Goji Berry Fruit Extract (INCI: Lycium barbarum Fruit Extract)

The goji berry plant, also known as the wolfberry plant, is a woody shrub (or small tree, depending on the variety) that is native to Asia, particularly China. The fruit is a bright reddish-orange oval containing small, yellow seeds. The goji berry fruit has been eaten in Asian countries for centuries and has gained a worldwide reputation as a superfood due to the high nutritional value of the pulp and juice. In culinary preparations, the berries are boiled to make tea, fermented to make wine, and used in various sauces. Medicinally, goji berries have been used in traditional Chinese preparations for vision related diseases, to protect the liver, improve circulation, improve mental health, and increase general longevity.

It is the wide spectrum of phytonutrients contained in the fruit that is of interest for skincare formulations as these compounds have a broad array of beneficial effects in protecting the skin from various hallmarks of aging. Some of these nutrients that goji berry fruit extract contains are: 11 of the 22 essential dietary trace minerals (calcium, potassium, iron, zinc, selenium, etc), 18 amino acids, several vitamins (including a high amount of vitamin C), carotenoids (beta carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, lycopene, crytoxanthin, and xanthophyll), and various polysaccharides.

These phytonutrients, and undoubtedly ones yet to be isolated, are responsible for the goji berry’s status as a superfruit, specifically by virtue of its high ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) rating. In clinical studies performed in China on the goji berry, it was shown to increase adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production by nearly 20%. This is an incredibly interesting property as ATP is the cellular energy for the skin and body, and its efficient production in the mitochondria is imperative to maintain the health and optimal functioning of cells.

Also significant, studies done on human skin with goji berry extract have shown that glycoconjugates from goji fruit extract inhibit the levels of metalloproteinases-I in the skin up to four times lower than the levels shown in control groups. Further research has revealed that this decrease is not due to reduced skin activity, since the metabolic activity remained constant, meaning that goji extract selectively inhibits metalloproteinases-I. This is extremely important in fighting the formation of wrinkles as matrix metalloprteinase enzymes are responsible for breaking down the fibroblasts that are key to maintaining the collagen/elastin structures of the skin.