Protecting Skin and Planet: How CefiraProtect CLR™ Addresses the Exposome

Our skin tells the story of everything it encounters - the exposome. This term captures all the external and internal factors that impact skin health, from UV exposure and pollution to hormonal shifts and lifestyle habits. 

But here’s the catch: climate change is rewriting the rules and amplifying the effects of these stressors, making the need for innovative skincare solutions more pressing than ever. Biotech ingredients are emerging as powerful allies in the protection of both the skin from these stressors and the environment. 

As the world around us changes, recognizing how the exposome shapes our skin is key to protecting and nurturing it for the future. With rising temperatures, worsening pollution, and erratic weather patterns, our skin is facing more stress than ever before. Consumers are increasingly seeking skincare solutions that protect against environmental exposure and climate change, making it critical to turn to sustainable, science-backed solutions that care for both the skin and the environment.

The exposome and its detrimental effects on skin

UVA and UVB rays play a significant role in the exposome, driving skin damage in different but equally harmful ways. UVB rays primarily target the skin’s surface - causing sunburns and immediate damage - while UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin leading to accelerated aging and a weakened structural integrity. This is exacerbated by longer periods of sun exposure that are now more common than ever due to lifestyle changes and climate conditions. As a result, the frequency of sun-related damage is on the rise. The prolonged sun exposure heightens oxidative stress and inflammation, which can also trigger internal factors such as hormonal imbalances, further accelerating this damage. Other internal factors like poor diet, daily stress and lack of sleep contribute to an added decline of skin health.

The consequences? Together, these factors contribute to hyperpigmentation and collagen breakdown, which induce premature aging by promoting uneven skin tone and the formation of wrinkles, respectively. Over time, these cumulative effects can weaken the skin’s natural barrier, making it more vulnerable to damage and less able to repair itself. Clearly, external and internal stressors create a perfect storm of skin aging and the development of various skin concerns. To counter these effects, skincare must go beyond surface care, incorporating innovative, proactive solutions that repair, protect, and strengthen the skin. Understanding the exposome’s impact is crucial for developing these solutions - making biotech an essential tool in this fight. 

Biotech's role in skincare

Biotechnology takes advantage of cellular and biomolecular processes to create products that enhance our lives and benefit the health of the planet. This technology enables the production of ingredients in controlled, clean environments, reducing the need for large-scale farming and over-harvesting of natural resources. Furthermore, it allows for the creation of active ingredients that are more precisely targeted, offering enhanced efficacy of issues such as aging and inflammation. Biotech processes such as fermentation are revolutionizing sustainability in personal care as they allow for development of natural, bio-based ingredients that are often more potent and bioavailable than their traditionally sourced counterparts.

Fermentation is a cornerstone of biotech innovation, offering a sustainable, efficient way to create high-quality ingredients for personal care. This natural process uses microorganisms like bacteria, yeast or fungi to transform raw materials - often plant-based or renewable resources - into valuable compounds. The result is a more efficient, ethical, and eco-friendly way to develop potent, high-performance ingredients that meet consumer demands for sustainability.

One shining example of fermentation’s potential is CefiraProtect CLR™ by CLR Berlin, an ingredient that brings incredible benefits - produced entirely through this innovative process. This ingredient is not only effective, but also embodies the sustainability biotech strives for, using minimal resources while delivering superior protection against the exposome - specifically UV radiation. It is obtained from the probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, an important constituent of kefir grains, known for its probiotic properties. It generates the high-value ingredient kefiran, a polysaccharide with significant skin health-promoting properties. This allows for protection against the influences of the exposome and makes the skin more resilient, contributing to the good health of the skin and to counteract accelerated aging. 

This skincare ingredient rejuvenates the skin's own antioxidant potential and protects the most vital proteins of skin against free radical damage. Histological imaging obtained from an ex vivo experiment (using skin explants from a 41-year-old female Caucasian with phototype II/III,  protected with the ingredient and irradiated with UVA) showed that treatment with CefiraProtect CLR™ strongly reduces the presence of oxidized proteins. 

The ingredient also enhances the self-maintaining properties of the skin, improving the skin barrier, firmness and elasticity while counteracting in-depth inflammation, which leads to skin deterioration with age. Inflammatory processes are not always visible or directly perceived, however they are ever present in facial skin. Through blood flow visualization - an important indicator of the inflammatory processes, using Antera 3D technology - CefiraProtect CLR™ reduced hidden inflammation in the skin of almost 90% of volunteers, contrary to the placebo treatment that only had a reduction in less than half of the cases. 

Making a positive impact on health and planet

CefiraProtect CLR™ represents the perfect fusion of skin health and sustainability, being both COSMOS-approved and NaTrue-certified to meet the highest standards of natural and organic care, embodying a broader shift towards eco-conscious beauty. This ingredient is entirely vegan, a significant milestone in biotechnology, as it was developed through an advanced, plant-based fermentation process. Derived from the previously mentioned Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens, traditionally known for its role in kefir, it highlights how cutting-edge technology can transform heritage into sustainable innovation. By eliminating the need for resource-intensive dairy substrates, CLR Berlin created a potent, skin-loving ingredient that targets the skin damage caused by the exposome, providing advanced protection while actively repairing and fortifying the skin against oxidative stress. 

Not only does it deliver exceptional benefits like rejuvenating the skin antioxidant potential and serving as a daily companion for the skin, by protecting against the influence of the exposome,  but it also aligns with the growing consumer demand for beauty solutions that are both effective and responsible. 

This ingredient is a step towards a more sustainable future in beauty, where the well-being of our skin and the conservation of the environment are both priorities. It offers a positive environmental impact with a two-in-one solution: effective skincare combined with sustainability. By leveraging biotech, CLR Berlin reduces reliance on resource-intensive ingredient sourcing, making it a more eco-friendly alternative to traditional methods. With this approach, biotech paves the way for a more sustainable path in skincare, minimizing environmental impact while still delivering high-performance, skin-loving benefits that address the exposome impact.

Merging sustainability with performance, CefiraProtect CLR™ exemplifies how science-driven solutions can meet consumer demands for eco-conscious skincare without compromising efficacy. It’s a clear step forward in creating beauty solutions that prioritize both the health of our skin and the planet.

Conclusion

In summary, the integration of biotech into personal care offers a powerful solution that combines innovation, sustainability, and skin health. Through fermentation and other processes, we can create highly effective skincare products that not only minimize environmental impact, but also deliver exceptional benefits for the skin - all while reducing reliance on resource-intensive sourcing. This shift towards sustainable beauty is more than just a trend - it’s the future of skincare, where environmental protection and personal care go hand in hand. 

Ingredients such as CefiraProtect CLR™ by CLR Berlin perfectly exemplify how biotech innovations can provide superior protection for both skin and the planet. By embracing these cutting-edge solutions, we can pave the way for a more sustainable, effective, and responsible beauty industry.

👉 Interested in seeing how CefiraProtect CLR™ can elevate your product line? Request a sample today.