Stimulated Stem Cell Stimulated Stem Cell Technology is an innovative process that pushes plant stem cells to overproduce bioactive compounds to further boost the efficacy of the plant stem cell-derived active ingredients. Plant stem cells are undifferentiated cells that serve as the origin of plant vitality, since they maintain themselves while providing a steady supply of precursor cells to form differentiated tissues and organs in the plant. Being totipotent cells, virtually any chemical that the plant is able to synthesize in any tissue can be produced from these cultures. Thus plant stem cells are the ideal starting material of cell culture for phytochemical production, as cells are successfully mass cultured while maintaining quality. Furthermore, in a stem cell culture it is possible to perform what is called Stem Cell Stimulation. This process foresees the introduction in the growth medium of some selected natural stress able to force the plant stem cell to overproduce secondary metabolites of interest, obtaining not only a more rich but also a more concentrated phytocomplex.

Enzymatic activation of vegetable oil The Enzymatic Activation of Vegetable Oil is a bio-catalytic process able to break up triglycerides into their constituents (fatty acids and glycerides), releasing all the energy entrapped in vegetable oil. In nature, oils are one of the most efficient forms of energy and carbon storage and are possibly the first cosmetic ingredient ever used. Plants generally store their oil in seeds, where they accumulate as triglycerides during maturation. This reserve of energy is mobilised during the germination process that involves a number of factors, one of the main ones being the process of oil activation. To be suitable for energy purposes, oils must in fact undergo an enzymatically-controlled activation process, which transforms the triglycerides into smaller molecules releasing free fatty acids and glycerides, and these are the real fuel that the plant uses for germination. As in plant germination, human cells are unable to directly uptake and metabolise triglycerides. When any cell in our body has a specific metabolic need connected to the triglycerides transported by plasma lipoproteins, these triglycerides must go through an activation process catalysed by specific enzymes. This activation process enables the released free fatty acids and glycerides to cross the cell membrane, by means of active and passive transport mechanisms, and to be used in the various metabolic pathways. Oils are used to “nourish” the skin but their main activity is only to repair and soften the outermost layers of it. Thanks to the Enzymatic Activation of Vegetable Oil, using specific enzymatic treatment mimicking the activation process that occurs in our body, the limitations on the bioavailability of the oils can be overcome and oils can become a real active ingredient.

Natural Liposomes Our Natural Liposomes are an efficient and completely naturally derived, COSMOS compliant delivery system that can be used to protect and enhance the effectiveness of cosmetic ingredients. Natural Liposomes are sphere-shaped vesicles consisting of phospholipid bilayers. The chemical structure of phospholipids, in water environment, forces these molecules to rearrange in a tail-tail position creating the double layer with hydrophilic properties both on the inner and the outer surface. These liposomes can therefore be used to facilitate the penetration into the cell of water-soluble actives contained in the liposomes, but also of oil-soluble actives that can be included in the double layer structure. The main constituent of our Natural Liposome is plant-derived phosphatidylcholine from non-GMO soy. Phosphatidylcholines are major components of biological membranes and this facilitates the delivery effect of our liposomes as they are more easily able to merge with skin cell membranes, releasing the active ingredient inside the cell. Natural Liposomes can be easily loaded with different kinds of ingredients, offering our customers a broad choice of customization.
The following product line was created with this technology:

• PHEN-LIPOSOMES

Extracts Plant extracts are liquid preparations obtained from fresh or dried medicinal plants by means of suitable physical extraction processes; these include the use of appropriate solvents and the employment of maceration or percolation, or other suitable procedures.
We can use various extraction solvents such as, for example, water, plant oils and plant glycerine.
Whatever technique is used, the production of any plant extract starts with selection of the medicinal substance, i.e. the part of the plant used for cosmetic purposes.
To ensure correct extraction of the substances, the plants must be ground to an appropriate degree of fragmentation, while the choice of solvent depends on the type of active ingredients to be extracted.
Three product lines were created with this technology:

• ACTIVE WATER EXTRACTS – water-based extracts
• ACTIVE LIPO EXTRACTS – oil-based extracts
• PRESERVATIVE-FREE EXTRACTS – preservative-free hydroglycerine-based extracts

Centrifuged The best fresh fruits and vegetables are selected and placed in a drum fitted with a series of metal blades that rotate at a speed that develops a centrifugal force able to break down the plant cells and thus release the juice they contain.
We use a non-continuous treatment, alternating brief rotation cycles with pauses to avoid heating the juice and potentially degrading the active fraction.
The resulting centrifuged product is then filtered until it runs clear and preserved to ensure an appropriate shelf life.
The following product line was created with this technology:

• ACTIVE JUICE