A Scientific Experiment Gone Wrong Gave Rise to the Star Ingredient in Veriphy Skincare

by Lesa Hannah November 28, 2018

It all started with a microbiology experiment gone wrong at the University of Guelph. Shelved in a beaker, scientists noticed that the contents looked strange and under a microscope, discovered it was glycogen, a form of energy used by all living forms that can fuel cells. (In skin, it helps with the production of elastin, collagen and hyaluronic acid.) This variety, from non-GMO Ontario sweet corn also loved water.

“It will absorb and hold onto it so that’s what give [the scientists] the indication to look at skincare,” says Alison Crumblehulme, founder of Veriphy, the skincare line that now uses it as its active ingredient. Each of the three products—a lactic acid serum, a moisturizer and an eye cream—uses 200 per cent more of the active than what is typically used in a product, says Jessica Kizovki, lead formulator. “It’s not a cheap ingredient, but we really wanted to power pack it,” she says of the phytoglycogen. It also allowed her to forgo using silicones. “By increasing the dosage, I got not only a better effect but also a velvety feel.”