Upcycling an apple a day restores skin health

To achieve a circular beauty industry, any impact on the environment needs to be prevented through collaboration and transparency and by operating in harmony with nature’s rhythms. The active ingredient Pomarage was born from this intention by way of an agro-cosmetics symbiosis between Provital and Mooma. This is the story of Provital’s journey towards circular beauty and how it upcycles apple cider waste to produce the well-ageing hero ingredient, Pomarage.

Prevention sits right at the top of the waste management hierarchy. The circular economy stands in contrast to the linear “use-and-dispose” model. In this context, the cosmetics industry has a vital role to play in catalysing the bioeconomy, as it’s able to make use of and increase the value of waste – more commonly known as upcycling.

Upcycled products are positioned above recycled alternatives, creating a stellar perception and the ability to obtain real gems from waste.

Pomarage™ from Provital, represented by Savannah Fine Chemicals throughout Southern Africa, is the result of recovering byproducts from apple processing in Spain.

Apples are known around the world to be synonymous with health. There is also a real need for them to be upcycled, with Spain alone producing more than half a million tonnes of apples each year – 25% to 30% of which become waste material. This apple waste contains a high concentration of polyphenols, which are active molecules with recognised and confirmed skin anti-ageing properties.1 Apples also have known whitening properties, as well as UVB protection and lipolytic activity.2,3

Provital not only applies the concepts of the circular economy to its processes, but also looks at the option of using these resources to manufacture active ingredients, transforming the idea into a concept of “circular beauty” and working steadily towards a zero-waste cosmetics industry that is truly in tune with nature’s rhythms.

Beauty brands can gain value by working with suppliers and partners to set sustainable initiatives in motion

Collaboration is key in circular beauty

To embark upon a truly circular beauty project, collaboration is crucial. Beauty brands can gain value by working with suppliers and partners to set sustainable initiatives in motion. When it comes to conveying the message of circular beauty to consumers, transparency is an essential factor. It is vital to be completely honest with regard to ingredient sourcing and traceability initiatives that demonstrate the authenticity of suppliers and raw materials.

Pomarage was born as the result of Provital’s intention to collaborate with various entities at different points in the value chain, resulting in its industrial symbiosis collaboration with Mooma.

Mooma is a family-run artisan supplier in Girona, Spain, based in close proximity to Provital. With over 50 years’ experience in the fruit-growing sector, the company is currently operated by the third generation of the family, who are dedicated to apple growing in the Empordà region.

As the main byproduct of apple processing to make cider, apple pomace is agricultural waste containing a mixture of flesh, skin and seeds. As the waste product is rich in polyphenols, Provital decided to reuse it as the key raw material of Pomarage. This innovative thinking obtains a well-ageing active ingredient that:

• is sourced within the immediate vicinity, i.e. 100% local in Spain

• is developed in line with the circular economy concept

• has a lower environmental impact (carbon footprint)

• generates less waste

• has a positive economic impact for the farming sector, thanks to the processing and recycling of agri-food waste.

Restoring skin’s healthy appearance

Pomarage contributes to restoring skin’s healthy appearance thanks to its mechanism of action on reducing inflammatory processes. These are the markers associated with cellular senescence, which are addressed via multiple actions on the different steps of biosynthesis and maturation of collagen. Pomarage also acts on the different structures in the extracellular matrix (ECM), improving its elasticity and density in the dermis.

To understand the ingredient’s efficacy, Provital studied the effects of Pomarage on the expression of certain genes involved in the structure of the ECM and therefore on skin health. To do this, normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDF) were treated with a 0.125% dose of the active ingredient for 24 hours. The relative quantification of gene expression was performed using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and the results were expressed as a change percentage relative to the levels found on the unstimulated control, considered as 100%.

The effects of Pomarage on skin health were further analysed using an aged dermal fibroblast model. To this end, the fibroblasts were treated with a dose of 0.015% of the active ingredient for 24 hours. The relative gene expression was then quantified using the RT-qPCR technique, and the results were expressed as a percentage of change relative to the levels found on the unstimulated control, considered as 100%. The results showed a higher gene expression as HAS2 and COL1A2, and a lower gene expression as MMP-3, demonstrating once again the positive effect of Pomarage on the structure of the skin’s ECM and on the elasticity and density of the dermis.4, 5

Thanks to its well-known origin – the apple – Pomarage provides the tools to create a simple but effective message that fulfils the purpose of circular beauty. And with its proven efficacy on improving skin’s health and condition, Pomarage is a perfect active ingredient for ethical and sustainable skin care products, designed to attract the more inclusive consumer. •