German personal care active ingredient maker CLR is celebrating 100 years of cosmetic science at in-cosmetics Global in Paris on 14-16 April.
CLR (Chemisches Laboratorium Dr. Kurt Richter) - founded in 1926 by Richter and business partner Dr. J. Altpeter in Berlin - is marking the centenary with the launch of SkinCharge CLR, an active designed to support skin exposed to the realities of digital lives.
The innovation reflects a growing scientific interest in how daily behavioral patterns and environmental influences affect skin appearance and resilience.
SkinCharge CLR helps soften expression-related wrinkling, improves the appearance of the eye contour and supports a fresher, more rested overall skin appearance—even in individuals with high screen exposure.
The ingredient is supported by a comprehensive validation strategy that connects advanced biological research with innovative evaluation methods designed to better reflect real-life consumer lifestyles.
By combining advanced biological research with innovative lifestyle-oriented testing methods, SkinCharge CLR reflects a new direction in cosmetic science.
The ingredient addresses skin longevity from the perspective of modern living—supporting skin resilience, comfort and appearance in an increasingly digital world.
In addition to this upcoming ingredient innovation, CLR will present its new formulation concept ‘Your Skin. Your Comfort’.
The concept explores how modern cosmetic products can go beyond visible results to deliver a holistic experience that consumers can truly feel.
The concept focuses on the idea of skin comfort in an always-on world, where digital exposure, environmental stress and emotional strain can influence both skin condition and wellbeing.
The five formulations combine scientific efficacy with sensorial textures designed to help skin feel rebalanced, refreshed and resilient in everyday life.
Privately-owned CLR's early ventures in cosmetics included anti-dandruff concoctions that mixed sulphur-containing amino acids.
Lacking a suitable evidence base, CLR collaborated with the Free University of Berlin, which was established with American support in 1948 in what was then West Berlin, to dig deeper into cosmetic science.
Tasked with finding active ingredients with proven efficacy, the research collab generated in vivo data that showed a bovine placenta extract increased the oxygen uptake of human skin.
The discovery was little short of revolutionary at a time when the cosmetics industry comprised little more than humble lipstick and makeup.
"It was probably the first active ingredient with scientific data on the cosmetics market," CLR chief executive and 100% shareholder Dr. Stefan Borchert told Personal Care Magazine in a site visit last year.
"That was a big success. In Japan, we got the quasi-drug approval, and the extract was filled into ampules and sold."
CLR's research work with the Free University of Berlin led to jointly filed patents for a slew of cosmetic inventions.
These include a patented native soluble collagen at a time when hydrolysed collagen was all that was available.
It was a major success, and it was used by some of the largest global brands to improve skin health and reduce signs of ageing.
In the 1970s, CLR filed patents covering the use of postbiotic lysate of probiotic bacteria for the benefit of anti-ageing cosmetics, specifically including DNA repair.
In 1982, the company launched the first version of Repair Complex CLR — a truly star ingredient that established its expertise in fermentation and postbiotics.
Postbiotic lysates remain a key focus of CLR; perhaps its main focus, along with bioactive phytochemistry and protein chemistry.
CLR can be found at stand 3G30 at in-cosmetics Global in Paris, France on 14-16 April.
