Compositions Comprising Kakadu Plum Extract Or Acai Berry Extract

Abstract

A topical skin care composition comprising kakadu plum extract or acai berry extract, or a combination of both, is disclosed. The composition can include a high oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) value. The composition can improve the skin's visual appearance, physiological functions, clinical properties, and / or biophysical properties.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 624,985, filed Jan. 19, 2007, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 760,103, filed Jan. 19, 2006, U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 760,977, filed Jan. 20, 2006, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 760,979, filed Jan. 20, 2006. The contents of these applications are incorporated by reference.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]A. Field of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates generally to compositions that can be used to improve the skin's visual appearance. In particular, the present invention concerns topical skin care compositions that include kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) extract and / or acai berry extract (Euterpe oleracea).[0004]B. Description of Related Art[0005]With ageing, chronic exposure to adverse environmental factors, or malnutrition, the visual appearance, physical properties, and physiolo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016]Also disclosed is a method of treating or preventing a skin condition comprising topical application of a composition comprising a high ORAC value, kakadu plum extract, and / or acai berry extract, wherein the topical application of the composition treats the skin condition. Non-limiting examples of skin conditions include pruritus, spider veins, lentigo, age spots, senile purpura, keratosis, melasma, blotches, fine lines or wrinkles, nodules, sun damaged skin, dermatitis (including, but not limited to seborrheic dermatitis, nummular dermatitis, contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, exfoliative dermatitis, perioral dermatitis, and stasis dermatitis), psoriasis, folliculitis, rosacea, acne, impetigo, erysipelas, erythrasma, eczema, and other inflammatory skin conditions. In certain non-limiting aspects, the skin condition can be caused by exposure to UV light, age, irradiation, chronic sun exposure, environmental pollutants, air pollution, wind, cold, heat, chemicals, disease pathologies, smoking, or lack of nutrition. The skin can be facial skin or non-facial skin (e.g., arms, legs, hands, chest, back, feet, etc.). The method can further comprise identifying a person in need of skin treatment. The person can be a male or female. The age of the person can be at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, or more years old, or any range derivable therein. The method can also include topically applying an amount effective to: increase the stratum corneum turnover rate of the skin; increase collagen synthesis in fibroblasts; increase cellular anti-oxidant defense mechanisms (e.g., exogenous additions of anti-oxidants can bolster, replenish, or prevent the loss of cellular antioxidants such as catalase and glutathione in skin cells (e.g., keratinocytes, melanocytes, langerhans cells, etc.) which will reduce or prevent oxidative damage to the skin, cellular, proteins, and lipids); inhibit melanin production in melanocytes; reduce or prevent oxidative damage to skin (including reducing the amount lipid peroxides and / or protein oxidation in the skin).

[0017]In certain embodiments, compositions of the present invention can decrease the amount of internal oxidation and / or external oxidative damage in a cell. In other aspects, the compositions can increase collagen synthesis in a cell. The compositions can also reduce skin inflammation, such as by reducing inflammatory cytokine production in a cell. Non-limiting examples of such cells include human epidermal keratinocyte, human fibroblast dermal cell, human melanocytes, three dimensional human cell-derived in vitro tissue equivalents comprising human keratinocytes, human fibroblasts, or human melanocytes, or any combination thereof (e.g., combination of human keratinocytes and human fibroblasts or a combination of human keratinocytes and human melanocytes).

[0018]Also disclosed is a method of lightening skin or evening skin tone comprising applying the compositions of the present invention to the skin. The method can further comprise identify a person in need of lightening skin or evening skin tone. The methods can further include inhibiting melanogenesis in a skin cell, inhibiting tyrosinase or tyrosinase synthesis in a skin cell, or inhibiting melanin transport to keratinocytes in a skin cell. The composition can act as an alpha melanin stimulatory hormone antagonist. The composition can even out pigmentation of the skin. In non-limiting aspect, lightening skin can include reducing the appearance of an age spot, a skin discoloration, or a freckle.

[0019]Also disclosed is a method of treating hyperpigmentation comprising applying the compositions of the present invention to the skin. The method can also comprise identifying a person in need of treating hyperpigmentation. Additional methods contemplated by the inventor include methods for reducing the appearance of an age spot, a skin discoloration, or a freckle, reducing or preventing the appearance of fine lines or wrinkles in skin, or increasing the firmness of skin.

[0020]Compositions comprising both kakadu plum extract and acai berry extract can produce synergistic effects. For example, the two extracts can work together synergistically to produce effects that exceed the effects of what would be expected if the extracts were used in separate compositions. Non-limiting synergistic effects include the reduction of internal or external oxidative damage, increased collagen production, reduction in inflammatory responses and the inhibition of melanogenesis.

[0021]Compositions comprising both kakadu plum extract and acai berry extract can also act in a complementary fashion. For example, kakadu plum extract can reduce inflammatory responses (e.g., the reduction of inflammatory cytokine production) by certain cytokines that are not reduced, or not as significantly reduced, by acai berry extract, and vice-versa.

Problems solved by technology

With ageing, chronic exposure to adverse environmental factors, or malnutrition, the visual appearance, physical properties, and physiological functions of skin can change in ways that are considered visually undesirable.

Several of the above methods have been shown to have various drawbacks, such as significant irritation to the skin or skin toxicity.

In addition, most of these methods involve the invocation of chronic damage to the skin, which sets up repair mechanisms.

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