Elizabeth Arden, Inc. enters the global professional skin-care market with the launch of Triple Protection Factor Broad Spectrum Sunscreen SPF 50+, a product that combines protective and restorative ingredients for a superior UV-exposure benefit compared with existing products from competitors, the company says.

The sun-protection formula, dubbed TPF 50, is the flagship offering in a “comprehensive” Elizabeth Arden RX skin-care line in development, according to the firm’s March 4 release. Products in the collection will be available exclusively through physicians’ offices beginning in April 2014, Arden says.

“We identified an opportunity for innovation in this category and concentrated our research on the development of a breakthrough product that addresses multiple benefits and provides unparalleled skin protection; TPF 50 is the culmination of these efforts,” Arden President and CEO E. Scott Beattie asserts.

The firm’s foray into professional skin care represents a “key pillar” in its omni-channel growth strategy, Arden says.

TPF 50’s triple protection consists of an SPF 50 physical sunscreen with actives titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, an Antioxidant Complex “to protect essential skin proteins against harmful degradation” and a DNA Enzyme Complex, which “helps protect against free-radical damage to support the skin’s own natural repair system,” according to the release.

Specifically, the DNA Enzyme Complex features photolyase and endonuclease to help prevent free-radical damage, as well as 8-oxoguanine glycosylase, which protects against guanine oxidation.

The Antioxidant Complex is made up of Arazine, a patented free-radical-scavenging ingredient developed by Signum Biosciences that helps prevent skin inflammation, L-carnosine to guard against protein glycation and carbonylation and L-ergothioneine, which offers further protection, Arden says.

Signum collaborated with Arden on development of TPF 50, along with Joe Lewis, CEO of US CosmeceuTechs, LLC, which bills itself as “the most innovative source of anti-aging science and proprietary patented technologies for the professional and physician skincare market.”

According to Arden, Lewis is credited with the introduction of “some of the world’s most cutting-edge skin-care ingredients,” including alpha hydroxy acid, idebenone and CoffeeBerry.

With a proposed FDA rule in play that would cap SPF levels on sunscreen products marketed in the U.S. at 50+, Arden’s play on the familiar terminology with TPF 50 could represent a way to get an edge on competitors without driving SPF integers into realms where some stakeholders, including members of Congress, believe their meaning for consumers and practical value is lost Also see "Senators Push FDA For SPF Cap, Spray Sunscreen Review" - HBW Insight, 10 June, 2013..

Study Shows Synergistic Benefit, Comparative Superiority

The concept behind TPF 50 is explained in a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology that pitted Arden’s topical all-in-one TPF 50 formula against competing products and regimens featuring DNA enzymes, antioxidants and/or growth factors in combination with SPF 50 sun protection.

Clinical pathologist and lead author Enzo Emanuele, CEO of Living Research s.a.s. in Robbio, Italy, explains: “Although traditional sunscreens remain the mainstay for the prevention of UVR-induced skin damage, they cannot ensure a complete protection against the whole spectrum of molecular lesions associated with UVR exposure.”

The double-blind study investigated the effectiveness of TPF 50 at reducing the formation of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPD) and 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2’-deoxyguanosine (8OHdG) – two key DNA lesions associated with photoaging and tumor development – as well as protein carbonylation (PC), “a major form of irreversible protein damage that inactivates their biological function,” in irradiated human skin biopsies.

The performance of Arden’s product relative to those biomarkers was compared with that of other topical products boasting DNA-repair, antioxidant and/or growth-factor benefits, including offerings from cosmeceutical skin-care brands Neova, Obagi, SkinCeuticals and SkinMedica. Items that did not offer broad-spectrum sun protection in themselves were coupled with SPF 50 sunscreen formulas from Neutrogena and other brands.

According to the study, TPF 50’s components exhibited a synergistic effect in reducing CPD and PC – i.e., the individual agents’ efficacy was multiplied when they were combined in one product – and together had an additive impact on 8OHdG reduction. The investigators theorize that 8OHdG, “a highly specific lesion,” is “more difficult to fix.”

In head-to-head testing, TPF 50 outperformed all other formulas and product combinations. The authors note that Arden’s product was more effective than the closest competing regimen (Neova SPF 44 plus Neova Total DNA Repair) by 92% at reducing CPD, 31% at reducing 8OHdG and 42% at reducing PC.

“The importance of combining different protective complexes is clearly demonstrated by our study, because it is known that traditional sunscreens are able to block 98% of UVB but only 45%-55% of UVA radiation. Moreover, traditional sunscreen SPF is solely based on the protective effect toward the development of erythema, without insights on a topical product’s effectiveness in reducing UVR-related DNA or protein damage,” the authors explain.

Arden is touting TPF 50 as “the most effective topical skin protection on the market.”

Study co-author James Spencer, a professor of clinical dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and member of the American Academy of Dermatology board of directors, states in the firm’s release: “With the introduction of TPF 50, Elizabeth Arden is taking an all-inclusive approach, setting a new standard in skin protection.”

The firm says TPF 50 helps users maintain “radiant, glowing skin day after day” and comes in a universal tint compatible with all skin tones.

The Elizabeth Arden Rx line will debut at the AAD annual meeting March 21-25 in Denver, Colo.

Elizabeth Arden Goes Pro With TPF 50, Sets “New Standard” In Sunscreen

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