Mibelle Biochemistry brings anti-ageing skin therapy to new level

Country Business Reports interviews and articles by Discovery Reports www.discoveryreports.com

Asia’s increasing investment in personal care to maintain youthful and healthy skin drives demand for anti-ageing supplements and products in the region. An estimated 40 per cent of Asia’s population falls within the 25- to 50-year-old bracket, and this segment is expected to propel the region’s anti-ageing personal care market from US$15.3 billion in 2012 to US$30.9 billion in 2020.

“Many companies, particularly from the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, are looking for plant-derived materials to give new functional properties to certain formulations,” says Dr Fred Zülli, managing director of Mibelle Biochemistry. “Sourcing active ingredients from protected, rare or endangered plants may be natural, but not always sustainable. Our in-house biotechnology process enables us to obtain active ingredients from plant materials and cultivate plant stem cells while preserving the environment.”

The company is a subsidiary of Mibelle Group, a full-service customer brand manufacturer focusing on home care, personal care and nutrition. Mibelle Biochemistry specialises in the research and development (R&D) of active ingredients based on naturally derived compounds for nutraceutical and cosmetic applications. “Our first priority is to know our markets, so we can design the most innovative ingredients for customers and help improve their market success and ecological footprint,” Zülli says.

Mibelle Biochemistry’s novel plant cell culture technology, PhytoCellTec, enables the company to use plant materials in a sustainable way. “We take a piece of fruit or a small portion of the plant, and cut the plant material to create callus cells, or wound tissues consisting of de-differentiated plant cells, which are stem cells,” Zülli says. “We grow these plant stem cells in specially developed bioreactors without interfering with nature.”

The company’s state-of-the-art encapsulation technology guarantees optimum bioavailability and maximum effectiveness of the active ingredients. It also conducts in vivo and in vitro clinical tests to ensure safety and quality of its actives.

Living up to its credo “inspired by nature, realised by science”, Mibelle Biochemistry is an industry pioneer in plant stem cell therapy. It first introduced the concept in 2008 using Uttwiler Spätlauber, a rare 18th-century species of Swiss apple tree that could be stored for months without withering. Based on the stem cells of this rare Swiss apple, Mibelle’s PhytoCellTec Malus Domestica product holds promise of protecting the skin against premature ageing by increasing the longevity and vitality of skin stem cells.

Another breakthrough product, the PhytoCellTec Solar Vitis, is derived from a rare grape called Gamay Teinturier Fréaux, known for its extremely high antioxidant content. This product helps protect the skin from chronological and light-induced ageing, extends vitality of skin stem cells, and improves skin resistance against ultraviolet radiation.

To rejuvenate and improve skin density, the company developed PhytoCellTec Argan, a powder ingredient based on stem cells of the protected argan tree, which reinforces the regenerative capacity of dermal and hypodermal stem cells for deep-seated skin rejuvenation.

Set to revolutionise anti-ageing skincare is the Snow Algae Powder, an active ingredient that improves the longevity of skin cells by mimicking the effects of the caloric restriction process.

In Asia, which comprises one-third of Mibelle Biochemistry’s market, the company works with exclusive distributors in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong, mainland China and the prominent markets of Japan and South Korea. To create tailored solutions for its regional customers, the company nurtures local collaborations with industry and university partners, including Thailand’s Mae Fah Luang University.

The company is committed to promoting growth of local economies by helping local brands achieve long-term success. It aims to increase its regional market to roughly 50 per cent, and seeks partnerships with universities and research institutions in Asia.

Mibelle Biochemistry
www.mibellebiochemistry.com