These ingredients have been designed to create a superior product while opening up new marketing opportunities. The immobilization of enzymes on high molecular weight polymers improves stability and the overall performance of the enzyme, while providing a safe and effective system for the topical delivery of enzymes to the stratum corneum. Papain is a proteolytic enzyme that specifically hydrolyses the peptide bonds of hydrophobic amino acids, such as collagen, which are typically present in the stratum corneum. The benefits of the product are that it offers superior efficacy at lower use levels and can be formulated at neutral pH, therefore reducing the irritation often seen with AHA products. Product Description Papain is a 23,406 dalton proteolytic enzyme isolated from unripe papaya fruit.
Papain is highly effective in hydrolyzing esters and the peptide bonds of hydrophobic proteins.
These types of proteins are present in the extracellular matrix, and act to bind together the keratinocytes present in the stratum corneum. The Effect of pH on Enzyme Activity Enzymes are most active at a certain pH. Generally, the activity of an enzyme drops off at extreme pH. In some cases, however, the effect is reversible. Consequently, it is possible to compound with enzymes subjected to extreme pHs and recover the activity upon neutralization. While an effective exfoliant, Linked-Papain is not irritating to skin. The bar graph shows that while Balsam of Peru increases the redness of skin, Linked-Papain is no more irritating than pure water.