Proteins

Both animals and plants give suitable proteinaceous materials for the preparation of cosmetic ingredients. Proteins from fungi and algae, however, are also increasingly being used as protein sources. High-protein plants most commonly used as starting material for producing vegetable proteins are wheat and corn gluten, soy, rice and oat protein concentrates, and defatted oil seeds (peanuts, almond, sunflower). Among the large variety of vegetable proteins wheat gluten and soy globulins are by far of the widest use. Wheat gluten (often just called wheat protein) is a unique cereal protein of high elasticity when hydrated. Soy proteins are useful due to their gelling and emulsifying effects. To make proteins suitable to be incorporated into water-based cosmetic products, they need to be converted into soluble form. This is usually done by hydrolyzation, a process where the protein is cut into smaller parts.