APPLICATION
Application example of ε-Polylysine
COSMETICS|ε-Polylysine as a cosmetic raw material.
As a raw material for cosmetics, ε-Polylysine can be used in cosmetics such as hair treatments, serums, milky lotions, and foundations. ε-Polylysine is a natural product derived from an amino acid that is extremely safe and is also used as a food preservative. Compared to petrochemical-derived ingredients, it is hypoallergenic and exhibits excellent antimicrobial effect.
For example, ε-Polylysine can be added to cosmetics to appeal alcohol-free, paraben-free, and phenoxyethanol-free.
ε-Polylysine has a bactericidal effect against the Malassezia furfur, whici causes dandruff. By adding it to hair treatments, you can expect to suppress dandruff.
It also has a bactericidal effect against the Propionibacterium acnes, which is the cause of acne. By adding ε-Polylysine to various cosmetics, you can expect the effect of suppressing acne.
Synergistic effect with existing additives
ε-Polylysine enhances the effect of preservatives used as cosmetic ingredients.
Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against A. brasiliensis (NBRC9455)
Octanediol, 1,2-hexanediol, pentylene glycol, etc. are used as preservatives in cosmetics. By adding ε-Polylysine together, the amount of these alkanediol used can be reduced.
Bacteriostatic action can be expected even in the presence of various polyols used in cosmetic raw materials
| 1,3-BG 5% | 0.1% ε-Polylysine | 0.1% ε-Polylysine 5% 1,3-BG |
0.1% Paraben 5% 1,3-BG |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspergillus nigar | ✕ | △ | ○ | ○ |
| Escherichia coli | ✕ | ◎ | ◎ | ○ |
| Staphylococcus aureus | ✕ | △ | ○ | ✕ |
| Pseudomonas aeruginosa | ✕ | ◎ | ◎ | ✕ |
| Candida albicans | ✕ | ◎ | ◎ | △ |
| 1,3-BG 5% | 0.1% ε-Polylysine | 0.1% ε-Polylysine 5% 1,3-BG |
0.1% ε-Polylysine 5% 1,3-BG |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspergillus nigar | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
| Escherichia coli | ◎ | ◎ | ◎ | ◎ |
| Staphylococcus aureus | ○ | ○ | ○ | ○ |
Provided：
ICHIMARU PHARCOS Co., Ltd.
Number of initial micro organism︓ 105CFU/mL
Evaluation: No micro organism ◎, Decrease ○, No change △, Growth ×
ε-Polylysine enhances the effectiveness of antimicrobial substances
Grapefruit seed extract is a natural product with antimicrobial properties. By using ε-Polylysine, which is also a natural antibacterial substance, the bactericidal action can be further enhanced.
Bactericidal effect of grapefruit seed extract and ε-Polylysine
Test bacteria︓ Escherichia coli (NBRC3972)
Number of initial bacteria︓ 1.6×106 CFU/mL
Test condition︓ 1%Nutrient broth (pH 7.0)
Bactericidal effect expected by using ε-Polylysine
Bactericidal effect of ε-Polylysine against Malassezia furfur
ε-Polylysine has a bactericidal effect against the Malassezia furfur which causes dandruff. By adding it to hair treatments, you can expect to suppress dandruff.
number of viable fungi (CFU/mL)
| Contact time with M. furfur | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 min | 5 min | 10 min | 20 min | |
| Phosphate buffer | 9.4×104 | 4.0×104 | 4.7×104 | 4.4×104 |
| ε-Polylysine | 9.4×104 | <10 | <10 | <10 |
Provided：ICHIMARU PHARCOS Co., Ltd.
Phosphate buffer: 10 mM Phosphate buffer (pH 6.9)
ε-Polylysine: 10 mM Phosphate buffer containing 0.1%, ε-Polylysine (pH 6.9)
When an existing anti-dandruff agent and ε-Polylysine were added to a cationic surfactant-based hair treatment, it was found that ε-Polylysine had better bactericidal activity against Malassezia furfur than the existing anti-dandruff agents piroctone olamine and zinc pyrithione.
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Treatment time ~ 10 min
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Treatment time ~ 180 min
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Treatment time ~ 1200 min
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Bactericidal effect against M. furfur when the following agents are added to a hair treatment based on a cationic surfactant.
1000 ppm e-polylysine (EPL), 3000 ppm piroctone olamine (PO), 1000 ppm zinc pyrithione (ZPT)
Bactericidal effect of ε-Polylysine against Propionibacterium acnes
ε-Polylysine has a bactericidal effect against the Propionibacterium acnes which is the cause of acne. By adding it to various cosmetics, you can expect the effect of suppressing acne.
number of viable fungi (CFU/mL)
| Contact time with P. acnes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 minutes | 30 minutes | 60 minutes | 240 minutes | |
| Sterile saline (pH 6.9) | 2.1×106 | - | - | 2.0×106 |
| 1,000 ppm ε-Polylysine | 2.1×106 | 2.5×104 | 4.8×102 | <10 |
| 100 ppm ε-Polylysine | 2.1×106 | 3.1×104 | 1.8×102 | <10 |
Test bacteria：Propionibacterium acnes (NBRC107605)
ε-Polylysine: Adjusted to pH 7.0 (hydrochloric acid)
Blank: Sterile saline (pH 6.9)
Bactericidal effect when adding ε-Polylysine to various cosmetics
A challenge test was conducted on various cosmetics containing ε-Polylysine. Bacteria or fungi decreased from the initial inoculum count and growth was suppressed through day 28.
Staphylococcus aureus
number of viable bacteria (CFU/g)
| Number of initial bacteria | 7 days | 14 days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin lotion | 1.0×106 | 0 | 0 |
| Emulsion | 1.0×106 | 0 | 0 |
| Cream | 1.0×106 | 1.5×102 | 0 |
Aspergillus brasiliensis
number of viable bacteria（CFU/g）
| Number of initial bacteria | 14 days | 14 days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin lotion | 1.0×106 | 4.7×104 | 3.2×104 |
| Emulsion | 1.0×106 | 1.0×105 | 6.3×105 |
| Cream | 1.0×106 | 5.9×104 | 5.7×104 |
No fungi cells or sporulation was observed visually.
Provided：ICHIMARU PHARCOS Co., Ltd.
ε-Polylysine reduces dryness of hair
ε-Polylysine can suppress dryness of hair by adsorbing to hair.
Brushing your hair gives it a static charge. However, since ε-Polylysine is a cationic polymer, it can suppress dry hair by counteracting static electricity.
ε-Polylysine treated hair : After applying 1,000 ppm ε-Polylysine to the hair with an atomizer, the hair was dried.
Hair tresses conditioned at 20℃, and 30% RH were brushed 30 times and the spread of hair was measured.
ε-Polylysine reduces dryness of hair
ε-Polylysine reduces hair damage caused by bleaching. An electron micrograph of hair after bleaching is shown below. Bleaching reduces the moisture content of the hair and causes the cuticle to peel off due to static electricity. However, by adding ε-Polylysine to hair treatments and hair conditioners, the static electricity is negated and the repulsion between cuticles is alleviated. Therefore, the addition of ε-Polylysine can be expected to alleviate hair damage caused by bleaching.
ε-Polylysine-treated hair: The bleached hair was immersed in a 1,000 ppm ε-Polylysine aqueous solution for 5 minutes, then washed with water and dried.
Application example of ε-Polylysine in cosmetics
ε-Polylysine is used in various cosmetics.
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Hair care products
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Skincare products
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Serum
