Everybody knows the famous song from the Sound of Music – Edeleweiss
Edelweiss or Leontopodium alpinum is an herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae which grows spontaneously on mountain ranges from the Pyrenees and the Alps to the Himalayas.
It is a rare and strictly protected plant and with its characteristic appearance, it has become the symbol of Alpine flora.
In order to survive the extreme conditions and low temperatures where it grows, the Edelweiss plant has had to develop many defensive mechanisms to protect itself from high level exposure to solar radiation.
Scientific studies have demonstrated the presence in the plant of powerful antioxidants and other substances with both anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective properties.
These include the natural actives – Leontopodic acids A and B, Chlorogenic acid, and 3, 5-dicaffeoylquinic acid, which have antioxidant, anti-hyaluronidasic and anti-collagenasic activity. Also present are Phytosterols, Amino acids, polysaccharides – with moisturizing properties and which act as plant nutrients.
Italian bio-tech company I.R.B. srl – Istituto di Ricerche Biotecnologiche in Vicenza has developed a novel glycerinic extract of Leontopodium Alpinum Meristem Cell Cultures, with skin care benefits which exhibits strong anti-oxidant, anti-hyaluronidasic and anti-collagenasic activity. 
Clinical tests have shown that at a usage level of around 1.00% it reduces the depth of wrinkles in the eye contour area by 15% after only 20 days of treatment.