Cranberry Seed Oil Acts as Antimicrobial, Antioxidant in Personal Care, Cosmetic Applications

Photo © iStockphoto.com/Anna Khomulo

Cranberry ingredients supplier Fruit d’Or Nutraceuticals (Villeroy, QC, Canada), and RSSI Inc., the partner and global business development arm of Fruit d’Or, are partnering with a biotechnology firm called Hydromer Inc. to create antimicrobial/antioxidant personal care and cosmetic products using Fruit d’Or’s organic cranberry seed oil, known commercially as Cran Naturelle.

The exclusive partnership is the result of “newly discovered synergies” between Cran Naturelle and Hydromer’s patented botanical carvacrol technology, which is a blend of natural ingredients derived from oregano, lecithin, and xanthan gum. According to Fruit d’Or, it will be the first company to launch this ingredient technology combination in the cosmetics and personal care categories.

In a press statement from Fruit d’Or, Stephen Lukawski, CEO, RSSI, stated that the partnership will open up new development opportunities for cranberry products in the nutraceutical, cosmetic, and personal care categories. “Fruit d’Or was the first to extract the oil from the organic cranberry seed,” he said. “We knew from previous research that our organic Cran Naturelle oil is a powerful antimicrobial as well as antioxidant. We were anxious to learn what would happen when it was combined with carvacrol technology.”

The companies found that when combined with the carvacrol technology, Cran Naturelle increased the microbial kill rate to 100% against pathogens like S. aureus and E. coli, among others.

Eric Becktel, co-inventor of Hydromer’s carvacrol technology, explained: “After receiving samples of organic Cran Naturelle oil for testing, in combination with our carvacrol technology, we determined that organic Cran Naturelle oil significantly increased the microbial kill rate to 100%.”

Added Lukawski: “Cranberry oil as an antioxidant, combined with the carvacrol technology, will be a game-changer for our nutraceutical world as it will be an all-natural barrier to fight against bacteria, viruses, and fungi.”  

In addition to its antimicrobial benefits, Cran Naturelle offers other benefits for cosmetic and personal care applications, as well, the company says.  According to Lukawski Cran Naturelle is “one of the most unsaturated oils available,” which makes it highly moisturizing.  And, because cranberry seed oil possesses a high vitamin E content, it is ideal for formulation into products that require stabilizing, emulsifying, and penetrating actions, Lukawski added.

In addition, he said, the cranberry oil is more than 95% fatty acids, meaning that it may help to protect the protective lipid barrier of the skin. In the press statement, the company also noted that its cranberry seed oil has been approved by Health Canada with a therapeutic claim for its omega-3, -6, and -9 fatty acids health benefits.

Becktel said that the companies have already developed prototypes combining the carvacrol technology with Cran Naturelle. Both companies will be showcasing their collaborative prototypes at Vitafoods Europe, held this year from May 15-17 in Geneva, Switzerland.

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