The natural health benefits of oat beta glucan, both inside and outside the body, have been widely-recognized for some time, but it is only recently, with the launch of Avenacare™ from Swedish company Biovelop International AB, that a chemical-free, affordable source of oat beta glucan has become readily available for use in cosmetics and personal care. Avenacare™ provides products as diverse as anti-aging serums and diaper rash creams with the soothing, anti-irritant and revitalizing properties of oat beta glucan in an accessible and easy-to-use format.
Launched exactly one year ago at in-cosmetics 2011, Avenacare™ has rapidly become the oat beta glucan of choice for cosmetic and personal care formulators, enabling them to incorporate this highly-regarded ingredient into a wide variety of products.
“Avenacare™ has completely opened up the oat beta glucan market,” said David Peters, Biovelop’s Director of Sales & Marketing. “One of the comments that we heard most frequently from customers was that they were aware of the skin care benefits of oat beta glucan but found it prohibitively expensive to use, except in niche products. Now that they are able to work with Avenacare™, they can formulate much more extensively with oat beta glucan.”
Oat beta glucan is well-known for its soothing, moisturizing and anti-irritant properties, and there are many cosmetic and personal care products which benefit from its inclusion; for example, insect bite creams, baby products, under-arm products, shaving products – in fact, any type of product designed to relieve irritation or which may cause irritation itself. A good example of the latter is the use of retinol in anti-aging products. Retinol may cause redness to the skin, especially to sensitive skin or parts of the face where the skin is thin. By incorporating oat beta glucan into retinol-containing products, the irritant effect of the retinol can be counterbalanced.
The use of Avenacare™ oat beta glucan in such products provides a dual benefit thanks to the anti-aging properties of oat beta glucan. A 2005 study demonstrated how oat beta glucan prompts an auto-immune system response from the body when applied topically, resulting in the synthesis of collagen and a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles.
Clinical studies conducted with Avenacare™ in 2011 also highlighted the role that oat beta glucan has to play in sun care products. Avenacare™ was shown to provide a protective effect to the skin when applied prior to UV-light exposure, helping to prevent redness caused by sunlight. Similarly, Avenacare™ relieved the appearance of redness in sunburned skin.
The ability of oat beta glucan to reduce and soothe skin redness opens up a number of opportunities in treating skin conditions, such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. Further clinical work is required here, but there is strong anecdotal evidence to support its use.
The benefits of oat beta glucan extend beyond the skin. Clinical studies with Avenacare™ showed that it is also beneficial in hair care products, significantly strengthening the hair and helping to relieve the symptoms associated with a dry, flaky scalp.
Oat beta glucan, the soluble fibre component of the oat, is already widely used in food and beverage products throughout the world. Companies such as Marks & Spencer in the UK and Oatworks in the USA have incorporated Biovelop’s food-grade oat beta glucan ingredient, PromOat™, into their products, delivering the cholesterol-lowering health benefits of oats to consumers in their favourite products.
The consumer’s positive perception of oats has never been greater – one only needs to look at the success of oatmeal porridge at Starbucks and McDonald’s to appreciate how firmly the “oats are good for you” message is implanted in the consumer’s mind. This has paved the way for the extension of oats into the cosmetic and personal care sectors, and explains why there will be many more oat beta glucan-based products in the market over the course of the next few years.
Biovelop International AB, the Swedish company which specializes in the fractionation of cereal grains and produces Avenacare™ oat beta glucan, will be exhibiting at the forthcoming in-cosmetics 2012 show in Barcelona, where it will be showcasing Avenacare™ alongside a range of other oat-based ingredients.
For further information on Avenacare™, please visit stand ZA18 at in-cosmetics or www.avenacare.com
About Biovelop International AB
Biovelop International AB is the world’s leading producer of oat beta glucan and other specialty ingredients from oats. Using its patented, chemical-free technology for the fractionation of grains, Biovelop produces natural, healthy ingredients for cosmetics and personal care products under the brand name Avenacare™, and for food, beverage and nutritional supplements under the brand names PromOat™ and prOATein™. The company is headquartered in Kimstad, Sweden and its products are sold globally via an extensive network of distribution companies. For further information on Biovelop, please visit www.biovelop.com .
