AMOEBA : Convincing results for the use of amoeba lysate in cosmetics.
AMOEBA : Convincing results for the use of Willaertia magna C2c Maky lysate in cosmetics.
Chassieu (France), October 16, 2023 – 17h45 – AMOÉBA (FR0011051598 – ALMIB) an industrial biotech in pre-commercialization* specialised in the treatment of microbiological risk, developing a biocontrol agent for the crop treatment in agriculture that has obtained a marketing authorization in the United States and a biological biocide that has also obtained a marketing authorisation in the United States for use in closed cooling systems, announces that it has obtained convincing results for the use of Willaertia magna C2c Maky lysate in cosmetic skin care and has filed a patent application for this invention.
As part of its research for new applications, the Company unexpectedly discovered that the Willaertia magna C2c Maky lysate could be of cosmetic interest. To validate this use, two studies were conducted by specialized laboratories and the below-described conclusive results led the Company to fill a patent to protect the use of the lysate as a cosmetic ingredient.
First study: Induction of genes of cosmetic interest
The first study was carried out by a specialized external laboratory with the aim of assessing the level of induction of target genes of cosmetic interest after lab-grown human skin cells were treated with the Willaertia magna C2c Maky lysate.
The results showed that treating human cells with Willaertia magna C2c Maky lysate stimulated cellular functions of importance in cosmetics:
- Moderate stimulation of the expression of cellular functions involved in wound healing (FBL5 gene), hyaluronic acid synthesis (HAS gene) and anti-infectious immunity (TLR2 gene).
- Very strong stimulation of the expression of cellular functions protecting against cell death (BCL2 gene), cell renewal (PIWIL1 gene) and UV protection, anti-oxidative stress and photoaging (FOXO1 and SGK1 genes).
These results, demonstrating the induction of multiple genes of cosmetic interest, led the Company to evaluate the effect of Willaertia magna C2c Maky lysate on a 3-dimensional (3D) skin model.
Second study: Evaluation of the effect of the lysate on a 3D skin model
This study was carried out by LabSkin Creations, a biotechnology company specialised in advanced 3D skin engineering and service provider to the world’s leading cosmetics brands.Willaertia magna C2c Maky lysate was applied every 2-3 days for 30 days to the LabSkin 3D reconstructed skin model to assess the effect of the lysate on ageing skin. Part of the tissue constructs was exposed to 100 mJ/cm2 of UVB to assess the level of protection induced by the lysate against the UVB effects.
The results on the 3D model of ageing skin and on the 3D young skin model under UVB exposure showed that, compared with the untreated conditions, treatment with Willaertia magna C2c Maky lysate increased epidermal thickness, led to recovery of terminal cell differentiation and improved the quality and abundance of the extracellular matrix which is essential for the cohesion of the skin’s compartments.
The amoeba lysate could therefore be used as a cosmetic ingredient for the following cosmetic purposes:
- protection against cell death of skin cells,
- cellular renewal of skin cells,
- protection against the effects of UV rays,
- anti oxidative stress,
- protection against photoaging.
The next step, planned over the coming months, will consist of carrying out a test formulation for cosmetic trials on volunteers by specialized companies.
Intellectual property and regulatory requirements
The Company has filed today a patent with the French Patent Office (Institut national de la propriété industrielle) entitled ” Cosmetic composition containing protozoan” to protect the invention of a cosmetic composition for skin care including protozoa of the genus Willaertia.
At regulatory level, in Europe and the United States, the placing on the market of a cosmetic product does not require prior approval by a competent authority: the person responsible for placing the formulated cosmetic product on the market must carry out a self-assessment of the product safety.
Amoéba could provide the cosmetic industry with an ingredient whose absence of hazard has been validated by all the regulatory studies carried out for the biocontrol application, the cosmetic ingredient being identical to the biocontrol active substance.
“We are very proud of this discovery and of these excellent proof-of-concept results, which once again demonstrate the expertise of our biotechnology and industrial valorisation platform. The cosmetics market is a fast-growing industry that has been called into question in recent years because of the chemical origin and the health and environmental impacts of its ingredients. Once incorporated into a cosmetic formulation, this new cosmetic ingredient, with its many beneficial effects, can provide a multifunctional natural product. The ingredient can be mass-produced using our existing industrial facilities with a high standard of quality.”, says Fabrice PLASSON, CEO of Amoéba.