Lotusense
Exclusive N.A. Distributor
CENTERCHEM, INC. NORWALK, CT
Ph: 203-822-9800 Fax: 203-822-9820
www.centerchem.com
INTRODUCTION
LOTUSENSE is a plant based cosmetic product developed to offer SENSATIONS on the skin.
These sensations have an influence on user’s mood providing a state of well-being.
LOTUSENSE offers a sensation of cleanliness and impermeability from some aquatic plants. The
plant that best represents this botanical family is the Lotus blossom, which is renowned for
permanently staying clean. This quality has been scientifically demonstrated, and is known as the
Lotus effect.
Provital has developed this product to give added value to the final products it is included in,
giving the consumer a sensory experience beyond the benefits of the other ingredients contained
in the cosmetic.
The Sense Range product line pursues improving consumers’ well-being by creating sensations
on the skin.
LOTUSENSE is an extract of Lotus flowers (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.).
DESCRIPTION
SENSATION
According to The American Heritage Dictionary, the term sensation (from the Latin sensationis), is
defined as:

The impression things produce through our senses

A surprise effect, usually pleasant, produced by something amongst a group of people

A hunch or premonition that something is about to occur
Our senses provide us with vital information that allows us to relate safely and independently with
the world that surrounds us. This is done through feelings, which are the mechanism by which our
V 03-11/11
13230-1
body to processes all the stimuli it receives: light, sounds, textures, tastes, hot or cold, pains,
smells, and even caresses, tickles and kisses.
Touch is the sense responsible for perceiving the stimuli that include contact and pressure, as
well as those relating to temperature and pain. Our sensory organ is the skin. The majority of
feelings are perceived through specialised nerve endings on the skin, which are called touch
receptors. These receptors are located on the epidermis,
which is the outermost layer of the skin, and they transport
feelings towards the brain through nerve fibres.
In cosmetics, we refer to the sensation or effect caused by
cosmetics when they are applied to the skin, through touch,
and to a lesser extent smell, the pleasurable "surprise"
effects they cause. Touch allows us to feel the texture and
smell allows us to perceive the aroma.
LOTUSENSE gives cosmetic products the sensation of
impermeability, preventing water loss and favouring optimal
hydration levels of the epidermis. This sensation contributes an additional protective quality to the
skin. It conveys the idea of tidiness on the skin.
BOTANY AND CHEMISTRY
Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.= (Nelumbo caspita Eichw.; Nelumbo komarovii Grossh; Nelumbo
speciosum Willd.; Nelumbo nelumbo (L.) Druce, nom.inval.).
The Lotus or Lotus Flower, belongs to the species Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn., Nelumbonaceae
family. This species is also commonly known as Sacred lotus, Nelumbo, Oriental lotus, Indian
lotus, Chinese nuphar, Rose of the Nile or the Egyptian Bean. Its Sanskrit name is Padmoj, and its
Hindi name is Kamal, Nilofar.
The species name nucifera refers to its fruit (from the Latin for “produces nuts”). The longevity of its
seeds is well known, they can germinate even after 3000 years.
V 03-11/11
13230-2
Lotus is an aquatic plant whose thick, branching
rhizomes deeply rooted at the bottom of ponds, can be
10 to 20 m long. Its broad leaves rise above the water
with their large, blue-green wavy margined petioles. In
summer this plant produces large pink or white, very
fragrant flowers between 16 to 23 cm in diameter. The
fruit is shaped like an inverted cone, and is made up of
an elliptical receptacle with rough, lightly striated sides,
and the nucula or nuts (seeds) are inserted in the
concave structures of the receptacle.
This species is widely distributed throughout the tropical and subtropical Asian continent (Taiwan,
Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea...) and the Near East. It was later introduced in the
United States, southern Europe, and Egypt.
Its natural habitats are ponds and lakes with high luminosity; it is widely used in gardening to
cover water surfaces. The lotus flower is classified as a deep water aquatic plant, as it is found in
the deepest parts of ponds. Its large leaves provide shade and prevent the growth of algae that
need sunlight to reproduce, thus helping to keep the water clear.
Flowers typically contain flavonoids such as hyperoside, quercetin, isoquercetin, kemferol-3glucuronide, luteolin, quercetin-3-glucuronide and isorhamnetin glucoside.
The volatile fraction of lotus flower has been analyzed by gas chromatography. Thirty-two
components
were
isolated
from
the
stamens,
the
most
abundant
ones
being
1,4-
dimethoxybenzene and trans--caryophyllene. Thirty components were isolated from the petals,
the most important ones being pentadecane, 1-pentadecene and -terpineol.
The seeds contain 10.6-15.9% protein, 1.9-2.8% lipids and 7072% carbohydrates. They also contain saponins, phenol
compounds and minerals. The root contains 1.7% protein, 9.7%
carbohydrates
and
alkaloids
nornuciferine,
anonaine,
pronuciferine,
anneparine,
methylisococlaurine).
The
(nuciferine,
lirodenine,
romerine,
dihydronuciferine,
N-methylcoclaurine
leaves
also
O-
contain
and
N-
alkaloids
(liensinine, isoliensinine, neferine, lotusine, methylcoripalline and
dimethylcoclaurine) and flavonoids.
V 03-11/11
13230-3
TRADITIONAL USES
The lotus flower has been a symbol of many civilisations throughout Human history.
The first evidence of the ornamental use of this plant was discovered in Egypt, in hieroglyphics
found in the pyramids. In this civilisation, the lotus had great significance because of the multitude
of gods that emerged from it like Ra, the god of the Sun, because the flower is open only during the
day, and Nefertum, considered the god of perfumes, because this flower provides a very pleasant
perfume. Furthermore, Egyptians used a decoction of lotus as a cough suppressant, as a general
sedative and tonic for cardio-respiratory functioning, as well as a mucolytic agent.
According to Greek mythology, a beautiful goddess fled into the forest and stopped at a place
called Lotus, where she drowned. This place, selected by the gods, was destined for failures and
losers. The young goddess struggled for centuries and finally was able to get out in the form of a
beautiful large petalled flower. For this reason, for the Greeks this flower represents triumph after
having fought tirelessly against failure. The lotus flowers were also immortalised in Homer's The
Odyssey, when Ulysses and his crew disembarked on the island of the lotus eaters.
In Roman times, the rhizomes and seeds of the lotus flower were eaten toasted or cooked. It was
known in this time as the "Aegyptian bean."
It is a sacred flower, which occupies a singular
position in the art and mythology of ancient India
and has been, since ancient times, a symbol of
good luck in Indian culture. It is the National
Flower of this country and it represents divinity,
fertility, wealth, knowledge and illustration. It is
also associated with the goddess of abundance,
Maha Lakshmi, who provides prosperity, purity
and generosity. It symbolises purity, beauty and
all that is good. Lotus has been venerated by
Brahmanism as the "mother of creation" and even
Brahma, the god of gods, came from a lotus
flower.
For Buddhists, the flower that rises above the water is one of the oldest and most frequently
V 03-11/11
13230-4
represented attributes of its human and celestial characters. The lotus serves as the Buddha’s
throne, thereby indicating a divine birth.
The custom of binding girls' feet between four and nine years came about during Sung dynasty
(China, 10th-13th centuries). Small feet, or "golden lotus feet" were the utmost symbol of female
beauty and perfection.
Long ago, the lotus flower was consumed as tea or smoked with the idea that a feeling of joy would
flood body and mind. The root has been used in traditional medicine as a general stimulant and
particularly of the body's defensive system. The leaves have tranquilizing, antibacterial and
astringent properties. The root as well as the flowers are used a mucolytic agent and expectorants,
and to normalise cardio-respiratory function. It also acts to rebalance the nervous vegetative
system, producing relaxation of the smooth muscles and acting as an anti-spasmodic and
hypotensor. It has been recommended in respiratory ailments, insomnia, nervous disorders,
hypertension.
COSMETIC PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS
LOTUS EFFECT
The so-called Lotus effect is named after the lotus flower. This
plant covers shallow aquatic surfaces with its dense foliage. Its
flowers and leaves draw attention because they do not retain any
kind of particles, which means they always maintains their pure,
neat beauty.
This effect lies in the microscopic nodular structure on the leaf
surface which repels water. Water drops that fall on the leave only
touch the ends of these nodules. As the power of adhesion
between particles and the tips of the nodules is minimal, the water
drop washes away the smallest particles of dirt.
This effect results in impermeability, self-cleaning, protection and
neatness of the Lotus.
V 03-11/11
13230-5
SPA - SPIRITUAL OPENING
In many philosophical and religious systems, fire represents the masculine and creative principle,
while water, firmament or the soul of the material, is the passive female principle, from which all the
things of this universe have emanated. This is where water is "the Mother" and fire, is "the Father."
As the lotus grows in water with the heat of the sun, the ancients considered it the child of Fire and
Water; and therefore it also symbolises the duality of Spirit and Matter.
The lotus is a symbolic figure of the dual and creative power in nature:
matter (water, earth, air) and power (fire=hidden breath). The lotus
symbolises the life of man (the androgynous unit), as well as the
cosmos (energy-matter).
The sunken root in the water represents material life. The stalk rising up
through the water symbolises existence in the psychic world. The flower
floating on top of the water is emblematic of spiritual existence.
There is a treatment from southern Asia, created to pamper our body
and soul. This is a ritual in which the properties of the lotus flower are combined with sea minerals.
The treatment consists of massaging the feet with lotus lotion, while at the same time the face is
toned, and a peeling is done with the lotus seeds, finishing up with a lotus facial mask. To
conclude, the scalp and neck are massaged, and white tea is served, known for its antioxidant and
purifying properties.
Action
Cosmetic application
Lotus effect
Cosmetic formulas
Impermeability
Make-up remover face gel
Cleanliness
Cleansing mousse
Tidiness
Anti-stress facial water
Body milk
Spa - Spiritual opening
Relaxation
Facial mask
Well-being after-shave balm
RECOMMENDED DOSE
The recommended dose is between 2% and 5%.
V 03-11/11
13230-6
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brushan B, Jung YC. Micro- and nanoscale characterization of hydrophobic and hydrophilic leaf
surfaces.
Nanotechnology
2006;
17:2758-2772.
[consulted
27/02/2008].
Available:
http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0957-4484/17/11/008/
Guo Z, Liu W. Biomimic from the superhydrophobic plant leaves in nature: Binary structure and
unitary structure. Plant Science 2007; 172 (6): 1103-1112.
Hyun SK, Jung YJ, Chung HY, Jung HA, Choi JS. Isorhamnetin glycosides with free radical and
ONOO-scavenging activities from the staments of Nelumbo nucifera. Arch Pharm Res. 2006; 29(4):
287-292.
Ingkaninan K,Temkitthawon P, Chuenchom K, Yuyaem T, Thongnoi W. Screening for
acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity in plants used in Thai traditional rejuvenating and neurotonic
remedies. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2003; 89 (2-3): 261-264.
Jung HA, Kim JE, Chung HY, Choi JS. Antioxidant principles of Nelumbo nucifera staments. Arch
Pharm Res 2003; 26 (4): 279-285.
Nakanishi H, Yomogida K. The scent of Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) Flower. Koryo 1999;
(201);
101-110.
[consulted
27/02/2008].
Available:
http://sciencelinks.jp/j-
east/article/199911/000019991199A0377810.php.
PDR for Herbal Medicines. Medical Economics Company. Montvale (New Jersey), 1998; p: 990991.
Prakash Kala C, Prasad Dhyani P, Sing Sajwan B. Developing the medicinal plants sector in
northern India: challenges and opportunities. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2006; 2
(32). [consulted 28/02/2008]. Available: http://www.ethnobiomed.com/content/2/1/32.
Sridhar KR, Bhat R. Lotus – A potencial nutraceutical source. Journal of Agricultural Technology
3(1):
143-155.
[consulted
27/02/2008].
Available:
http://ijat-rmutto.com/pdf/JUN_V3_07/13-
IJAT2007_07-R.pdf
http://www.ars-grin.gov/ [consulted 26/02/2008].
http://www.unex.es/polen/LHB/magnoliidae/nelumbon.htm [consulted 26/02/2008].
V 03-11/11
13230-7
http://www.biologia.edu.ar/biologia/diversidadv/fascIII/11.%20Nymphaeaceae.pdf [consulted
26/02/2008].
www.biologia.org/revista/pdfs/37.pdf [consulted 26/02/2008].
http://www.jardibotanic.org/acuaticas.html [consulted 26/02/2008].
http://articulos.infojardin.com/acuaticas/especies-plantas-acuaticas.htm [consulted 26/02/2008].
http://fai.unne.edu.ar/biologia/diversidadv/fascIII/10.%20Nelumbonaceae.pdf [consulted
26/02/2008].
V 03-11/11
13230-8