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The cosmetic ingredient Hydromanil is a novel development to increase the moisture content of the skin, and the base material is extracted from the seed of the Caesalinia spinosa – native to Peru and growing in the Andes.
The seeds contain nearly 30% oil and it is from this oil that the mannose and galactose polysaccharides (called galactomannans) are extracted and the Hydromanil is made. Statements made on this page based on REF 76 - 87
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To view a more technical page on Hydromanil and the clinical tests performed on it please click here. |
Moisturizing is one of the basic steps in beauty care, and it is interesting to note that a healthy deepest part of the skin – the dermis - contains 70% water and the outside – the stratum corneum – contains 13% water.
Should this water content drop, the skin will lose its tone, become less elastic and inflexible, lose volume and also become dry and flaky, and not being able to function properly, as water is the carrier medium for nutrition as well as waste removal.
Water loss from the skin can be caused by both internal and external factors – like cold weather, air conditioning, etc – but aging also plays a major role, as with aging the skin production of new cells slow down, and the skin is far more vulnerable to external wear and tear – and signs of this can manifest in tight skin, skin irritation, flakiness and cracking – which in turn leads to even more water loss.
So, looking at the water content and hydration should be one of the main factors, not only in basic skin care, but especially so in anti-aging skin care products.
Water is provided to the skin from the innermost layers and then moves upwards toward the outermost part of the skin, where it evaporates and so helps the body control its temperature, while at the same time controlling the moisture content in the skin and also hydrating the dead outermost part of the skin – the stratum corneum.
It cannot be stressed enough – the skin cells need proper moisture and hydration – without this, nutrients cannot be delivered to the living cells, and waste materials from the cells cannot be removed – and when this happens the skin is not able to function properly and this will result in a very uneven, poor looking and problematic skin.
The rate of water evaporation from the skin depends on various factors – such as relative humidity, the water retention power of the stratum corneum, and the rate of water supply from the innermost layers of the skin and the Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) in the skin.
What further influences the hydration level are the enzyme functions of the skin.
Although enzymes are not directly involved in the hydration and moisturizing of the skin, they do have a direct influence on the working and manufacturing of keramides and NMF – and these two elements are vital in maintaining proper hydration in the skin.
Other enzymes found in the skin – like protease, glycosidase and phosphatase – also require water to work properly – and should this not be the case, this will result in incorrect cell shedding (desquamation), which occurs naturally – and is required for a healthy vital looking skin.
If this natural skin cell shedding does not occur, the skin will have uneven thickness and a rough, patchy look.
To actively promote more water, and therefore moisture and hydration in the skin, two factors must be looked at:
With these two factors contained, the result will be a far more moisturized and more importantly – properly working – vital and healthy looking skin.
The research chemist at the Provital laboratory took all of the above factors into account when they set out to develop a molecule that will satisfy both the requirements as listed above.
In their search for the perfect molecule they found a novel “hydro-colloidal three-dimensional matrix of galactomannans” that release “galacto-manno-oligosaccharides” into the outer most part of the skin on a continuous basis which results in immediate as well as long lasting hydration.
As stated at the beginning of this page, this particular molecule is extracted from the Caesalpinia spinosa plant – also called “spiny holdback” tara, taya, guarango and cuica.
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