Methodology for the development of a natural active cosmetic ingredient

Health and environmental crises are influencing consumer behavior, with natural products increasingly favored over products containing synthetic ingredients. They associate natural products with greater safety, respect for the environment and even greater efficacy. In cosmetics, this trend is reflected in a growing demand for natural ingredients worldwide. According to the ISO 16128-1 :2016 A natural ingredient is obtained "exclusively from plants, animals, micro-organisms or minerals" by physical processes, fermentation reactions existing in nature, or extraction without the intention of chemically modifying the ingredient.

The cosmetics market is also marked by growing demand for active ingredients. In cosmetics, active ingredients, sometimes called "active principles" in pharmaceutical parlance, are substances or mixtures of natural or synthetic origin responsible for a product's activity. The most sought-after active ingredients in cosmetics are those that target needs related to sun protection, combating the signs of aging and skin brightening. This article deals specifically with active ingredients derived from plants. Indeed, plants can help meet this demand, as they are a source of compounds with a variety of chemical structures and multiple biological activities, participating in vital survival and reproductive processes.

The challenge of this approach is to select the plant(s) that will enable us to isolate a compound or mixture of compounds with the desired properties, while meeting the economic, scientific, technical, regulatory and marketing constraints of the specifications. This article details the factors to consider when selecting the plant(s), and the various stages involved in developing a natural cosmetic active ingredient.