German cosmetics giant Beiersdorf has chosen SymSitive, an active from German F&F firm Symrise, as the principal active in its new Eucerin ranges for sensitive and irritated skin, UltraSensitive and AntiRedness. “My team studied sensitive skin very carefully in recent years and discovered notable differences from normal skin,” said Dr Gitta Neufang, head of R&D medical management at Beiersdorf.
Sensitive skin reacts much more strongly to irritants, she says. As a test irritant the team used capsaicin, the irritant component of black pepper. When capsaicin is applied to the skin surface it activates a protein on sensory nerve fibre endings, called the TRPV1 channel, says Beiersdorf. After bonding, the channel becomes permeable to calcium ions that flow into the nerve fibres and transfers the irritation further along until it can be felt. “We have tested a series of ingredients to see if they can prevent this calcium stream and the irritation that results from it,” said Neufang. “SymSitive was clearly the best - the nerve fibres hardly reacted at all and the irritation was not transferred further.” Studies confirmed that SymSitive calms very sensitive skin and reduces prickling and burning sensations within a few minutes following the application of capsaicin.