The Muscle Mag
With a research base in Geneva, Horphag Research has been studying its flagship ingredient Pycnogenol – a proprietary bark extract from the French maritime pine tree – for 40 years, making it “one of the most well-researched ingredients available on the market, with more than 450 scientific publications,” according to Bornet.
“We do not follow trends; Pycnogenol demonstrates its effectiveness in various applications, and our focus is on understanding how it works.
“While many in the industry are familiar with us and our work, we continue to invest in new research.”
Properties and applications
As Bornet explains: “It possesses four fundamental properties: strong antioxidant, natural anti-inflammatory, collagen binding, and increased nitric oxide (NO) for circulation improvement.
“This versatility enables its use in brain health, women’s health, skincare, and more.
“Discovering new applications opens the door to explore new questions, which we aim to answer through future studies.
“Our research pipeline is continually active.”
Research in women’s health
Though not driven by trends, Bornet notes the importance of understanding customer needs: “Knowing your consumers and their desires is crucial.”
“The broad audience interested in women’s health includes those seeking relief from menstrual discomfort, premenopausal and menopausal symptoms, and urinary tract infections, among other issues.”
“A recent study on hair density in 63 menopausal women revealed a 30% increase with pycnogenol supplementation compared to a control group.”
According to the study authors, “Oral intake of Pycnogenol may help reduce hair loss in postmenopausal women,” with associated improvement in scalp microcirculation.”
Bornet adds: “Hair density can be a significant concern for women in this age group, along with other menopausal symptoms.”
“Our research includes various studies on pycnogenol and menopause, but the hair density benefits were a particularly exciting discovery.”
