NATURAL DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NEUTRAL

NATURE’s TAKE ON THE TRENDING COLOUR - MAGENTA

One of the natural product trends we’ve seen evolve over the past decade is a shift away from muted tans and “earthy” tones to more vibrant, eye-catching colours. More conscious consumers aren’t so easily tricked by the outer packaging anymore, and are more interested in what’s inside the product. So, brands are getting more creative with their packaging and using their hero botanicals as the feature hue for their products.

So, when Pantone announced 2023 as the year of “Viva Magenta” we couldn’t wait to get writing this piece because there is so much more to this colour than meets the eye. In the botanical world, plants that reflect this colour typically have a range of water-soluble compounds that are known for supporting health and wellbeing – many of which we capture in our Cellular Extracts!

Read on to find out what compounds contribute to this colour in nature, what Cellular Extracts feature these compounds, and how you can translate these extracts into your own products to stay colorfully on trend in 2023!

 

NATURE – THE TRUE TREND-SETTER

Our Senior Biotechnologist and Nutrition Specialist, Dr Evan Stephens, predicted that this and the upcoming years would see a major focus on phyto-compounds - especially those with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Dr Stephens in Cosmetics Design Asia Interview
“Innovation 2022: Three Exciting Areas of Research
Set to Shape Beauty and Personal Care”

There are about 6,000 known flavonoids that contribute to the colourful pigments of fruits, herbs, vegetables and medicinal plants. So what are the chances Pantone picked Magenta?  Who knew there were so many health-promoting properties in these bright botanicals? As they said in their annual release, “it is a shade rooted in nature descending from the red family and expressive of a new signal of strength.” It’s interesting and validating to know that as much as we want to believe we are leading the trends through science, design and other sectors, that nature is truly leading these trends, pushing for health and betterment. Nature is the original chemist.

 

Image source:  Panche AN, Diwan AD, Chandra SR. Flavonoids: an overview.
J Nutr Sci. 2016 Dec 29;5:e47. doi: 10.1017/jns.2016.41.
PMID: 28620474; PMCID: PMC5465813. 

In the same way that Flavonoids help protect plants from stresses like ultraviolet light, frost, heat, and dry conditions, so do some of these compounds for humans, acting as free-radical scavengers and antioxidants beneficial for human health.

 

ANTHOCYANINS – MEET MAGENTA’S MAKER

Carotenoids, anthocyanins and betacyanins are the three families of pigments responsible for the natural display of red colours in plants. It’s evident in many of our Cellular Extracts’ LCMS (Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) analysis, as we often see peaks of anthocyanin accompanying red-coloured species.

Looking for sources of Anthocyanin? It is featured in our Davidson Plum, Quandong, Lilli Pilli, Illawara Plum, Grapeseed, Rosella Cellular Extracts along with these botanicals concert of phyto-compounds - the water-soluble entourage. Literature reviews on Anthocyanin illustrate its value in supporting aging skin, wrinkles, UV damage, acne, collagen support, and so much more!

And for all our formulating friends out there trying to create “Viva Magenta” in their next products this year, it’s important to note that the colour of anthocyanins is pH-dependent. In aqueous solution at pH 1–3 they are red coloured, at pH 5 they form a colourless carbinol pseudo base and, at pH > 6 they are converted in a blue-purple quinoidal base. Colour can also be influenced by other variables like light, oxygen, metal ions, enzymes, cultivar, growing area, processing, etc.

That’s why we continually test our Cellular Extracts to ensure a sustained quality and concentration of compounds. It’s also why we work closely with our growers to find producers that care about producing quality crops, because healthy plants are healthy for the planet and people!

 

‘VIVA MAGENTA’ FOR VITALITY

Anthocyanins have an array of health benefits as mentioned, from supporting cardiovascular health to halting age-related health disorders and even cognitive declines. But for topical application, the anti-inflammatory potentional is most promising.  Pomegranates, cherries and other red fruits have long been valued for their nutritional benefits, but through our research at NATIVE EXTRACTS, we’ve identified a range of native Australian species that offer NEW species to consider for functional health-enhancing ingredients.