Kiwi company Revolution Fibres has developed a natural skincare product made from Hoki skins that helps reduce wrinkles, heal burns and enhance medical treatments.
actiVLayr, made by West Auckland nanofibre producer Revolution Fibres, uses collagen extracted from fish skins as a base ingredient which is then combined with elements such as fruit extracts and hyaluronic acid to make a 100 percent natural and sustainably sourced product.
It is being launched at the China Beauty Fair in Shanghai and will go on sale in China this month followed by Hong Kong and New Zealand later in the year.
Revolution Fibres CEO Iain Hosie says there is big demand for unique delivery systems of natural skin and beauty products such as actiVLayr in Asia, which was the key reason to launch the product in China.
Hosie says the beauty of the product is that it takes a material from the fishing industry which would previously have been turned into pet food or fish meal and transforms it into a completely natural skin product.
The latest independent testing has found actiVLayr helps reduce wrinkles by up to 31.5 percent.*
“The way actiVLayr is produced, and the unique application method of placing it onto wet skin like a mask, means ingredients are absorbed quickly and efficiently into the skin to maximise the repair and protection of the skin.
“There are endless uses for actiVLayr and the one we’re most proud of is in the medical area with the ability for drug compounds or medicines to be added to the actiVLayr formula. It will enable a controlled dose to be delivered to a patient with skin lesions, burns or acne.”
The Hoki skins used in Revolution Fibre’s product are sourced from New Zealand’s largest and oldest seafood company, Sanford.
Sanford’s Chief Customer Officer, Andre Gargiulo, says working with the team at Revolution Fibres is a natural fit, because both company’s think about innovation and sustainability in the same way.
“We hope actiVLayr gets the global attention it deserves, and we’re delighted that our sustainably caught Hoki is part of this fantastic New Zealand product. It’s exactly what we’re all about at Sanford – making the most of the precious resources from the sea, working in a sustainable way and getting the most value out of the goodness we harvest from nature.”
Sanford provides the collagen from its sustainably caught hoki skins. It turns these skins into pure collagen using the science and skills of the team at Plant and Food in Nelson. Revolution Fibres transforms the Sanford product into nanofibre using a technique called electrospinning of which Revolution Fibres are the New Zealand pioneers.
During the electrospinning process natural ingredients known as “bioactives” (such as kiwifruit and grapes) and hyaluronic acid (an ingredient to help the skin retain moisture) are bonded to the nanofibres to create sheets of actiVLayr. When it is exposed to wet skin the nanofibres dissolve rapidly and release the bioactives deep into the skin.
Revolution Fibres is tripling production to meet orders for actiVLayr in China, and the increased demand for nanofibre products from a diverse range of sectors, including Formula One racing teams and the aerospace industry.
“We’ve had to ramp up production to ensure we can supply a wide range of new clients and opportunities. There is now a steady stream of industries embracing what nanofibre for performance and competitive edge, and that will only increase as research uncovers even greater opportunities in life sciences. The potential for nanofibre is limitless.”
He says companies are constantly searching for ways to improve products, making them better and stronger or to enhance existing products.
“That’s the beauty of nanofibre, it can give those in highly competitive industries, where innovation is key, a crucial edge over the competition.”
The company led the commercialisation of nanofibre technology in New Zealand with product lines such as filters for HRV Next Generation ventilation systems, the anti-allergy pillow liner Nanodream, and high-performance carbon fibre reinforcement products.
*Testing conducted by Easy Care using VISIA Complexion Analysis