Descripción del proyecto
UPCOSMETIC is born to tackle the need of safe, sustainable, and natural ingredients and products for cosmetic sector according to costumers demand. Skin whitening/depigmentation products are increase gaining more attention among customers, where naturally occurring compounds are more appealing than chemically synthesized ones. Active ingredients such as hydroquinone, retinoids and derivates are effective anti-aging compounds and improve pigmentation, however their irritant properties and instability in usual formulations limit they use in cosmetic products. In addition, rising challenges for cosmetics innovation have led to an increased interest in bioeconomy and more sustainable products to become a more environmentally friendly sector. Agrifood by-products are attracting enormous attention amongst researchers as raw material for the obtention of value-added compounds with skin-whitening/depigmentation properties, their exploitation, however, is hampered due to high limitations in processing innovation. To tackle these challenges, an innovative and sustainable strategy emerges thanks to UPCOSMETIC project which aims at implementing circular strategies within cosmetics sector by upcycling agrifood by-products into innovative and natural cosmetics with depigmentation properties. The project will be taking a step-forward to the current state-of-the-art, creating and consolidating new value chains on by-products upcycling, involving innovative technologies for target compounds extraction as well as developing innovative cosmetic products, such as a face mask. Current depigmenting lines in the market are focused on creams and serums, but UPCOSMETIC will introduce a cosmetic line including a face mask. In this framework the project aims at:(a) Evaluating the potential of agrifood by-products as alternative source of natural compounds that have been documented to exhibit skin whitening effects, mainly through the inhibition of the enzyme Tyrosinase. Synsepalum dulcificum leaves (SDL), brewers spent grain (BGR), almonds hull (AH) and cacao pod husk (CPH), will be evaluated as source of bioactive compounds; flavonoids (rutin, hesperidin, quercetin), phenolic acids (chlorogenic acid, ellagic acid and p-coumaric) and fatty acids (activity 2). (b) Evaluating sustainable and disruptive technologies (DES, NADES, MAE, UAE) to ensure target compound extraction from each considered by-product and develop and optimise, scalable by design extraction processes (activity 3), (c) Selecting the most promising extracts according to their composition and biofunctionality (activity 3).(d) Evaluating that the ingredients meet cosmetic formulation requirements (activity 3) and developing and formulating 3 preliminary formulations with demonstrated depigmentation action; one face cream, one face serum and one face mask (activity 4), and,(e) Demonstrating at relevant scale (TRL 7) the obtaining of the different extracts by implementing the selected extraction processes at pilot scale to produce ingredients and product prototypes with proved quality and characteristics (activity 5).In order to achieve all these objectives, this project has been structured as a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary collaborative work where CANTABRIA LABS (coordinator), from now on CLABS, and LEITAT (participant) will endeavour this project together in order to develop upcycling strategies with the following expected results: (i) Identification of potential natural sources of bioactive compounds (ii) Scientific knowledge on innovative technological processes for bioactive compounds extraction and effect of extracted compounds in melanogenesis (iii) Scientifically validated cosmetic ingredients prototypes and new formulations.Likewise, UPCOSMETIC seeks to respond to the strategic objectives of the European Green Deal related to reducing the environmental and climate footprint and strengthening the resilience of the EU industry system. ESQUIZOFRENIA\MEDICINA DE PRECISION\FARMACOLOGIA\PSIQUIATRIA TRASLACIONAL\CELULAS GLIALES\FUNCION DE BARRERA\NEUROINMUNOLOGIA\MICROBIOMA\ESFINGOSINA-1-FOSFATO