Lv Zhi,Cheng Kang,Yang Na,Duan Tianbi

Shanghai Inoherb Cosmetics Co.,Ltd.,China

Abstract The growing trend,which includes extensive application of herbal materials and consumers’ constantly increasing expectation for the use of natural ingredients,brings both opportunities and challenges to the application of herbal materials in cosmetic products.In this paper,the development and innovation of Chinese characteristic plant materials in cosmetics are discussed by referring to the relevant study done in inoherb,a Chinese skincare company.This paper also presents the key factors for the development of Chinese characteristic herbal materials.The paper points out that quality standard is the embodiment of the quality of natural raw materials,effectiveness is the goal of raw material development and the introduction of new technology is the source of raw material innovation.Additionally,this paper suggests that “prescription”,a concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine,could be introduced into the study of herbal materials in cosmetics.In our study,prescriptions are put into 4 categories:classic prescription,empirical prescription,composition prescription and efficacious prescription.This idea creates a new direction for the future development of herbal cosmetic products.

Key words Chinese characteristics;herbal material;innovation

Plant raw materials are widely used in cosmetic products and those materials are so well-accepted that during the last five years,an increasing number of companies prefer to add natural ingredients(including Centella asiatica,Camellia sinensis,Scutellaria baicalensis,etc.)into their products.In 2020,Beauty Evolution Database released a list which showed the TOP 30 effective ingredients that most customers are interested in.Apart from chemicals such as tocopherol acetate,niacinamide and sodium hyaluronate,some natural materials including Persea gratissima,Centella asiatica and Portulaca oleracea could also be seen on this list.The plant materials may attract customers due to the following characteristics,such as familiarity,efficacy,safety,explainability,perceptibility and transmissibility,and these hot trends may bring with them both opportunities and challenges in the application of natural materials in cosmetic products.

First,does “natural” means “safe”? For a long time,people’s cognition of natural plants is doublesided because most plants are edible and they grow beside humans,so there is natural closeness and familiarity created between natural ingredients and human beings.The bond makes people believe that natural ingredients are trustworthy unquestionably.However,now people realize “natural” doesn’t mean“safe”,otherwise there would not be what is known as “Shennong tasted a hundred sorts of herbs and was poisoned seven times a day”.The ingredients in plants are actually very complicated and there are many uncertainties in terms of safety.Now it is widely accepted that some plant ingredients have clear sensitization and phototoxicity,and with the development of phytology research and toxicology research,more potentially risky ingredients might be found in the future.In addition,environmental pollution also increases the chance of uncertainty and unsafety.With the increasing application of plant raw materials in cosmetics,people become more concerned about the safety issue and this makes safety the most important criterion for the development of cosmetics.

Second,do claims equal efficacy? Researchoriented young consumer groups and ingredients party tend to have a sober mind towards cosmetic products.They care about efficacy as well as safety.Cosmetics developers have to keep an excellent balance between safety and efficacy.Natural ingredients need to work in a scientific and logical way and they should make users feel the big and real difference after using the products.However,due to the long-term bottleneck problems in the development of botanical cosmetics,such as the color,taste,stability,cost,resources and many other restrictions of plant extracts,the development of natural materials often have to deal with the awkward inconsistency between claims and efficacy.

How to tackle these challenges? The new regulations have already pointed the way.In June 2020,the State Council announced theRegulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics,which took effect on January 1,2021.Article 9 of the Regulations specifically mentions:“the combination of modern technology with Chinese traditional advantageous projects and research on characteristic plant resources would be strongly encouraged and supported in the cosmetics industry”.The Chinese characteristic plant materials have their own advantages.For example,the long - term use history verifies the security of its application and the long-term accumulation and inheritance of experience has proved its efficacy.In addition,the research and application of plant raw materials can also bring Chinese characteristics into research and products,help to spread national culture and expand its influence across the world.However,the development and application of plant materials with Chinese characteristics are by no means an easy task.In order to satisfy the four essential elements of quality,stability,safety and efficacy,it is necessary to take into account the balance of many influencing factors at the same time,and it requires technological and innovative breakthroughs.The innovative development of plant materials and combinations with Chinese characteristics are described in the following.

1 The development elements of plant raw materials with Chinese characteristics

The development steps of plant raw materials with Chinese characteristics include four steps:control of raw materials,formulation of extraction process of raw materials,identification of active ingredients and clarification of action mechanism of action,inspection of stability of raw materials in formulation,and the final step of achieving safety and efficacy.Among all the factors,quality standard is the embodiment of raw material quality,effectiveness is the goal of raw material development,and advanced technology is the source of raw material innovation.

1.1 The establishment of quality standards for plant raw materials with Chinese characteristics

The development of plant raw materials with Chinese characteristics and the establishment of quality standards for the materials include the following steps:collection of plants from different regions and in different growth periods,source identification of plant species,stage extraction of active sites,quantitative analysis of active components,activity screening of raw plant materials,determination of plant raw materials extraction technology,investigation of safety and stability,function support,and eventually the establishment of quality control standards that could reflect characteristics of raw material(color,smell,marker components,security,stability,physical and chemical properties,formula compatibility).It can be seen that reasonable quality standards cannot be established without quality control from the source,process related to efficiency and stability,and factor consideration connected to product application.Fully realizing the importance of quality control for plant materials,in the last two years,Inoherb cooperated with Association of aromatization and together they established and released several standards for the use of raw plant materials in cosmetic products,such as standards for Rhodiola crenulate root extract,Camellia japonica,reticulata flower extract,Centella asiatica extract.Other extracts were also submitted for further investigation,such as Paeonia lactiflora root extract,Ginkgo biloba leaf extract,Glycyrrhiza glabra root extract,Pueraria lobata root extract.

1.2 Effectiveness of plant materials with Chinese characteristics

Effectiveness of raw materials with Chinese characteristics refer to the effects that users could obviously feel and observe.To achieve this,high concentration of active ingredients and combinations,which are obtained from traditional theories and practices,need to be added in the cosmetic products.This really answers the question:does claim equal effect? For example,inoherb has cooperated with Beijing Technology and Business University and China Cosmetics Research Center,and together they conducted clinical tests to investigate the use of Rhodiola crenulate raw material in cosmetics.30 women,aged 28 to 45,with wrinkles and flabby facial problems and color spots on both left and right cheeks are chosen to be the subjects of this test.Randomized half face control was used in this experiment.Matrix formula containing 5% Rhodiola crenulate extract was used after facial cleansing every morning and evening(controlled group applied matrix formula without Rhodiola crenulate extract)for 4 consecutive weeks.The results show that 5%Rhodiola crenulate essence has significant effect of whitening and spot-fading.

The realization of practical effect is closely related to the study of mechanism.For example,Inoherb is the first company in China to cooperate with the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica,Chinese Academy of Sciences to study the aging of skin cells.Cytomics non-labeled quantitative proteomics,one of the most advanced technologies in the field of life science and medicine,was used in the experiment to discover aging-related targets.In this study,a new anti-aging target Structure Maintenance of Chromosomes 4 Protein coding gene(SMC4)related to DNA protection has been found through big data analysis.Then a large number of active Chinese herbal extracts were screened by RT-qPCR.Studies have shown that both Camellia camellias extract and seed oil can promote the production of SMC4,stabilize the chromosomal structure of cells,slow down replicative aging,relieve the loss of collagen,and remodel extracellular matrix(ECM).

1.3 Application of modern technology in the development of plant raw materials with Chinese characteristics

Low temperature microjet technology.This technology is an efficient extraction technology for fresh plant extraction.Under the condition of low temperature,it could completely break the cell wall through high-speed airflow.Its characteristics are high extraction efficiency and higher extraction rate(compared with the traditional process).In addition,low temperature extraction could maintain the activity of thermal sensitive components,so components could be much more active than those extracted with other technologies.

Flash extraction.Flash extraction technology is a new technology that could break soft and hard tissues of plants.This technology relies on high-speed mechanical shearing force and super-dynamic molecular filtration.At room temperature,with the help of certain solvents,it could shred roots,stems,leaves,flowers,fruits,seeds and other materials to proper size within a few seconds.It also enables the effective components to quickly reach the balance inside and outside the tissue.This technology is characterized by the following features,such as high efficiency,room-temperature extraction and wide application.

Lyophilization.This technology has mainly three advantages.First of all,lyophilization could maintain the stability of active components and achieve efficacy of the products to the greatest extent.This is because in the process of preparation of traditional plant raw materials,the active components are easy to degrade due to high temperature,which weakens the activity of the active ingredients.Lyophilization could work under low temperature,so it would not damage the structure and stability of the active ingredients.Secondly,freeze-drying technology could avoid the use of preservatives.Liquid-state materials are more vulnerable to spoilage and growth of mildew due to the existence of bacteria and other microorganisms,so the use of preservatives in these materials is often unavoidable.But for the freeze-drying technology,the final products are solid-stated materials,so the use of preservatives could be totally avoided.Thirdly,freeze-drying technology could significantly increase the range of application for materials.Liquid-state materials often have limited application because they are not easy to be transported,vulnerable to spoilage,etc.Whereas the solid materials do not have such problems,so the application range could be obviously increased.

Modern technology.Smart Vector UV Breakthrough Technology is a new type of microsphere made from light sensitive molecules that break down easily under both ultra violet and blue light exposures.When used for encapsulation of active ingredients,it could satisfy consumers’ needs as well as maintain structural consistency within skin environments.Studies have shown that under continuous blue light(400～500 nm)irradiation,microsphere encapsulated Rhodiola crenulate extract begin to rupture and release Rhodiola crenulata extract in about 50 seconds.With increased exposure,more microspheres burst,releasing Rhodiola crenulata extract.Converting the irradiation dosage to the sunlight exposure of New York in July,12% of Rhodiola crenulata extract could be released in about 40 minutes and 80% in 2.5 hours.The technology seems to be a perfect interpretation of the theory that nature and humanity correspond to each other.

2 Innovative development of plant raw material combination with Chinese characteristics

The development of raw plant materials is complicated and time-consuming.There are so many steps and factors that need to be taken into consideration.From the deep and meticulous cultivation of Chinese characteristic plant raw materials(authentic place,variety,extraction process,standard),to the evaluation of the mechanism of the active ingredients and the determination of the effective concentration,and then to overcome the bottleneck problems of color,odor,stability,corrosion as well as other additives to the formula,and finally to the perceived efficacy.Each step and factor need to be carefully dealt with.On this subject,the socalled “Ingredient-Focused Party” cannot see the forest for the trees.They believe the single ingredient is the key that helps to achieve the ultimate efficacy.However,now it is widely accepted that it is the best combination of ingredients,rather than a single ingredient,that helps to show efficacy ultimately.The combination of ingredients is called the prescription in Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM).In the study of prescription,effective combination can be investigated from four directions:classic prescription,empirical prescription,composition prescription,efficacious prescription.

2.1 Classic Prescription(CLP)

Western medicine does not have compound medicine,so people may have to take a dozen or more kinds of drugs every day.The problem of taking medication in this way is that the drugs prescribed by different doctors may have interactions and adverse reactions that are unaware of by most patients.In comparison,TCM compounds are more concise and efficient.Many CLPs only have 4～6 ingredients,but they can grasp the main problem and thus treating patients in a more comprehensive way.The subtleness of TCM compounds lies in a prescription system called monarch,minister,assistant and guide.This system promotes the synergistic effect among different ingredients,and it also helps to offset the side effects of medicine.Behind the prescription is the theory system of TCM,such as Yupingfeng powder for enriching Qi and solidifying the surface could be used for the care of sensitive skin,Taohong Siwu soup for promoting blood circulation and nourishing blood could be used to whiten and remove spots.Nowadays it is believed that the study of classical formula can bring a new direction for the application of plant materials with Chinese characteristics.

2.2 Efficacy Prescription(EFP)

The effectiveness of EFP is self-evident because it has been verified by a large number of dermatologists during their clinical practice.However,it is not easy to convert the prescription into Chinese characteristic plant materials and then use them in cosmetics.There will be problems such as unclear pharmacodynamic substance basis,inconsistent extraction process,influence of the properties of extract(color,taste,character,uniformity),inability to achieve the actual addition amount of extract in the formula,stability of extract in the formula and so on.For example,Sanhuang soup,commonly used in hospitals,is effective in dermatitis and eczema,but it is very dark in color.The conversion from empirical prescription to cosmetic products could not be realized overnight due to the fact that there are so many differences between the fields of pharmacy and cosmetics.So many factors need to be taken into account,such as the balance between efficacy and safety,efficacy and stability,efficacy and skin feel and so on.However,the prescription that has been clinically proven to be effective saves the time and energy of screening and verification,so it could be seen as the shortcut to actual effect.

2.3 Empirical Prescription(EMP)

Scattered folk prescriptions are a mixed of good and bad.Some are pseudoscience,and some are real pearls.Various things could be done to accelerate the development of the EMP,such as to optimize the extraction technology,to improve the in vitro evaluation,and to put emphasis on hospital clinical testing and safety research.There is no doubt that the value of the prescription lies most in its validity.

2.4 Composition Prescription(COP)

This kind of prescription is the combination obtained through project research and it should be acquired based on the experience from the areas of both cosmetics and pharmacy.Many combinations have higher practicability and feasibility,because they have been developed through rigorous screening,well- planned research and elaborate design.However,its efficacy,especially the clinical efficacy,is not guaranteed sometimes and it is often weaker than the efficacy prescription and the empirical prescription.

On January 22nd,2021,the General Office of the State Council issued the “Several Policies and Measures on Accelerating the Characteristic Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine”,which proposed that the inheritance and innovation of TCM must be directed by the clinical value,and the development of TCM should adhere to what is known as “being able to produce medicine and produce effective medicine”.The specific operation is to respect the law of research and development of TCM,make full use of data science and other modern technical means,establish the TCM registration review and evaluation evidence system of“three combination” of TCM theory,human experience and clinical trial,and actively explore the establishment of TCM real world research evidence system.This can also be used for reference in the innovation and development of plant raw materials with Chinese characteristics.For years,the industry has been stuck on claims about the addition of plant-based ingredients,and there are a number of factors behind it.One is a question of thinking.There are so many uncertainties in the whole process,from materials(ingredients)to in vitro efficacy,to formulation addition,and finally to human testing procedures,so we cannot prejudge the“clinical value” of the ingredient.Classic Prescription,Empirical Prescription,Composition Prescription,Efficacious Prescription have already been prove by“human experience” and “prescription theories”.Further research is to apply it efficiently,safely and controllably through more scientific “clinical experiments”.

Product concept and formula are constantly innovated and optimized in the development of cosmetics industry and at the same time,the domestic cosmetics market also some new products,especially the products with Chinese characteristics.This creates an invaluable opportunity for the development of plant resources with Chinese characteristics,because the they could perfectly meet the demand and lead the new trend.As a representative of Chinese herbal skin care,Inoherb creates a wide range of cosmetic products with Chinese characteristics,and we firmly believe that they could stand out among various brands and finally occupy a place on the international stage.