermis called Filaggrin (filament aggregating protein). Metabolites of Filaggrin are NMFs (natural moisturizing factors) attracting water molecules and improving skin hydration.