Gattefossé unveils its new oil-soluble bioactive for eyecare, Eyeglorius™

Signs of fatigue have become widespread cosmetic concerns and opportunities for brands are now multi-category. Beyond eye contour creams, consumers also expect makeup solutions such as concealers to be infused with caring actives.

Despite similar locations, dark circles and eye bags cannot be attributed to one single driver, making it difficult to address from a cosmetic point of view. Dysfunctional microcirculation, excessive vascular permeability, oxidation, and inflammation are all responsible for the appearance of signs of fatigue.

Gattefossé’s research team captured molecules from the plant kingdom to address this complexity. 

Triterpenoid acids (mainly ursolic, maslinic, and oleanolic acids) have recognized effects on skin microcirculation by reducing inflammation-induced vascular permeability and reinforcing the endothelial barrier function. Interestingly, they also present potential in the degradation of the red pigment of dark circles.

Gattefossé took an interest in the leaves of sea buckthorn’s, reputed for their remarkable phytochemical richness, especially in triterpenic compounds. A supply chain built with a Canadian family-owned orchard ensures the traceability and high organic quality of the raw material. Every September, the branches are manually cut for the harvest of the sea buckthorn’s berries. They are transformed into juices, sorbets, or jams. Gattefossé recovers the unused leaves, upcycling this valuable material.

Working with eco-design principles in mind, a process was developed to maximize the triterpenoid acids content while ensuring quality, security, and energy sobriety, aligned with Gattefossé’s CSR commitments.

Thomas Rinaldi, R&D Engineer in plant chemistry at Gattefossé summarizes this phase of the research: “Using bio and chemo guidance, we screened a series of solvents, monitoring various parameters such as extractive performances, biological activity, environmental imprint, and reproducibility. Our objective was to obtain an energy-sparing process without compromising on efficacy. Supercritical CO₂ exhibits a unique and sharp affinity for extracting apolar compounds along with a controlled environmental impact. This solvent quickly became our first choice”.

Following extraction, the vegetable matter is solubilized in a biobased oily compound, which ensures lipophilicity as well as stability and optimal formulation.

Gattefossé’s skin biology team set up a comprehensive study program to cover the entire pathway leading to the appearance of dark circles and puffiness. To be as close as possible to the physiological reality, they worked on endothelial cells issued from biopsies.

« Introducing endothelial cells into our laboratory was a challenge. They were a completely new cell type for us. We had to learn everything about them: evaluate the optimal culture media or seeding densities, monitor their proliferation capacities, and establish the kinetics of the tests... Moreover, our cells are primary cells extracted from biopsies, not from cells’ lines: they must be handled with greater care but are also closer to physiological reality. » recalls Chloé Lorion, R&D Engineer in skin biology at Gattefossé.

Eyeglorius™ stands out for its remarkable abilities to secure microcirculation and reinforce the endothelial barrier function. Tested on a model of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells stressed with TNF-α, the active lead to a significant reduction in vascular permeability, responsible for the appearance of edema and dark circles. Furthermore, Eyeglorius™ promotes the degradation of hemoglobin and prevents oxidation, which are key contributors to under-eye hyperpigmentation.​

Two double-blind clinical studies confirm Eyeglorius™ efficiency in reducing signs of fatigue. Tested against a placebo, it achieves a significant reduction of eye bags volume combined with a lighter appearance and smaller surface for dark circles. Eyes are embellished, sparkling, and re-energized.

Thanks to its lipophilic composition, Eyeglorius™ is a versatile technical ally for the formulator, opening a myriad of possibilities in skincare and makeup applications, for W/O and O/W formulas. Moreover, being heat resistant, it can be incorporated into stick formulas or in one pot process.

The ingredient is 100% of natural origin according to the norm ISO16128, organic certified, RSPO mass balance certified and China NMPA notified.