As the pearl of plant resources with Chinese characteristics, plateau plants have always attracted the attention of domestic beauty companies due to their miraculous skin care effects. In particular, the characteristic plant resources that grow in the third pole of the world can survive the complex pressure of natural selection even in extreme environments, which has made countless beauty brands yearn for it.
So, what are the characteristics of plant resources on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and with the breakthrough of research technology, which characteristic plant active ingredients can be explored and applied in the field of cosmetics?
Zhang Quan, general manager of Zhejiang Zhongke Zhongzhi Biotechnology Co., Ltd
At the 2nd Botanical Cosmetics Conference 2024 co-sponsored by Beauty Toutiao and Raw Materials, Zhang Quan, general manager of Zhejiang Zhongke Zhongzhi Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Zhongke Zhongzhi), gave his own answer with the theme of "The Application of Plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Cosmetics Functional Raw Materials".
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Based on scientific research
Empowering Chinese ingredients
Science and technology is the primary productive force, but also the brand enterprises to be popular the only magic weapon, strong scientific research heritage can provide an inexhaustible source of power for product research and development.
At the beginning of the speech, Zhang Quan systematically and scientifically introduced the Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Northwest Plateau Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences). It is reported that the Northwest Plateau Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established in 1962 and is a public welfare comprehensive research institute mainly engaged in biological science research on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
Located in Xining City on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Northwest Plateau Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has been committed to systematic and sustainable in-depth research and product development of plant resources and Chinese and Tibetan medicinal materials on the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau since its establishment. At present, the Northwest Plateau Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has abundant scientific research resources and professional technology, and has established a unique herbarium of animals and plants on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the world, and the basic research carried out is not only limited to the application and development of cosmetic functional raw materials, but also has achieved fruitful results in the fields of sustainable and efficient utilization of biological resources, alpine grassland ecology and plateau ecological agriculture and animal husbandry.
Zhang Quan said that the development vision of Zhongke Zhongzhi is to empower Chinese ingredients.
Based on this great vision, Zhongzhi and Xining, Qinghai, where the Northwest Plateau of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is located, jointly signed a technical cooperation agreement on "Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Characteristic Plant Cosmetics Efficacy Research and Development", and established the "Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Characteristic Plant Efficacy Raw Materials Joint R&D Laboratory"; Qinghai Zhongzhi Biotechnology Co., Ltd. only aims to cultivate and utilize high-quality plateau plant resources more reasonably in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and the establishment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau plant cosmetics raw material base demonstrates the strong confidence of Zhongke Zhongzhi in the traceability of raw materials.
Continue to stimulate the "new" force, and strive to become a safe, green, sustainable development of the depth of plant experts, for the company, this is the long-term doctrine that the company will adhere to in the future.
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Characteristic plant resources are abundant
Provide a diverse selection of cosmetic raw materials
The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a treasure land for the development of functional raw materials for characteristic plant cosmetics. According to Zhang Quan, a large number of characteristic plant resources in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau can be used as raw materials for cosmetics. Regarding the advantages of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau characteristic plants as cosmetic raw materials, Zhang Quan believes that there are the following points:
First of all, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is rich in resources and variety, which can provide a variety of cosmetic raw material options. According to the "List of Plants of Qinghai (2022 Edition)", Qinghai alone, located in the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, has 2,867 species of wild plants in 600 genera and 109 families, of which about 50% are endemic to China and 30% are endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has 72 families, 130 genera and 350 species of wild plants. Among them, there are 22 species of grade I., 328 species of grade II, and 168 species endemic to China.
Secondly, the unique geographical environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has given birth to a large number of characteristic plants. Due to its high altitude, long sunshine hours, large temperature difference between day and night, low precipitation, low oxygen, strong ultraviolet rays and other environments, plateau plants have accumulated rich active ingredients in the process of adapting to this extreme environment, and have unique medicinal effects.
Finally, the extracts of plants on the Tibetan Plateau are purer and safer. Due to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's remote inland location and high altitude, the growing environment of the characteristic plants is relatively pure and not disturbed by excessive environmental pollution, so the active ingredients extracted from locally grown plants are greener.
Zhang Quan firmly said that these outstanding advantages provide multiple possibilities for Zhongke Zhongzhi to develop safer and more effective functional raw material products to meet consumers' needs for healthy and natural products.
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The results of the four characteristic plant extractions are coming
Showcase the charm of highland's characteristic plant ingredients for skin care
For a long time, Zhongke Zhongzhi has adhered to the market demand-oriented, with the industrialization of scientific and technological achievements as the goal, and vigorously promoted the marketization of characteristic plant resources on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the industrialization of plateau plant technological achievements. At the meeting, Zhang Quan proudly said that Zhongke Zhongzhi has made a number of gratifying breakthroughs in the development of plant extracts from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau for skin care.
For example, from the important traditional Tibetan medicine Qin Gang (jiao), Tangola-Qin® Gang anti-allergy stock solution was innovatively extracted. As a traditional Tibetan medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, Qingang has excellent anti-allergic, analgesic, soothing and other skin care effects. The Tangola-Qinjiang® anti-allergy stock solution developed and produced by Zhongzhi is enriched with two double-effect anti-allergy active ingredients, gentianpicrin and strychnoside, which can work synergistically to better exert its anti-allergic effect.
For another example, Tangola®OPC proanthocyanidins are extracted from plateau pearl sea buckthorn, which is known as the strongest natural antioxidant on the surface (increase), which can not only gently improve redness, enhance luster, and lighten lines, but also has excellent melanin inhibition effect, which is a natural plant whitening factor, providing new ideas for sensitive skin anti-aging products.
Another example is Cordyceps sinensis, as a rare and protective resource, it contains active ingredients such as cordyceps acid and cordycepin, which can play an excellent role in anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, firming, elasticity and other skin care effects. Zhongke Zhongzhi extracts the rare Cordyceps sinensis mycelium powder extract from the rare Cordyceps, and the skin care effect of this ingredient has been deeply recognized by consumers.
Adhering to the concept of sustainable, green and healthy development, in order to solve the problem of scarcity of wild Cordyceps sinensis resources, Zhongke Zhongzhi innovatively selected the natural strain found in the wild on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau - Trichospora sinensis, and used advanced low-temperature deep fermentation technology for extraction. It is reported that the similarity of the fingerprint between Trichospora sinensis and natural wild Cordyceps sinensis is as high as 97.8%, and the similarity of the composition of the fungus powder is 99% with that of natural Cordyceps. sinensis. According to Zhang Quan, Zhongke Zhongzhi developed and produced one kilogram of Tangola-Cordyceps® sinensis mycelium powder extract, which contains cordycepin and cordycepin content equivalent to the active substance content of about 100 wild Cordyceps, which brings new vitality and vitality to Cordyceps sinensis raw materials.
More than that, according to Zhang Quan, the latest blockbuster achievement brought by Zhongke Zhongzhong Plants in 2024 is the special effect ingredient Barunreek ™ (fenugreek polysaccharide), which is the beloved of the millennium royal, which not only combines the dual properties of collagen and hyaluronic acid, but also has excellent repair, immediate soothing, multi-functional antioxidant, long-lasting moisturizing and other effects.
Zhang Quan said that these plateau characteristic plant extracts have high application value in the field of cosmetic efficacy, and can escort the brand's research and development of "safe and natural" products.
In the future, Zhongke Zhongzhi will further consolidate the company's R&D strength and technical level, bring more excellent Chinese ingredients to China's cosmetics industry, and help domestic cosmetics raw materials to go to the world better and faster!