New Formulations: So Soy
So Soy's Anti-Aging Body Treatment System features a set of four bath and body products containing SSC-9 Soja Cell Actif at an active level of 1.5%. Soybean Fresh Cells were custom ordered to be part of the complex.Soy, already a popular ingredient, may soon be finding its way into even more beauty products.
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorSo Soy's Anti-Aging Body Treatment System features a set of four bath and body products containing SSC-9 Soja Cell Actif at an active level of 1.5%. Soybean Fresh Cells were custom ordered to be part of the complex. Soy has long been used as an ingredient in beauty products because of its emollient properties, most often without the consumer even realizing it was on the ingredient list. Over the past few years, though, awareness has been increasing, and so has promotion. Brands are now capitalizing on soy's appeal. It is listed as a major ingredient on front labels or being used in the product's name, such as in Avon's Soy Milk Shower Cream or Paula Dorf's Simple Skin Soy + C Day Cream.
So Soy Company, Inc., has gone a step further. It uses a unique, patented soy complex in its bath products, which are expected to launch soon. Sue Davis, creator and cofounder of So Soy, says the packaging came first.
"The concept of an antique milk bottle started it all. I wanted a soymilk theme for my product line, because I was aware of the benefits that soy holds for skin. And, there's a warm feeling associated with the bottle, which comes straight from the food industry."
Davis worked with Innovative Body Science (Carlsbad, CA) and its chemists to develop the formulas. To find the active soy ingredients, Davis partnered with Gattefosse Corp. (Paramus, NJ), which is among the top-five suppliers in the world to deliver natural extracts. The company developed a special process in order to deliver the ingredient, glycine soja seed extract, which Gattefosse calls Soybean Fresh Cells. Gattefosse, and its affiliate company, Libol (France), hold the exclusive patent on Fresh-Cell technology.
"Lots of consumers today are looking for ingredients from a natural source," says Tony Jaillot, sales director at Gattefosse Corp. "We have a very specific approach, which appeals to certain customers. It is not necessarily better than any other processes, but it is a natural, alternative way to deliver the benefits of soy. There are no chemicals involved."
This option usually appeals to companies that want to claim certain product benefits, such as all-natural ingredients, no added preservatives, and chemical-free formulas.
Gattefosse's Fresh-Cell extraction is "a way to deliver all the nutrients in a cell without using encapsulation," Jaillot explains. Tiny, individual cells are separated but remain intact through a process called single-cell suspension. The process works by applying specific enzymes to dissolve the external membrane of the cells. Finding the right enzymes takes a lot of trial and error. This selective enzymatic process is applied only to the first cell wall, which is made of cellulose, separating the cells. The second wall remains as a single coating around each cell, which contains all the vitamins and nutrients of the cell itself. These single cells are then used as the ingredients in cosmetic formulations.
Instead of using enzymes, other processes use chemicals to destroy both the internal and external walls of the cell and then encapsulate the vitamins. Jaillot explains, "We are using the cell's own capsule wall in this ingredient. Enzymes are a critical part of our life cycle--our bodies apply this same process to digest food. It is a very natural way to preserve the vitamins inside without attacking the cells outside, which would lead to oxidation."
The other extracts Gattefosse sells that also feature its patented Fresh-Cell process include strawberry, kiwi, mango, carrot, and pumpkin. However, the process was never developed for soy until So Soy became interested in it. So Soy has held exclusive rights to the ingredient since 2002. Since its exclusivity contract recently expired, Gattefosse's Soybean Fresh Cells are now available to the rest of the beauty industry.
"Many people are excited by the development of this process for soy," Jaillot says. Within the next year, we will probably see even more soy products on shelves