Nanofibre producer Revolution Fibres
– based in West Auckland – has
developed actiVLayr which uses
collagen extracted from fish skins
as a base ingredient combined with
elements such as fruit extracts and hyaluronic
acid to make a 100% natural and sustainably
sourced product. Launched at the recent China
Beauty Fair in Shanghai, the product will be
introduced into Hong Kong and New Zealand
later in the year, and chief executive Iain Hosie
says the demand in Asia is immense. “The
beauty of the product is that it takes a material
from the fishing industry which would previously
have been turned into pet food or fish meal,
and transforms it into a completely natural skin
product.” Latest independent testing has found
the product helps reduce wrinkles by more
than 30%. “The way actiVLayr is produced,
and the unique application method of placing it
onto wet skin like a mask, means ingredients
are absorbed quickly and efficiently into the
skin to maximise the repair and protection of
the skin,” Hosie says. “There are endless uses
for actiVLayr, and the one we’re most proud of
is in the medical area with the ability for drug
compounds or medicines to be added to its
formula. It will enable a controlled dose to be
delivered to a patient with skin lesions, burns
or acne.” The Hoki skins used are sourced
from New Zealand’s largest and oldest seafood
company Sanford, which provides the collagen
from its sustainably-caught hoki skins using the
science of the team at Plant & Food in Nelson.
Revolution Fibres then transforms the Sanford
product into nanofibre using a technique it
has pioneered called electrospinning. During
this process, natural ingredients known as
bioactives (such as kiwifruit and grapes) and
hyaluronic acid (an ingredient to help the skin
retain moisture) are bonded to the nanofibres to
create sheets of actiVLayr. When it is exposed
to wet skin, the nanofibres dissolve rapidly and
release the bioactives deep into the skin. Hosie
says the company is tripling production to meet
orders for actiVLayr in China, and the increased
demand for nanofibre products from a diverse
range of sectors, including Formula One racing
teams and the aerospace industry. “We’ve had
to ramp up production to ensure we can supply
a wide range of new clients and opportunities.
There is now a steady stream of industries
embracing nanofibre for performance and a
competitive edge, and that will only increase as
research uncovers even greater opportunities
in life sciences. The potential for nanofibre is
limitless.” He says companies are constantly
searching for ways to improve products, making
them better and stronger or to enhance existing
products. “That’s the beauty of nanofibre. It
can give those in highly competitive industries,
where innovation is key, a crucial edge over the
competition.” Nanofibres are textiles made from
super-fine fibres between 100-500 nanometres
in width (a human hair is 50,000 nm wide).
These small fibres can create vast changes in
mechanical strength, reactivity and conductivity,
among many other properties. Sanford’s chief
customer officer Andre Gargiulo says working
with the team at Revolution Fibres is a natural
fit, because both companies think about innovation
and sustainability in the same way. “We
hope actiVLayr gets the global attention it deserves,
and we’re delighted that our sustainably
caught Hoki is part of this fantastic New Zealand
product. It’s exactly what we’re all about at Sanford
– making the most of the precious resources
from the sea, working in a sustainable way
and getting the most value out of the goodness
we harvest from nature.”
A New Zealand company making waves in the skincare industry
has developed a natural wrinkle-busting skincare product from
Hoki skins that heals burns and enhances medical treatments.
INNOVATION
www.foodtechnology.co.nz 5
FISH SKIN FOR
FRESH SKIN
FASCINATING FACTS
• 1kg of hoki skin produces 400 sq metres of
nanofibre material
• Nanofibres are 1/500th the width of a human hair
• The marine collagen found in hoki skins is unique
because of its relatively low melt point, meaning it
can dissolve at a lower temperature which makes
it perfect for human use
• Revolution Fibres is based in West Auckland and
employs 12 people, of which four have PhDs in
science related to nanotechnology
• Sanford was founded by Albert Sanford in
Auckland in 1904
• New Zealand’s hoki fishery is certified as
sustainable by the London-based Marine
Stewardship Council, which audits fisheries all
over the world.
/www.foodtechnology.co.nz
