CMA Annual Conference and PhytoflORAL®

At the end of 2021, Avenir attended our first in-person event with Complementary Medicines Association (CMA), at the CMA annual conference themed ‘Business As Unusual’.

It was wonderful to listen to the great talks and meet new people. We also held a stand to showcase our ingredients, including the Lucas Meyer Cosmetics ingredient - PhytoflORAL®.

As PhytoflORAL® is a tomato powder, we decided to have some fun and make virgin bloody marys with PhytoflORAL® - and made it into a taste-testing guessing game! Thanks to everyone who participated, I hope you all enjoyed your glowing skin after wards. For those who missed it, read on about this fantastic beauty from within ingredient from Lucas Meyer Cosmetics.

PhytoflORAL® - natural protection for healthy glowing skin

UV radiation is a major factor leading to the formation of internal free radicals in the skin. 80% of visible aging is caused by sun damage including:

- Skin dullness

- Pigmentation

- Sun spots

- Reduced elasticity

- Degradation of skin texture and wrinkles

Antioxidants are essential for skin health by mitigating cellular oxidative stress. Antioxidants are found in a variety of foods and plants and have benefits when ingested or applied topically.

PhytoflORAL® is rich in the colourless carotenoids phytoene and phytofluene which have strong antioxidant capabilities.

Carotenoids are pigments synthesised by plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria – they are mostly yellow, orange and red in colour. Common dietary carotenoids are α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein and lycopene.

How are phytoene and phytofluene different from other carotenoids?

Compared to coloured carotenoids, colourless carotenoids are…

- Better absorbed

- Less susceptible to oxidation

- Selectively accumulate in the skin – therefore play a valuable role in skin health.

- Absorb light in the UV range – participating in the skin’s natural photoprotection

- Phytofluene emits a green fluorescence – naturally enhancing skin glow

- And have the same properties as coloured carotenoids – antioxidative, DNA protection, anti-inflammatory

Colourless carotenoids role in photoprotection

Due to their shorter polyene chain, phytoene and phytofluene absorb maximally in the UV region (non-visible light). More specifically, phytoene absorbs maximally in the UVB region (280-320nm) which is associated with skin burning; and phytofluene in the UVA region (320-400nm) which is associated with skin ageing. Both UVA and UVB unprotected exposure can do harm.

Human clinical studies

Double blind, placebo controlled random studies showed daily intake of 1g PhytoflORAL® showed increased ITA (skin brightening) and MED (natural photoprotection).