Natural ingredients are gaining ground in skincare, but efficacy now matters as much as origin. Isabelle Jaouen, R&D Director at Alland & Robert, explains how proteomics is revealing gum acacia’s bioactive potential.
COSSMA: What is driving the growing interest in natural ingredients as active components in modern
skincare formulations?
Isabelle Jaouen: What we are witnessing today is a profound shift in expectations, from both consumers and brands. It is no longer sufficient for an ingredient to be natural. It must also perform, and that performance must be demonstrable. We have observed this evolution very closely. Brands are under pressure to reconcile the appeal of natural sourcing with the rigor of scientific evidence. The question is no longer ‘Is it natural?’ but ‘What does it actually do to the skin, and how do we prove it?’ That is precisely the challenge we set out to address with our proteomic research on gum acacia.
How are proteomic studies changing the way cosmetic ingredients are evaluated and positioned in the market?
Proteomics has been a game-changer for us. When we conducted our study between June and October 2025, in collaboration with Elysia Bioscience, we were able to identify the activity of 5,144 proteins on reconstructed human dermis and epidermis using mass spectrometry. What this gives you is not an impression or a tradition, it is a molecular reading of what the ingredient is actually doing inside the skin. For the industry, this means we can now move away from empirical claims and anchor our positioning in hard biological data. It changes the conversation entirely, both internally with R&D teams and externally with brands seeking to substantiate their claims.
Why is gum acacia now being considered more than just a texturizing or film-forming ingredient?
Gum acacia has been used for centuries, and for most of that time, the cosmetics industry valued it almost exclusively for its technical properties: its ability to stabilize emulsions, create films, improve texture. And those properties are real and valuable. But our proteomic study has revealed something that was always there, waiting to be measured: gum acacia has genuine biological activity on the skin. It acts at the cellular level. That is a paradigm shift. We are not reinventing the ingredient. We are finally seeing it fully, for what it truly is.
Which biological effects on the skin appear to be most promising for gum
acacia in dermo-cosmetic applications?
Our study identified four effects that I find particularly exciting from a dermo-cosmetic perspective: the strengthening of cell junctions, the stimulation of structural keratins, the restoration of the skin barrier function, and the activation of the skin repair process. What strikes me about this combination is how coherent it is: these are not isolated or incidental effects. They form a consistent biological narrative around skin integrity and resilience. For formulators working on sensitive skin or barrier-repair products, this is extremely meaningful data.
How important is scientific validation for consumer trust in today’s beauty and skincare industry?
It is absolutely central, and I would say it is only going to become more so. We are in an era of radical transparency. Consumers are more informed, regulators are more demanding, and brands know that a claim without substantiation is a liability, not an asset. When we present proteomic data to our partners, we are not just giving them a selling point. We are giving them a defense. Science builds trust, and trust builds loyalty. This is why we invested in this level of research. We believe that the future of natural ingredients depends on our ability to prove what they do, not just celebrate what they are.
What advantages do multifunctional
natural ingredients offer compared to
traditional synthetic actives?
The advantages are multiple, and they compound one another. A multifunctional natural ingredient like gum acacia can serve both a technical and an active role within the same formula – which immediately speaks to the minimalist trend.
Beyond that, natural polymers tend to be better tolerated by sensitive or reactive skin, which is a significant commercial advantage. And of course, they meet the sustainability and sourcing expectations that are now non-negotiable for many brands. The question used to be: ‘Can natural match synthetic in performance?’ Our work suggests the answer is increasingly yes – provided we invest in the science to demonstrate it.
How can combinations of natural polymers create synergistic benefits for skin health and protection?
This is one of the most exciting directions we are exploring. When we combine gum acacia with gum karaya – another natural polymer we know very well – we observe synergistic effects that go beyond what either ingredient achieves alone, and these effects are corroborated by distinct protein signatures. The combined system acts on both the epidermis and the dermis, stimulates cell energy, reduces inflammatory markers, and strengthens resistance to environmental stress. What this tells us is that natural polymers, when intelligently combined, can build genuinely comprehensive skin protection systems. We are really only at the beginning of understanding these interactions.
In what ways could natural active
ingredients support the growing demand for clean and minimalist beauty products?
Multifunctionality is the key answer here. Clean beauty is not simply about removing ingredients – it is about achieving more with less. When a single ingredient can simultaneously provide texture, barrier support, and biological activity, it becomes extraordinarily valuable to a formulator trying to keep an INCI list short and meaningful. Gum acacia fits that profile perfectly. Its hybrid positioning – technical ingredient and organic active in one – is exactly what minimalist formulation demands. It is a rare case where the trend and the science are genuinely aligned.
What challenges remain when developing high-performance formulations based
primarily on natural ingredients?
I would not want to paint an entirely rosy picture – there are real challenges. Natural ingredients can be variable in composition depending on origin, season, or harvesting conditions, which demands rigorous quality control. Demonstrating efficacy at levels that are meaningful in a finished formula – not just in a laboratory model – requires sustained investment. And changing the perception of formulators who have been trained to reach for synthetic actives takes time and education. At Alland & Robert, we see these as challenges worth taking on. But they require honesty, patience, and a long-term commitment to the science.
Looking ahead, do you believe natural
bioactive ingredients could redefine future dermo-cosmetic standards?
I do – genuinely and not just because I work with these ingredients every day. What we are seeing with gum acacia is the beginning of something larger: a generation of natural ingredients that can be fully characterized at the molecular level, whose biological contributions can be measured and communicated with confidence. When naturalness, science and effectiveness truly converge – and I believe we are reaching that point – the standards of what a dermo-cosmetic ingredient must prove will shift accordingly. Gum acacia, for us, is both a proof of concept and a statement of intent. The future of dermo-cosmetics will be natural and rigorous. Not one or the other.
Isabelle Jaouen
R&D Director, Alland et Robert, Saint Aubin sur Gaillon, France, www.allandetrobert.com