Wine is good for you - and makes you look better

Natural cosmetics made from wine-making remnants

JEREZ (Agencies) Wine makers have never been sure about what to do with their left overs from making wine. This is especially true of the white palomino grape used to make sherry. The conundrum, naturally, affects the Jerez region. Or it did until a company called Skinwine arrived on the scene. In cooperation with the University of Cádiz, the company came up with a solution: re-use the remnants to make what is being called (in Spanish) oeno-cosmetics.>>>
The fact is that these remnants contain active ingredients poliphenols (antioxidants that counter the effects of free radicals, which degenerate into skin ageing agents) and alpha-hydroxy acids that contain Vitamins A and C and therefore act on ageing skin, also. Skinwine is bringing out a series of products using nanotechnology (a nano -Greek for dwarf- is the result of dividing one metre by one billion -a million million, in other words atoms and molecules) that have already been tested on humans: exfokliants and skin cleaners, toners, hydrogenating agents and even a shampoo. The company, and the head of the university research team, Professor Mercedes Fernández Arévalo, say that the use of nanotechnology in cosmetics is in fact quite ancient but it is only recently that it is being applied to the remnants of wine-making to make what the company is calling 'natural cosmetics with an 'appellation controlléé''. The products were first tested on humans at the Spa Club in Jerez.