The carob tree is a fruit tree native to the Mediterranean region. From its seeds, a pulp is extracted that acts on the process of melanogenesis - on the skin's natural melanin production when exposed to UV rays. This serves to intensify and prolong the skin's natural tan.
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What You Should Know About Carob Tree Extract (Inositol).
Summary
- Carob Tree, What Is It?
- Inositol, the Active Ingredient Extracted From the Pulp of the Carob Tree
- Carob Tree Extract and in Particular Inositol To Intensify Tan
- Carob Tree Extract and Inositol in Particular, To Protect the Skin From Photoaging
- In Which Skin Care Products Can You Find Carob Extract?
- Sources
Published February 29, 2024,
by
Maylis, Chemical Engineer
—
5 min read
Carob Tree, What Is It?
The carob tree, botanically Ceratonia siliqua L., is a fruit tree from the Mediterranean region. It is also popularly known as the carob tree, John the Baptist's bread, Egyptian fig tree or Pythagoras bean. The tree produces a fruit called carob, which is very high in sugar. It contains about 200 to 500 g/kg of sugar, while the sugar content of sugar beet or sugar cane is < 200 g/kg. Carob is used in the food industry as a substitute for chocolate because it contains only small amounts of oily fat and no caffeine.
Inositol, the Active Ingredient Extracted From the Pulp of the Carob Tree.
Inositol can be obtained from the fruit of the carob tree, which has a similar name according to the I.N.C.I. system. This sugar is contained in the phospholipids of cell membranes. To obtain this active ingredient, several steps are necessary:
Extraction and filtration of the pulp of the carob tree ;
Separation by chromatography, then carob tree extract is obtained ;
Chemical reaction of demethylation to obtain a molecule called pinitol ;
Concentration by chromatography and crystallization: obtaining the final compound inositol.
Carob Tree Extract and in Particular Inositol To Intensify Tan
Inositol is a plant active ingredient that intensifies and prolongs the tan of the skin through an innovative mechanism based on the activation of the second messengers involved in melanin synthesis. At the biological level, it regulates the diacylglycerol/protein kinase C (DAG/PKC) pathway.
Diacylglycerol (DAG) is a signal transducing second messenger synthesized from membrane-bound phosphoinositols. It functions as the sole physiological activator of protein kinase C (PKC) in a number of tissues. Protein kinase C (PKC) actually corresponds to a family of enzymes found in human melanocytes. The PKC system activates tyrosinase, the key enzyme in melanin synthesis, by phosphorilating its cytoplasmic domain, particularly at serine residues.
Studies have thus shown that inositol is able to increase the amount of DAG. From this point, melanogenesis is activated and a cascade of events, such as the activation of PKC and the phosphorilation of tyrosinase, leads to an increase in the amount of melanin.
Carob Tree Extract and Inositol in Particular, To Protect the Skin From Photoaging.
Photoaging corresponds to the acceleration of the natural aging process of the skin under the influence of UV rays from the sun. These generate excess free radicals, which are particularly unstable molecules due to their unmarried electron. Free radicals or radical oxygen species tend to react with other molecules to form an electron pair, causing damage to cells, DNA and body proteins, especially collagen. This fibrous protein in the dermis provides suppleness and firmness to the skin.
Inositol acts by activating the synthesis of collagen I at the fibroblast level. Thus it strengthens the collagen supply and compensates for some of the degradation of collagen during sun exposure.
In Which Skin Care Products Can You Find Carob Extract?
Carob tree extract is suitable for all skin types. There are no side effects. It is usually used in a concentration of at least 0.1% in skin care products.
It is usually included in self-tanning care products in the form of milk, gel, serum, mist, etc. Thus it is also contained in Typology self-tanning serum DHA 10% + carob fruit extract. This lifts the complexion already 12 hours after the first application and provides a gradual effect.
Please note. Self-tanning serum does not protect against the UV rays of the sun and is not a substitute for a sunscreen. Be sure to protect yourself from UV rays with a broad-spectrum sunscreen before going out in the sun.
Sources :
GILCHREST B. A. & al. Human melanogenesis is stimulated by diacylglycerol. Journal of Investigative Dermatology (1989).
FRIEDMANN P. S. & al. Ultraviolet radiation-induced melanogenesis in human melanocytes. Effects of modulating protein kinase C. Journal of Cell Science (1994).
COGRAM P. & al. D-chiro-inositol is more effective than myo-inositol in preventing folate-resistant mouse neural tube defects. Human Reproduction (2002).
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