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hair removal
With a visit coming up tomorrow from Magnasweet, I decided to research the company’s products in case I had missed something. It appears that I had. My initial interest is in ammoniated glycyrrhizic acid, which I want to use in our anti-acne gel product, but I found this which looks very interesting. So, if I can get the glycyrrhizic acid, I think I might begin the design of a facial hair removal product. The market would be enormous. Thank goodness I’m not in the USA, because I don’t think it would be classed as a cosmetic.
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25 Replies
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Surprised not to get any interest in this. I just saw the rep and have arranged for a sample of the active. Product development should begin in a couple of weeks.
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It is interesting!
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Belassi, I didn’t know glycerrizhic acid was keratolytic. Or is it the ammonium salt that is? Wonder what the activity is relative to thiols? I’ll be interested in your results.
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I haven’t been able to find any human tests at all. It appears that Dr Bernd is still at the same university so I will have to see if I can get in touch with him … my German is very basic, I hope he speaks English or Spanish!
The pure acid was used in the original tests. It appears to be relatively insoluble in water and I don’t much like alcohol in a skin product so I will be looking to develop an alternative, probably an emulsion. The original looks like it is a solution rather than emulsion. I’m going to have to recruit a panel of testers.According to my health department guidelines such a product development should be marketable here in Mexico and also in the UK, but I don’t think would be allowed in the USA due to the way the FDA works. -
It seems there has been quite a lot of interest in this from the general public. I’ve seen forums where people are ordering the pure acid from China at around $1,000/kg (good grief I asked my rep for a 150g sample he must be shaking his head) and since this paper was published 4 years ago I don’t understand why I haven’t seen commercial products on the shelf.
Update: Possibly price. It’s an expensive material. However, I see no problem in marketing it against costly laser treatments and painful waxing. I estimate a price point of around $60 retail for a 2 oz package. -
This Sounds interesting!
If you have communicating Problems May be i can help for translation.I also think there is no problem with the pricing if your product really works and usable at low dosages.
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Thanks Lara. I am talking to both Indena and one Chinese supplier at the moment.
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Well, I’m talking to two Chinese suppliers at the moment and prices are OK. One of them offers the dipotassium salt and the other, the acid at 14% concentration which is pretty much what I need. Probably I will obtain supplies of both.
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I decided to focus on the hair removal product first, although the dipotassium salt appears to have possible benefits for therapeutic products e.g. acne, skin lightening … so I’m going to order both the 12% and 95% concentrations of the pure acid. I guess I’ll be able to formulate trial preparations in a couple of weeks or less. I can’t shake the feeling “Surely someone else must have tried this? Am I wasting time and money?”
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@Belassi, don’t ever think you are wasting time and money on creativity, many others would think like that and never attempt it. So, you may be pioneering something there. Even if you discovered that someone else has done something similar, it means that “someone” has done some preparatory work for your market. So, go for it!
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It is as if someone or something really doesn’t want me to do this.
The latest, is that the sample I had asked for, from a US company that goes back to 1900 . . . they sent it to me directly via DHL.Same trap. Since I am not a licenced importer, I can’t clear it; other than by employing a clearance company that would charge me at least $500 for the privilege.The Chinese consignment has now arrived back in China and they are splitting it into four and sending it airmail. But guess what? The Chinese government has cracked down on exports of powder products and so the packages will have to be labelled - well, let’s not get into that.Hmmm . . . I have a friend in a top position at BAT, and glycrrhizin is used by the tobacco industry to make cigarettes taste sweet. -
This indeed sounds very promising? Any updates? I sent you a PM
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No progress yet, still in the “obtain primary materials” level!
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Hi Belassi
I definitely agree this could be an effective alternative to other depilatory options out there at the moment. Especially considering the how much “natural” market has grown. I think being able to say to a client that a product has naturally derived ingredients is now a big draw card.
When you add in the points that is painless and also reduces hair re-growth by at least 50% it becomes hugely beneficial, particularly to the shavers, depilatory cream users, and people with pili multigemini folliculitis.
I am sure there are a lot of beauty therapists (myself included) and hair removal specialists out there that would like to try this.
I would be interested to know whether it would work equally well on both bark and light hair and what effects it may have on the skin.
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I will be keeping the forum up to date on progress. I’m hoping that the air mail samples will arrive soon.
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Got the samples. Wow this stuff is potent. Incredibly sweet. The slightest trace and I taste licorice for hours.
I made up the test solution very easily, the 95% gl acid dissolved easily in 70% ethanol then I added the 5% urea in hot water, the result a clear, straw-coloured liquid of intense sweetness.It didn’t gel like the published paper said. Probably because I am using the acid rather than its ammonium salt? I’ll add a thickener, glucamate VLT. -
I picked up a product on ebay that claims to be 98, color is dark brown and taste is also sweet. Seems way to cheap to be the real thing though. I’ve only used it once, dissolved in 50% glycerine. So far no hair removal though!
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98% and dark brown? I doubt it. The 12% is a light brown. The 95% is white powder.
The initial prep didn’t quite work out; after cooling to 10C and maintaining that for a while, a precipitate formed (a thin, clear plastic-like sheet) of similar density to the remaining liquid. Perhaps too much of the gl acid to remain in solution. -
Any final results?
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Yes.
Tried this on the leg.After testing the exact same preparation for four months, the result was an INCREASE in hair density. Evidently rats and humans are a bit different. The effect was noticeable. -
Dude… Natural minoxidil? Way more valuable than a depilatory.
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Oh wow I could use some for my scalp, natural alternative to minoxidil or finasteride???
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I understand from my reading that licorice extract may act as an anti-androgen. A lot of hair loss is caused by androgenic effects (male pattern baldness being the prime example). If anyone wants to try it, I can make some samples available. 50 grams would be sufficient to make about 350 grams of test solution at 15% concentration.
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GA treatment significantly inhibited photoaging.
The main problem I have with this substance is the lack of data. -
Very interesting, in combination with a gum it becomes an emulsifier according to this patent.
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