Abstract

The benefits of the Mediterranean diet are well known [1]. Fruit and vegetables, in particular, contribute to these benefits thank to their rich composition in phytonutrients, with anti-oxidant and nourishing properties. Because skin is a part of our body, it makes sense that the general benefits of a healthy diet would translate into maintaining a healthy and good looking skin. In order to formulate topical products delivering the same benefits of a healthy diet, we selected fruits derived from Italian agriculture known to be extremely rich in molecules with anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and repairing properties. Some of the molecules we obtained originated from food by-products, in order to maximize a sustainable approach and bringing added value to raw materials that otherwise would be wasted or used into less valuable end products [2]. One of the challenge when sourcing natural ingredients for cosmetic applications is the capacity to transform them in actives with proven efficacy. This effort implies a knowledge in how to concentrate and stabilize the ingredient as well as testing it to prove that it can indeed deliver the expected performance when targeting a specific cosmetic concern.
We have created a full line of active ingredients sourced from Italian agricultural products. We called this approach Tasty Cosmetology and the resulting line of products ITALINE. We were able to identify the best plant source based on its known scientific properties and active ingredients composition and by further processing it we were able to create a unique proposal of actives with high level of efficacy, stability and safety. All our ITALINE actives were characterized by analytical chemistry for their molecular composition and fully studied for their biological activity in the skin by in vitro, ex vivo and clinical testing. Furthermore their safety was proven clinically and their stability was followed over time in different experimental conditions.