3 minute read
The power of the cornflower to harmonise skin
Our skin reflects our well-being, not only mirroring external issues but also internal concerns. This is especially true for anyone with sensitive or problematic skin – environmental stressors as well as inner turmoil will have a direct impact on their appearance. Karen Maier of Merck South Africa explores the benefits of RonaCare Balmance as the ultimate feel-good ingredient for sensitive and stressed skin.
Around 40% of the population reports having sensitive skin, with 9% claiming to have very sensitive skin. While the actual phenomenon is not fully understood, it is clear that sensitive skin triggers unpleasant sensations in response to certain stimuli. For example, skin can become dry, flaky, itchy or inflamed in response to chemical, physical, hormonal or psychological factors.
RonaCare Balmance is a skin comfort stabiliser for sensitive and problematic skin. It can restore skin harmony by reducing the susceptibility to redness, roughness and itching while suppressing skin irritation by impacting the inflammatory process.
RonaCare Balmance is a natural extract of the Centaurea cyanus flower, more commonly known as the cornflower. It is sourced through a complex multi-step extraction process that includes supercritical CO2 extraction. The key bio-active ingredient is N-Feruloyl-serotonin. Several studies have shown that feruloyl-serotonin possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and serotonin-like properties.
Outstanding soothing benefits
Cornflowers have long been used in traditional medicine for their healing, antiseptic and comforting effects. The name Centaurea cyanus is derived from Greek mythology where the centaur Chiron used cornflower plants to heal Achilles after he was wounded by a poisoned arrow.
RonaCare Balmance is produced in a sustainable, clean and safe process using modern technology, which allows Merck to make the most out of the bounty offered by cornflowers. Due to the high-tech extraction method, the active ingredient is obtained in defined and verifiable quantities ensuring biological efficiency.
Comprehensive efficacy studies, both in vivo and in vitro, have proven the outstanding skin soothing benefits of RonaCare Balmance. The mode of action is the suppression of skin irritation in sensitive and stressed skin, thereby minimising the risk of chronic imbalance in problematic skin. Furthermore, RonaCare Balmance has proven antioxidant properties, which add to the skin’s defence arsenal. It reduces the sensations of itching and skin roughness, calms skin by soothing redness and balances the skin’s defence mechanism by reducing its susceptibility to over-reaction.
The active ingredient from Merck works by soothing the skin and minimising the risk of inflammatory overreaction, as proven in several studies that are detailed in Table 1. These studies have shown that RonaCare Balmance’s performance is based on its strong impact on two complementary pathways of skin soothing – namely the suppression of skin irritation in sensitive and stressed skin and by minimising the risk of chronic imbalance in problematic skin.
An award-winning active ingredient
In vivo studies were also carried out using RonaCare Balmance in a formulation to determine whether people actually experience the comfort and relief claimed by the active ingredient. These results are detailed in Table 2.
Again the studies proved that hyper-sensitive skin is highly reactive to surfactant stress. A placebo formulation with no active ingredients already has a positive influence on skin redness, dryness, skin sensitivity and rough sensation.
However, the skin benefits are much higher in the presence of RonaCare Balmance. Furthermore, these skin benefits correlated well with the positive effect of the active ingredient on markers involved in inflammation and itching, observed at the biological level.
RonaCare Balmance is the feel-good factor for sensitive and stressed skin, imparting skin comfort by calming and balancing skin’s over-susceptibility to over-reacting. The ingredient is so effective that in 2020 Merck was recognised with a BSB Innovation Award for RonaCare Balmance in the category Raw Materials.
RonaCare Balmance can be used both in face and body care products targeting sensitive and very sensitive skin. It is also a perfect match for dermocosmetic products, eye care treatments and soothing after sun applications. It comes with COSMOS approval and Halal and vegan certifications, and it can be used in all kinds of formats be it an emulsion, serum, gel, or even powdery products. RonaCare Balmance has taken the restorative power of the cornflower and elevated it to an elegant cosmetic ingredient, which addresses one of the big issues of our time, sensitive skin. •
