Researchers develop cosmetics from wine production waste

A European research project has developed cosmetics products from German wine-making waste.

German chemical analysis company Spectral Service and Spanish natural cosmetics company Alfaverde Productos Naturales gently dried fermentation leftovers into powders containing many wine nutrients. These include proteins, B vitamins, minerals and polyphenols, preventing heart or circulation diseases.

These have been incorporated into skin creams with anti-wrinkle effects (its violet colour is not transferred to the skin). A face mask was also developed using the powder. "It had a softening and cleansing effect," says project leader Gabriele Randel, with grape tartaric acid forming crystals if preserved at a high level.