The world God created is full of wonders!
Egypt's Wadi Natron Desert salt lake, high temperature, dry, strong ultraviolet rays, high salinity, etc., is a piece of life is extinct, almost no living organisms survive, but scientists have found that in this extreme environment, actually inhabited a large number of microorganisms - salinophilic bacteria.
Since the salinophilic bacteria can survive and thrive in extreme environments, it must have the ability to withstand such extreme environments. 1985, the German scientist Professor Galinski for the first time from the salinophilic bacteria in the isolation of Ectoin (Ectoin), it is the desert salt lake this high temperature, dryness, ultraviolet rays, high salinity of this special environment, only to make the cellular outer layer of the natural protective factors generated by. protective factor.
How does Ectoin protect salinophilic bacteria from external stimuli and maintain a good active state?
It is found that Ectoin is a cyclised amino acid derivative with a unique highly polar molecular structure, which has a strong ability to complex water molecules. One molecule of Ectoin can complex four or five water molecules, and make the water molecules oriented to form a stable "hydration shell" (Ectoin hydroelectric complex) around the cell, similar to a stable layer of water molecules in the outer layer of the cell. Ectoin hydroelectric complex), similar to a layer of stable protective film, equivalent to the outside of the cell with a protective shield to reduce water loss, increase the cell's resistance to "hit" ability to ensure that the cells can operate normally. It is because of this special barrier protection mechanism that Ectoin can simply and effectively prevent various stress factors from damaging the cells, such as ultraviolet rays, pollutants, allergens, cold and heat, dryness and chemical stimuli.
In addition, it is also found that Salmonella is an expert in repairing DNA damage. When the cells are damaged by external factors, Ectoin will stimulate the cells to produce a rapid stress response, accelerating the self-repair and regeneration of the cells.
The natural protective and repairing properties of Ectoin have been widely used in life sciences.
With the deepening of research, the excellent skincare effects derived from its "natural protection and repair" properties have become more and more popular in the field of skincare.
Due to patent restrictions, ectoin was rarely added to cosmetic products in China in the past. After 2019, with the expiration of the PCT international patent on "the use of ectoin or ectoin derivatives in cosmetic formulations" filed by Merck KGaA, Germany, in 1999, the major domestic cosmetic raw material manufacturers have started to enter into this market, and local Chinese brands of skincare products have added ectoin to their own product formulations. Chinese local brands of skin care products have also added Excedrin to their own product formulations, setting off a boom in the market for Excedrin.
Next, let's focus on the four skincare benefits of ectoin.
1. Moisturising and water locking
Under normal conditions, the amount of transdermal water loss (TEWL) in adults is about 240-480 ml per day, and the loss of water can be increased by 10 times when the skin's stratum corneum is severely damaged. Ectoin can penetrate deep into the epidermis and diffuse rapidly into the cells. The cyclised structure of the ectoin molecule results in a dense distribution of surface charge and the formation of a hydrophilic electron cloud, so ectoin has excellent water-binding ability, which can truly repair the skin's water-locking system and dramatically reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL). It has been shown that with 0.5% and 1.0% of Excedrin, the skin's moisturising capacity is increased in different proportions, and when Excedrin is discontinued for 7 days, the skin's moisturising capacity is still about 1.5 times higher than that of the placebo group.
2. Anti-photodamage
Excedrin's anti-photodamage effect is mainly manifested in two aspects, one is to reduce the degree of sunlight damage, and the other is to promote the repair of sunlight damage.
A test showed that Excedrin can significantly reduce the photodamage of UV and visible light on intracellular DNA, the visible light photoprotection rate of 0.1 mM Excedrin on DNA reached 92.7%, and the photoprotection rate of UVA/visible light reached 68.9%.
In another experiment, epidermal keratinocytes were irradiated with a certain dose of UVA and UVB, and the cells were treated with different concentrations of ectodine after irradiation, to investigate whether it has a repairing effect on UV irradiation damage by examining the cell proliferation level. The results showed that ectoin could significantly repair the cellular damage caused by UV, with 0.5% ectoin restoring the cellular activity to 89.2%, and 2% ectoin restoring it to 98.7%, which almost eliminated the cellular damage caused by UV.
Due to its comprehensive protection and repair effect on the entire solar spectrum at the cellular level, Ectoin has a good sunscreen effect.
3. Anti-inflammatory and soothing
Ectoin can protect the Langerhans cells in the skin from external damage and inhibit the release of inflammatory factors, thus achieving anti-inflammatory and soothing effects on the skin.
Tests have shown that 0.5%, 1.0% and 2.0% of Ectoin has a better inhibitory effect on the pro-inflammatory factor TNF-α, the inhibition rate reached 31%, 38% and 47% respectively.
It has been suggested that the excellent anti-inflammatory effect of Ectoin can be used as a substitute for corticosteroids in the treatment of dermatitis eczema and atopic dermatitis in children, and is safe without toxic side effects.
Of course, Ectoin (Ectoin) in the cell around the formation of a stable "hydration shell" (Ectoin hydroelectric complex) this special isolation of the protective effect is also one of the important mechanisms of its soothing skin.
4. Repairing Damage
As mentioned earlier, when the cells are damaged by external factors, Ectoin will stimulate the cells to produce a rapid stress response, accelerating the self-repair and regeneration of cells. A test from abroad proved that 1.0% Ectoin increased the speed of skin cell self-healing and repair by 2-3 times.
