- Title: How silk can replace artificial ingredients in skin care and clothing
- Date: 1st February 2020
- Summary: MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES (RECENT - JANUARY 14, 2020) (REUTERS) SILK COCOONS VARIOUS OF EVOLVED BY NATURE CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, GREG ALTMAN, WITH SILK COCOONS MACHINE USED TO WASH SILK COCOON AND MACHINE USED TO DISSOLVE COCOONS IN SALT WATER (BROWN WATER) MACHINE WASHING COCOONS VARIOUS OF ALTMAN OPENING MACHINE USED TO DRY COCOONS VARIOUS OF ALTMAN SHOWING DRIED COCOONS (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVOLVED BY NATURE CO-FOUNDER AND CEO GREG ALTMAN, SAYING: "What we do is we purify the silk protein. We remove all contaminants, so we're left with just the protein and fiber form." LABORATORY WHERE SALT IS REMOVED FROM SILK (PURIFICATION) VARIOUS OF ALTMAN AND EVOLVED BY NATURE CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, BECK LACOUTURE, TALKING (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVOLVED BY NATURE CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT BECK LACOUTURE, SAYING: "So, activated silk is really us taking silk all the way back to the natural state that silk is found in in the silkworm. So we are taking silk protein and unlocking its potential, so using the different regions of the silk to our benefit. So if we are trying to make something water repellent, then we pick one of the areas of the silk that would encourage water repellency. If we're trying to make something wick, we would select an area of the protein sequence that would lead to that property. So hidden within the silk sequence are all of these different properties. And by activated silk we mean picking those different regions from the silk where we've unlocked it through our manufacturing process and then can get the benefit of that chemistry." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WORKING IN LABORATORY (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVOLVED BY NATURE CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, BECK LACOUTURE, SAYING: "So, activated silk is serving a number of purposes depending on the specific formulation. In some formulations, the activated silk is the active ingredient. It's actually firming your skin. The proteins are able to bind with your skin and help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. In other cases, the silk is what's giving the product its texture. So you'll see we have some gel-based products where we actually use the silk to form a gel." VARIOUS OF WORKER BOTTLING GEL FACIAL CLEANSER VARIOUS OF CLEANSER BOTTLES (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVOLVED BY NATURE CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, BECK LACOUTURE, SAYING: "All of our products have 12 ingredients or less. And that's so that we can give you the highest concentration of the active ingredients and ingredients that will have a good purpose for your skin." VARIOUS OF WOMAN MIXING BEAUTY INGREDIENTS VARIOUS OF LACOUTURE AND ALTMAN LOOKING AT MATERIALS (SOUNDBITE) (English) EVOLVED BY NATURE CO-FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, BECK LACOUTURE, SAYING: "So beyond our skin care line, activated silk is used as an ingredient in the textile industry. Most people don't know that your yoga pants, for instance, probably have three to five different chemicals on them. The chemicals are applied to make the fabric feel smooth, to make the fabric last longer, to help with anti-odor over time when you're using the fabric. And those chemicals come off as you wash them. So they're both coming off in your washing machine and going down into the waterways as well as into your skin. So if you think about working out in your yoga pants, you're probably sweating. You might be pulling some of the chemistry off and having that on your skin. So it was a natural second place to go after our skin care line was to start thinking about other ways you're exposing yourself to different chemistries. Is there a way that we could use activated silk to replace those chemicals? And so we've shown in textiles, for instance, that we could use chemistry to replace some of the wicking agents that are on." WORKER DIPPING NYLON MATERIAL INTO ACTIVATED SILK SOLUTION AND RUNNING THROUGH MACHINE WORKER HOLDING NYLON MATERIAL VARIOUS OF ACTIVATED SILK SOLUTIONS VARIOUS OF 'SILK THERAPEUTICS' PRODUCTS EVOLVED BY NATURE SIGN ON DOOR WOMAN WALKING THROUGH DOOR
- Embargoed: 15th February 2020 11:20
- Keywords: Beck Lacouture Chanel Evolved By Nature Greg Altman activated silk environment silk protein
- Location: MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES
- City: MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Science
- Reuters ID: LVA001BYX4QJD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Most consumers are unaware of the potentially harmful chemicals that can be found in skin care products and on clothing.
Artificial ingredients such at parabens, which are used to prolong the shelf-life of a skin care product, have been linked to hormone and fertility damage. Formaldehyde, also used as a preservative in skin care products, is a known carcinogen. Formaldehyde is also an additive used on some clothing to prevent wrinkles and stains.
Now a small company outside of Boston aims to lead to effort to replace artificial chemicals with natural silk protein in both skin care products and textiles.
Evolved By Nature, based in Medford, Massachusetts, is applying modern biotechnology to centuries-old silk to create activated silk.
"Activated silk is really us taking silk all the way back to the natural state that silk is found in in the silkworm," described Evolved By Nature Co-founder and President Beck Lacouture.
"We are taking silk protein and unlocking its potential, using the different regions of the silk to our benefit," she said.
The process of activating the silk requires nothing more than salt, water and heat, no added chemicals.
"We remove all contaminants, so we're left with just the protein and fiber form," said Evolved By Nature Co-founder and CEO Greg Altman.
Inside the laboratory, the cocoons spun from silkworms are washed to remove its natural sticky outer coating, dried, and dissolved in salt water. The brown, syrupy mix is then purified by the removal of salt. What's left is pure, liquid, silk protein or activated silk. It can be used in a variety of skin care and clothing products.
Lacouture, an ovarian cancer survivor, said she created the company to offer consumers natural alternatives to products with potentially harmful ingredients.
Evolved By Nature's first product line was a skin regimen called Silk Therapeutics.
"The activated silk is the active ingredient. It's actually firming your skin," said Lacouture. "The proteins are able to bind with your skin and help to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles."
Silk Therapeutics is sold online and in Harrods department store in London.
Activated silk also has benefits for everyday clothing.
"If we are trying to make something water repellent, then we pick one of the areas of the silk that would encourage water repellency. If we're trying to make something wick, we would select an area of the protein sequence that would lead to that property. Hidden within the silk sequence are all of these different properties," Lacouture said.
Activated silk is not only good for your body, it's also good for the planet because toxic chemicals are not washed into the water supply, Lacouture added.
"Most people don't know that your yoga pants, for instance, probably have three to five different chemicals on them. The chemicals are applied to make the fabric feel smooth, to make the fabric last longer, to help with anti-odor over time when you're using the fabric. And those chemicals come off as you wash them. So they're both coming off in your washing machine and going down into the waterways as well as into your skin."
It's an idea that is both revolutionary and old as time. Since the ancient Silk Road, silk has been a prized textile. It's both soft and strong, and helps the body retain heat in cold weather and stay cool in hot weather. It also helps the skin retain moisture better than cotton.
Impressed with the technology, Chanel Inc. announced its commitment to green chemistry last year with an undisclosed investment into Evolved By Nature. Evolved By Nature said it aims to offer its technology to various product lines and clothing brands.
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