The market place is full of antioxidant skincare products that promote their anti-aging benefits. The most studied of these antioxidants are the polyphenols found in green tea and grape seed extracts and the beta-carotenoid lycopene found in tomatoes, guava, watermelon, and pink grapefruit. Only the lycopene found in tomtoes is the most accessible because it has the lowest water content and the easiest to commercially obtain. There has been a lot of research published in the medical journals on the health benefits of lycopene. Recently, lycopene containing skincare products are beginning to get a lot of attention. Only one product on the market contains pure lycopene, the others creams contain tomato extracts or dry powdered tomato incorporated into a face cream. The question remains which topically applied cream protects the skin the best against environmental free radicals that are responsible for skin damage and aging. In my opinion, skincare products containing pure lycopene offer the best protection. Clinical studies were performed incubating cancer cells with either pure lycopene or tomato paste extracts for a period of 48 hours. The results showed that the pure lycopene inhibited tumor cell growth by 55% as compared to 35% for the tomato paste group. In general, dehydrated and powdered tomato products have poor lycopene stability. Once these creams come in contact with the air the lycopene oxidizes and is of little benefit. It is very important that the consumer be aware that antioxidants in general, once coming in contact with the air begin to oxidize and lose their anti-aging and health benefits. Creams that protect their antioxidant component either with a liposomal or better yet, a cerosomal envelope guarantee that the lycopene or other antioxidants contained in the cream maintain their potency and do what they are promised to do. In conclusion, I believe the best anti-aging, antioxidant face creams are those containing pure lycopene and not tomato extracts or powdered tomato and that the lycopene in these creams be protected with a cerosomal envelope to prevent oxidation which renders the product ineffective.
What is the price of pure lycopene from natural extract and synthesis ? Is the quality different between extract from tomato and synthesis?
ReplyDeletePure Lycopene must be extracted using a CO2 extraction method under high pressure and with exact temperature control. When lycopene is synthesized with other methods it is mixed with solvents such as benzene and then subjected to a centrifuge to separate the botanical. After separation the solvent must be filtered out of the botanical and it is almost impossible to remove all the solvent. This process can be done in bulk with normal manufacturing methods while CO2 extraction is usually done in a laboratory environment making it several times more expensive.
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