Skin, bacteria and mobile ‘phones: making the right call
06 December 2010
By Sarah Gregory, Dr Steven Jones and Prof. Steven Abbott
Syntopix recently presented at the Intelligent Formulation event “Formulated Product Design: Kick Starting Open Innovation”. It was a great event and a brilliant way for small businesses like ours working on innovative formulation approaches to connect with potential partners.
For those unable to attend, the main points of the presentation given by Dr. Steve Jones, CEO of Syntopix and Prof. Steven Abbott, Independent Consultant, are summarised below.
Formed in 2003, Syntopix is a spin out from Leeds University and was listed on AiM in 2006. With a rich portfolio of new product opportunities Syntopix offers antimicrobial expertise to the cosmetic, consumer healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.
Driven by high rates of skin irritation, increasing bacterial resistance and environmental concerns over current treatments, Syntopix began the search for new active ingredients capable of really clearing up acne without any of the downsides.
It soon became apparent that selecting the right antimicrobial was just the first step. To be really effective on skin we needed to tackle formulation head-on to deliver the active directly to where the spot-causing bacteria live, the follicle.
Traditional approaches were tried but we couldn’t replicate our excellent lab results when we tried human volunteer studies. It was time to “phone a friend” to find a fresh answer to our problems. As a result of a chance meeting, Syntopix discovered Professor Steven Abbott, a polymer chemist and software developer, who, amongst other things, had been developing protective coating for mobile phones. Whilst not at first glance the formulation consultant we were looking for, Steven’s approach to our problem started to give the results we needed: how to kill off P. acnes within the follicle at a low concentration of active.
Professor Abbott’s approach involved harnessing Hanson Solubility Parameters to match the solubility of our formulation and the active to that of skin. His basic assumption (anathema to the classical skin permeation world) was that skin was “just a polymer” so the science that worked well for, say, coatings onto mobile phones would also be effective on skin. And it did work! Steven happily pronounced that the skin permeation world has been wrong for the past 20 years.
Our selected active, a cosmetic ingredient known to be safe and naturally derived, produced a 90% mean reduction in acne-causing bacteria after 4 days. These results, comparable to the bacterial kill rates of antibiotics, are unrivalled by current cosmetic spot products.
Since then we have demonstrated that this platform formulation technology works for other anti-acne actives. By targeting delivery directly to where it’s needed, the approach reduces waste and speeds up the time taken to see results. It’s cheap, simple (i.e. has few ingredients) and effective.
It’s also apparent that this formulation approach will have applications beyond acne. With the ability to enhance substantivity within the top layer of the skin (the stratum corneum), we are confident this platform will allow deodorants to work for longer. Targeted follicular delivery via the pore is desirable for products such as depilatories, and hair stimulants. Getting the active to where it’s needed quickly and without waste leads to a host of new or improved products that will reduce cost and allow consumers to see the results they desire in less time.
Our lessons have been many and we’ve experimented more than just in the lab. We have had the nerve to bring two different worlds together and the courage to challenge assumptions - now we have a novel approach for delivery to the skin. Syntopix was founded on an unwavering desire to truly improve the way people look and feel, and we believe this technology has the capability to do just that.
Syntopix is actively seeking to expand its range of commercial partnerships to take this exciting technology forward. Please contact us with your business development enquiries. We look forward to hearing from you.
W: www.syntopix.com
E: spj@syntopix.com
T: 0845 125 9204
Syntopix recently presented at the Intelligent Formulation event “Formulated Product Design: Kick Starting Open Innovation”. It was a great event and a brilliant way for small businesses like ours working on innovative formulation approaches to connect with potential partners.
For those unable to attend, the main points of the presentation given by Dr. Steve Jones, CEO of Syntopix and Prof. Steven Abbott, Independent Consultant, are summarised below.
Formed in 2003, Syntopix is a spin out from Leeds University and was listed on AiM in 2006. With a rich portfolio of new product opportunities Syntopix offers antimicrobial expertise to the cosmetic, consumer healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.
Driven by high rates of skin irritation, increasing bacterial resistance and environmental concerns over current treatments, Syntopix began the search for new active ingredients capable of really clearing up acne without any of the downsides.
It soon became apparent that selecting the right antimicrobial was just the first step. To be really effective on skin we needed to tackle formulation head-on to deliver the active directly to where the spot-causing bacteria live, the follicle.
Traditional approaches were tried but we couldn’t replicate our excellent lab results when we tried human volunteer studies. It was time to “phone a friend” to find a fresh answer to our problems. As a result of a chance meeting, Syntopix discovered Professor Steven Abbott, a polymer chemist and software developer, who, amongst other things, had been developing protective coating for mobile phones. Whilst not at first glance the formulation consultant we were looking for, Steven’s approach to our problem started to give the results we needed: how to kill off P. acnes within the follicle at a low concentration of active.
Professor Abbott’s approach involved harnessing Hanson Solubility Parameters to match the solubility of our formulation and the active to that of skin. His basic assumption (anathema to the classical skin permeation world) was that skin was “just a polymer” so the science that worked well for, say, coatings onto mobile phones would also be effective on skin. And it did work! Steven happily pronounced that the skin permeation world has been wrong for the past 20 years.
Our selected active, a cosmetic ingredient known to be safe and naturally derived, produced a 90% mean reduction in acne-causing bacteria after 4 days. These results, comparable to the bacterial kill rates of antibiotics, are unrivalled by current cosmetic spot products.
Since then we have demonstrated that this platform formulation technology works for other anti-acne actives. By targeting delivery directly to where it’s needed, the approach reduces waste and speeds up the time taken to see results. It’s cheap, simple (i.e. has few ingredients) and effective.
It’s also apparent that this formulation approach will have applications beyond acne. With the ability to enhance substantivity within the top layer of the skin (the stratum corneum), we are confident this platform will allow deodorants to work for longer. Targeted follicular delivery via the pore is desirable for products such as depilatories, and hair stimulants. Getting the active to where it’s needed quickly and without waste leads to a host of new or improved products that will reduce cost and allow consumers to see the results they desire in less time.
Our lessons have been many and we’ve experimented more than just in the lab. We have had the nerve to bring two different worlds together and the courage to challenge assumptions - now we have a novel approach for delivery to the skin. Syntopix was founded on an unwavering desire to truly improve the way people look and feel, and we believe this technology has the capability to do just that.
Syntopix is actively seeking to expand its range of commercial partnerships to take this exciting technology forward. Please contact us with your business development enquiries. We look forward to hearing from you.
W: www.syntopix.com
E: spj@syntopix.com
T: 0845 125 9204
