The world of skin care and hair care products is expanding beyond our comprehension. The fascinating fact about this is that more and more consumers are getting to know what goes inside these products. It develops awareness and curiosity to know what best suits their requirements.
While we are talking about personal care ingredients, we cannot leave the significance of natural ingredients behind. Ingredients derived from natural sources are gaining tremendous attention from consumers all around the globe.
One of those ingredients is Betaine. It is a natural yet highly potent active ingredient that is making statements in the various sectors of the personal care industry. Keep reading to find what sets it apart and makes it a preferable component for suitable applications.
What is Betaine?
Betaine is an osmolyte, an amino acid derivative, naturally occurring in nature ( plants, animals, and skin ). It is excellent for providing skin moisturisation, protection, and sensory benefits. And it is why betaine is also known as The Moisturising Osmolyte.
GENENCARE® OSMS BA is a highly purified betaine, extracted from upcycled sugar production side stream. Sustainably sourced bioactive, betaine is an osmolyte that naturally occurs in plants and animals to protect them from hydric stress. In skin, betaine is part of the NMF and helps balance water in cells. GENENCARE® OSMS BA provides moisturisation, protection, and sensory benefits in many applications: skin care, hair care, toiletries, and make-up. Following are its characteristics
- Small amino acid derivative
- Stable zwitterion (dipolar ion)
- Neutral charge between pH 2.8 – 8.5
- Very hydrophilic: readily soluble in water
- Hygroscopic: attracts water
- Hydrotope: molecule performing water coordination.
- As methyl-donor molecule, stimulates various biological processes
- Different than Cocamidopropylbetaine surfactant
Apart from this, betaine is a significant component of sugar beets and thus, is isolated from the same. As more and more brands are directing toward sustainable and environment-friendly practices, a sustainably resourced bioactive, GENENCARE® OSMS BA is developed as a highly purified form of natural betaine.
What is the origin of Betaine, and how is it extracted?
The origin of betaine took place in Silesia (Poland) mid-18th century. The use of sugar beets for the extraction of crystallised sugar dates to 1747. Sugar beets are grown worldwide, mainly in Europe and US, and exclusively in the temperate zone.
Planted in the spring and harvested in the autumn. The by-products of the sugar beet crop are the pulp, made of insoluble fibres; and molasses, rich in betaine.
GENENCARE® OSMS BA is extracted from upcycled sugar production side stream.
What are the benefits of infusing skincare with Betaine?
Betaine acts as a natural humectant and moisturizer to help the skin stay plump, hydrated, and moisturized. The benefits of this chemical for the skin are-
Provides hydration
Being a natural humectant, betaine binds water molecules to itself and, as a result, it increases the water retention capacity of the skin.
Short term moisturizer (24h clinical study, 21 volunteers) 4% GENENCARE® OSMS BA, significantly decreases the visual dryness score at 2h, 4h, 8h, and 24h and increases the skin moisturisation (skicon) during 6h after a single application.
Soothes irritated skin
A healthy skin barrier decreases the chances of irritation and sensitivity. GENENCARE® OSMS BA, Which is a naturally derived pure betaine, can come out as a game-changer to provide better skin against dehydration, sensitivity, and irritation issues. Betaine makes the Tight Junctions between keratinocytes stronger; increasing skin barrier integrity and cohesion to limit water loss.
Protection
Osmolytes, by attracting water away from the protein surface, protect them from denaturation, increase their thermodynamic stability and preserve their native folded 3-D functional conformation.
It provides skin barrier strengthening: improvement of keratinocytes Tight Junctions (TJ) integrity (in vitro) TJ are cell-cell junctions connecting keratinocytes in the granular layer of the epidermis.
GENENCARE® OSMS BA significantly increases the strength of TJ in a dose-dependent manner compared to control, at 24h from application, but partially already after 1h.
What are the benefits of infusing haircare with Betaine?
Following are the potential benefits of infusing GENENCARE® OSMS BA betaine in haircare products
- GENENCARE® OSMS BA contributes to protect, strengthen and care for healthier-looking hair and scalp
- Helps improve hair strength and protect against heat damages
- Helps improve wet and dry combing
- Helps reduce the frizz effect
- GENENCARE® OSMS BA betaine is stable at a wide pH range.
- Since it has moisturizing properties, betaine helps in managing dry and brittle hair to make it soft and manageable.
- It is suitable for baby products because of its non-toxic and non-irritating characteristics.
Why Betaine from United Descaler stands out from other variants in the market?
United Descaler has a non-negotiable principle of providing natural and effective personal care ingredients. GENENCARE® OSMS BA betaine from United Descaler is
- Natural
- Free of artificial preservatives
- Vegan-approved
- Carbon Neutral- reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of more than 2 kg CO2 per kg betaine since 2018 LCA.
- Holds multiple certifications from COSMOS (Ecocert) and Natrue.
- Has a certification of Naturalness 100% as per ISO 16128
- Certified: Halal & Kosher
- Verified by Vegan (Eurofins) and Naturis
- Biodegradable & upcycled compound
- Devoid of any petrochemicals.
- The organization has a motive of providing non-GMO, plant-based extracts to Indian brands that will push the market towards attaining sustainable practices.
How can Betaine from United Descaler meet demands for skincare and haircare brands?
The purified form of betaine available at United Descaler is GENENCARE® OSMS BA. The rising demand for hydrating and plumping agents in the skincare industry is likely to be solved with the introduction of betaine.
Betaine has the ability to replace traditional, chemically-synthesised humectants and artificial surfactants. It is why the market size of this chemical compound is predicted to progress at a global rate of 4.84%.
Some brand benefits of betaine to look out for are
- Scientifically demonstrated mode of action
- Clinical efficacy: rapid and long term
- Active ingredient inspired by nature
- Upcycled active ingredient
- Aligned with the zero-waste beauty movement
- Reduce impact on the environment
- Aligned with clean beauty and sustainability trends (neutrality, clean process, certifications)
- Water soluble and easy to formulate
- Multi-applications: skin, hair, toiletries
Why should you look for Betaine as an active ingredient in your products?
GENENCARE® OSMS BA is readily soluble in water and therefore easy to formulate. It gives colourless solutions and is compatible with most ingredients allowing a wide range of applications and formulation possibilities.
Betaine is setting foot in bringing attention to naturally synthesised elements. With the quality assurance of United Descaler, Indian brands can add biodegradable and vegan betaine to their personal care items to decrease the impact of carbon footprints of their products. The neutral or zero carbon footprint makes this compound convenient for upcycling.
The bottom line
GENENCARE® OSMS BA is a highly purified moisturising osmolyte. It is going to change the entire dynamics of the personal care industry because of its Carbon Neutral and eco-friendly nature.
Being a vegan compound, it has an upper hand in providing effective results with minimum effect on the planet and its ecosystem. United Descaler focuses on building a sustainable ecosystem of personal care ingredients with the ecotoxicological data on betaine.
The main principle is to provide local brands with plant-based extracts. Plant extracts, including betaine, will deliver a positive outlook to the Indian brands for achieving a better and more sustainable environment to thrive.
