AIM share code: SKIN

25 April 2019

Integumen PLC

("Integumen" or "Company")

Launch of New Animal-Free Labskin Dandruff Test

Labskin STOER study demonstrates 54% increase in skin rehydration in 24 hours
Promotion of new skin cells leaving fresher looking skin

Integumen today announces the completion of development and launch of a new dandruff test on its animal-free Labskin test platform.  The Company also reports additional successful results of research assessing the impact of STOER products on rehydration of the skin.

Unique Animal-Free Anti-Dandruff testing:

The new Labskin test uses a unique scalp variation that mimics skin bacteria and dandruff, in both healthy and 'itchy' states.  This allows for dandruff relief and scalp protection products to be tested effectively on a realistic human skin model in a laboratory setting without the need to test on animals.

Labskin full thickness human skin equivalent is suitable for testing irritation under guideline 439 of the OECD* (see below). Populating and growing bacteria, sourced from human scalp, onto Labskin, clearly demonstrates the effective response of the irritation and hydration tests. 

STEOR For Men Serum Labskin tests improves skin hydration

Labskin treated with STOER Serum demonstrated a 54% increase in skin hydration after 24 hours and 22% higher after 48 hours.  This effect was seen in the lower layers of the epidermis and at the junction with the dermis, not just the surface.  The depth of hydration seen in results of this study validate the long-term effects of using the STOER Serum.

STEOR Power Mask Labskin test packs a punch

The hydration of Labskin treated with STOER Power Mask was 63% higher after 24 hours and 34% higher after 48 hours.  As with the STOER Serum, this effect was seen in the lower layers of the epidermis and at the junction with the dermis, not just the surface, demonstrating a long-lasting effect on the skin.

Gerard Brandon, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"Integumen's strategy is to provide a unique animal-free skin testing platform to test and validate product effects in the pharma, healthcare and beauty industries.  Since the beginning of the year, Labskin has demonstrated the ability to substantiate accurate skin care product claims beyond the usual 74% of women or men.  We work with our skin care partners who are constantly looking for that competitive edge, to prove the impact of their product claims while maintaining an ethical product on the market. 

"Our new Labskin dandruff scalp test not only provides a human skin model in a laboratory setting without the need to test on animals but opens the door to the global hair care market which is expected to reach USD $110.70 Billion by 2024*."

* OECD Guidelines for the Testing of Chemicals are a set of internationally accepted specifications for the testing of chemicals decided on by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. They were first published in 1981.

** Source: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/07/09/1534543/0/en/Global-Hair-Care-Market-Expected-to-Reach-USD-110-70-Billion-by-2024-Zion-Market-Research.html

About Integumen:

Integumen is a vertically integrated business, collaborating their Labskin technology platform with partners in artificial intelligence, clinical research, medical device and life science. These collaborators are building their own technology on top of the Labskin AI backbone. Labskin allows skin-care, health-care, pharmaceutical manufacturers and cosmetic companies to test their products on human-like skin in a real-world environment with full access to multiple state-of-the-art partner technologies.

The Company combines data analytics with access to therapeutic operational expertise and offers solutions to our clients, from regulatory approvals, right through to marketing fully tested ingredients that have been certified on our Laboratory grown living human tissue.