Tomato lycopene applied to cosmetics

Tomato lycopene applied to cosmetics

The natural antioxidant, which is obtained from this vegetable, is applied to soap and moisturizing oil through an innovative formula

   Lycopene is a natural pigment that gives the red color to some fruits and vegetables. It has powerful antioxidant properties and can be extracted from products such as tomato, watermelon, papaya, apricot, carrot or red fruits, among others.

   It is demonstrated that lycopene is beneficial for human health, since due to its antioxidant properties it protects cells from oxidation, so it prevents cardiovascular diseases, and has beneficial effects on cholesterol. The human body can not synthesize lycopene and only has the capacity to obtain it with the intake of the aforementioned foods, to which all tomato derivatives, such as sauces, fried tomato or ketchup, can be added.



In addition, there are food products enriched with lycopene on the market, including some olive oil. However, the benefits of this natural antioxidant can also be applied through external use. That is to say, with cosmetic products. And that is precisely what they have developed from Natural Cosmetics of Lycopene, a small company based in Badajoz, through an innovative formula that they have patented.

This firm already has two products on the market, a moisturizing oil and a soap, based on tomato lycopene, prepared according to its formulation. «The final oil is a mixture of several natural oils and lycopene. The combination is done in an artisanal way in our laboratory, "explains Blanca Bravo, the owner of the business together with Gema Correa and Mamen González.

The extraction of lycopene from tomatoes is carried out naturally in a company outside the laboratory. Until its facilities arrives in the form of oleoresin, "a coarse gel of a very intense red color", assure the proprietors of the company, who add that the University of Extremadura has patented a method of extraction of lycopene through olive oil, with what is achieved that is done without any chemical component and is what they use in their formula.

"We only use tomato lycopene due to several factors. On the one hand, we want to promote Extremadura products and our region is the fourth largest tomato producer worldwide. And, on the other hand, the lycopene of Extremadura tomatoes is of high quality, "the owners of the formula say.

The first step is the dissolution, applying heat, of the lycopene in one of the oils that form the final product. «From there, it is mixed with the rest of the oils and a series of filtrations are made, between which it is left to rest, until we get the oil to be clean and without any grounds,» adds González.

To the final mixture, a series of vitamins are added to complete the recipe. This oil is also the main base for making soap. "We do it with glycerin and other natural components, such as aloe vera, and following another formula that we have developed through research", point from the company.

Controls

In order for the final product to comply with all legal procedures, the figure of the health technician is necessary. This is the person in charge of reviewing all the standardized work procedures (SOP). "He is responsible for reviewing the formulation, mixing and filtering processes and ensuring that they have been followed correctly," says González. The NTP serve to ensure that the final products meet the sanitary parameters.

As far as final products are concerned, one of the objectives that was raised in Natural Lycopene Cosmetics at the beginning of this project was to produce a product that only contained natural elements. "We were clear that what we wanted was a natural cosmetics without chemicals," says Bravo.