BASF introduces “slow-aging” Pepsensyal based on human biopeptide

BASF’s Personal Care unit unveils a synthetic peptide for skin care applications. Inspired by the skin’s natural regenerative process, the company says Pepsensyal (INCI: mannitol, acetyl sh-tetrapeptide-1 and lauroyl sh-tetrapeptide-1) is clinically proven to reduce and delay the first visible signs of aging by smoothening, re-densifying and resurfacing the skin.

The new ingredient responds to the “slow-aging trend,” which reflects a shift in consumer attitudes, as BASF details: “Rather than fighting the natural aging process, consumers are increasingly concerned with healthy aging through a holistic, preventative approach to skin care.”

Supporting skin regeneration

Pepsensyal expands the company’s peptide portfolio with a “cost-effective” tagline and marketed as free of preservatives and 99% of natural origin.

BASF observes peptides have, in recent years, gained much traction in the personal care market and are “recognized by consumers as effective, science-backed ingredients.”

Extensive in vitro testing has confirmed the ingredient’s ability to support skin regeneration and slow the visible signs of skin aging.

In a double-blind, randomized, split-face clinical trial with 32 women ages 44 to 64, Pepsensyal at 0.2% was tested against a placebo product.

After 14 days, the participants noted the smoothened appearance of crow’s feet, with an 11% decrease in average roughness and a 14% decrease in maximum relief amplitude.

At the same time, skin isotropy increased by 15%, indicating a skin resurfacing effect, BASF highlights.

In that same test, Pepsensyal was also proven to replenish the skin from the inside. After 28 days, the skin had re-densified, with a 21% increase in the echogenic surface area of the dermis.

BASF activities

In other recent developments, BASF presented AI-driven technologies at the 34th Congress of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists in Foz de Iguaçu, Brazil. Personal Care Insights caught up with the supplier to discuss its new Surfactant Navigator and Emollient Maestro tools, designed to replace synthetic ingredients with biodegradable alternatives.

Among other ingredient launches, BASF boosted its portfolio of natural-based biodegradable emulsifiers with its Emulgade Verde line. The ingredient suits cold manufacturing processes, saving costs, time and energy. It can serve as a single-use emulsifier for sprayable emulsions, including sun care sprays.

In August, the company declared Force Majeure on deliveries of select vitamin A, vitamin E, carotenoid products and some aroma ingredients after a leak of an organic solvent, which led to an explosion and subsequent fire at its site in Ludwigshafen, Germany.