The Organic Skincare Revolution: Exploring the Latest Innovations - Asya Grafy Bio Institute
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The Organic Skincare Revolution: Exploring the Latest Innovations

The Organic Skincare Revolution: Exploring the Latest Innovations

How do moisturizers function on a scientific level, and what are their effects on the skin barrier?

Occlusive

Occlusive moisturizers work by creating a watertight barrier over the skin’s surface, which creates an environment conducive to skin barrier repair. This is the most effective and most common mechanism used in cosmetics. Cosmetic chemists use numerous substances to achieve this goal, combining different ingredients to obtain the desired aesthetics and efficacy in the final formulation. Although petrolatum is considered to be the most occlusive and physiological moisturizer, its aesthetics are not always desired by consumers. This is why there are many other moisturizers on the market. Petrolatum reduces transepidermal moisture loss by 99% while allowing enough water vapor to leave the skin and initiate the repair process.

The humidity

Humectants are hydrating chemicals that draw humidity to themselves and the skin, functioning as sponges in both applications. Humectants are found in all liquid and cream moisturizers to keep the product from drying out, but occasionally their concentration is insufficient to have a noticeable physiological effect. While the dermis naturally contains glycosaminoglycans like hyaluronic acid, which act as humectants, other humectants are often used in skincare products. These include glycerin, honey, sodium lactate, urea, propylene glycol, sorbitol, pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, gelatin, vitamins and certain proteins. When these ingredients are applied to the skin, they can attract water from the environment, but this can make the moisturizing product sticky and aesthetically unpleasant. Glycerin serves as one of these humectants that works especially well. It fills in the spaces in the stratum corneum with swelling by drawing water from the deeper layers of the epidermis and dermis, making the skin feel smoother. Dryness may result from the humectant pulling moisture from the skin and dispersing it into the drier outside air if it is not balanced with the occlusives. Thus, to maintain the ideal level of skin hydration, a moisturizing lotion that works well should include both occlusives and humectants.

Hydrophilic matrices

Hydrophilic matrices are a less popular form of hydration characterized by the use of colloidal oatmeal, where the oatmeal forms a physical protective layer over the skin that prevents evaporation. Colloidal oatmeal is also used in moisturizing products for the same reason. Other high molecular weight substances that can provide a barrier against evaporation include proteins such as growth factors and collagen fragments, which are not added to modify cell behavior but to reduce TEWL. Occlusion and humectance are much more effective methods of hydration compared to hydrophilic matrices.

Photodefense

Photodefense in the cosmetics industry is also considered a form of hydration, and hydration claims can be based on the inclusion of any sunscreen ingredient. Moisturizers, claiming their repairing and replenishing qualities, may contain a sunscreen additive to back up the claim. Sunscreen, whether organic or inorganic, is thought to prevent cell damage and thus prevent dehydration.

How do specific plant oils contribute to anti-inflammatory effects and skin barrier repair when applied topically?

Plant oils have long been used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes because they have many positive physiological benefits. For example, the application of vegetable oil can act as a protective barrier for the skin through an occlusive effect, allowing the skin to retain moisture, leading to a decrease in TEVL values. In addition, topical products have the advantage of greater bioavailability in the skin and have a localized effect rather than a systemic effect. Previous research on vegetable oils has shown that almond, jojoba, soybean and avocado oils, when applied topically, mostly remain on the surface of the skin, without deep production into the first upper layers of the SC. Although triglycerides do not penetrate deeply into the SC, glycerol contributes to the hydration of the SC. Free fatty acids (FFAs), especially monounsaturated FFAs such as oleic acid, can disrupt the skin barrier and act as permeability enhancers for other compounds present in vegetable oils. Other components such as phenolic compounds and tocopherols exert an antioxidant effect and can modulate physiological processes such as skin barrier homeostasis, inflammation and VH. When applied topically to hairless mice, sodium dl-α-tocopheryl-6-O-phosphate, a water-soluble derivative of vitamin E (dl-α-tocopherol), enhances ceramide synthesis and gene expression of differentiation markers. Phospholipids, another component of vegetable oils, are mainly bound by the outer lipid layer of the SC, potentially acting as chemical permeability enhancers. In a study of a murine AD model with dietary supplementation of phospholipids, it was shown that phospholipids improve the skin barrier and exhibit an anti-inflammatory effect by regulating covalently bound ω-hydroxyceramides in the epidermis and reducing gene expression. Even without production deeper in the epidermis, the occlusive effect of vegetable oil topical application reduces water loss from the SC and regulates the proliferation of keratinocytes. Vegetable oils can be classified into essential oils and fixed oils. This article focuses only on fixed oils, which are not volatile at room temperature. Although there are different ways to obtain vegetable oils, cold-pressed vegetable oils have better nutritional properties than those that have undergone the refining process. This is because the cold pressing process does not involve heat or chemical treatments, which can alter their composition and therapeutic effects. Fixed components of vegetable oil include triglyceride, FFA, tocopherol, sterol, stanols, phospholipids, waxes, squalene, phenolic compounds, etc. These different compounds, when applied topically, affect skin physiology (skin barrier, inflammatory status, antioxidant response and proliferation) differently. Vegetable oils also differ in the type and amount of triglycerides and FFAs, for example, saturated fatty acids (SFA) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA). Topical applications of SFA and UFA in healthy volunteers showed differences in TEVL and skin irritant response. Since the composition and concentration of SFA and UFA are important in local products, it is important to characterize them in each type of vegetable oil. In particular, UFAs show different physiological responses when topically applied compared to TEVL. Linoleic acid, for starters, has a direct role in maintaining the integrity of the skin’s waterproof barrier. The main metabolite of linoleic acid in the skin is 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE), which has an antiproliferative effect. In contrast, oleic acid is harmful to the skin’s barrier function. Oleic acid creates a barrier disorder and eventually induces dermatitis with continuous topical application. Additionally, for their role in skin barrier repair/disruption, FFA-enriched vegetable oils have also been studied as penetration enhancers (eg, transepidermal drug delivery). Research has shown that oils composed mainly of monounsaturated oleic acid increase the permeability of the skin more than oils that contain an almost equal mixture of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Viljoen et al. proposed that lipid production in the epidermis goes in the following order: olive oil > coconut oil > grape seed oil > avocado oil. Furthermore, the concentration of FFAs such as oleic acid relative to triglycerides correlates with clinical measures of skin barrier function (TEVL). This ratio determines the molecular interaction with SC lipids and the extent of their penetration into the epidermis.

What is the role of botanical antioxidants in preventing photocarcinogenesis and photoaging, as supported by scientific research?

The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the primary physical carcinogen in our environment and can be divided into three regions based on wavelength. Short-wave UV-C radiation (200–280 nm) is blocked by the ozone layer and therefore has minimal impact on human health. Skin conditions like skin cancer and photoaging are caused by UV-B and, to a lesser extent, UV-A radiation. It is well known that UV-B rays contribute to the development of skin cancer. Since UV-A radiation contributes less to skin carcinogenesis than UV-B radiation does, its significance has come to light in recent years. Numerous issues, including erythema, hyperplasia, immunosuppression, photoaging, and photocarcinogenesis, can be brought on by UV radiation. Skin cancer can result from UV-B radiation’s effects on biomolecules, including the creation of reactive oxygen species and dimer formation. Every year, a considerable number of new cases of skin cancer are discovered, signifying a serious health issue.

Botanical antioxidants have been shown to reduce the incidence of photocarcinogenesis and photoaging, which is related to their ability to reduce the production of reactive oxidative species (ROS). These findings have stimulated interest in the use of botanical antioxidants in the diet, which could have photoprotective effects on the skin. This review highlights the photo chemopreventive effects of selected botanical antioxidants, including their biological effects and possible mechanisms of action.

Green tea, a beverage derived from the plant Camelia sinensis of the Theaceae family, is very popular and is consumed by more than two-thirds of the world’s population, often considered the most popular beverage. In its components, green tea contains four basic polyphenols: -epicatechin (EC), -epicatechin gallate (ECG), -epigallocatechin (EGC) and -epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGC). These polyphenols have potent antioxidant qualities and have the ability to lower concentrations of reactive oxidative species, including singlet oxygen, superoxide, hydroxyl, and lipid-free radicals. The most important of them is EGCG, which makes up roughly 40% of all the polyphenols in green tea and is thought to be primarily in charge of these advantageous properties. According to research, ingesting green tea polyphenols (GTP) or applying them topically can stop photocarcinogenesis.

Pomegranate (Punica granatum), a plant from the Punicaceae family, contains two basic types of polyphenols: anthocyanidin (such as delphinidin, cyanidin and pelargonidin) and hydrolyzable tannins (such as punicalin, peduncuela galagin, pune-kaglu). These components are rich in powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Our latest study showed that pomegranate fruit extract (PFE) inhibits UV-B mediated changes in ERK1/2, JNK1/2 and p38 proteins in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Likewise, we found that PFE treatment resulted in a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of UV-B mediated degradation and phosphorylation of IjBa protein and IKKa protein activation.

How does melanin protect human skin from UV damage, and what are the implications for skincare products and sun protection strategies?

The formation of skin color depends on substances in the skin, including carotenoids, hemoglobin and different types of melanin, as well as how they are arranged in melanosomes. Melanin production occurs by specific structures called melanosomes, which are produced in the melanocytes of the inner epidermis. Each melanocyte is associated with about 36 keratinocytes and one Langerhans cell. Melanin is synthesized by internal melanosomes and transported to the surrounding keratinocytes, where it accumulates. This accumulation of melanin protects the DNA from ultraviolet rays. Melanin has the light red-yellow pheomelanin and the dark brown-black eumelanin. Melanosome size and arrangement, which contain various quantities of melanin, and distinct forms of melanin are responsible for color variations. For instance, compared to light skin, black skin has a greater amount of melanin, mainly eumelanin. Racial disparities in color are partly caused by variations in the distribution and quantity of melanin.

Epidemiological data significantly confirm the protective role of melanin in protecting the skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation. There is an inverse relationship between skin color and the risk of sun-induced skin cancers, with white-skinned subjects having a significantly higher risk than black-skinned subjects. Melanin, especially eumelanin, plays an important role in skin protection. It functions as a barrier that disperses UVR and absorbs UV rays, reducing their penetration through the epidermis. The effectiveness of melanin in protecting against UV radiation is approximately 1.5-2.0 SFP, which means that it absorbs 50-75% of UVR. Compared to light skin, dark skin exhibits superior protection against UV damage due to its higher eumelanin content. Melanosomes in dark skin also produce protective caps that greatly aid in damage prevention and are resistant to deterioration. Melanosomes in fair skin, on the other hand, are less stable, which could raise the chance of UV damage.

References:

  1. Draelos, Z. D. (2018). The science behind skincare: Moisturizers. Journal of cosmetic dermatology, 17(2), 138-144.
  2. Lin TzuKai, L. T., Zhong, L., & Santiago, J. L. (2018). Anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects of topical application of some plant oils.
  3. Afaq, F., & Mukhtar, H. (2006). Botanical antioxidants in the prevention of photocarcinogenesis and photoaging. Experimental dermatology, 15(9), 678-684.
  4. Brenner, M., & Hearing, V. J. (2008). The protective role of melanin against UV damage in human skin. Photochemistry and photobiology, 84(3), 539-549.
  5. Reuter, J., Merfort, I., & Schempp, C. M. (2010). Botanicals in dermatology: an evidence-based review. American journal of clinical dermatology, 11, 247-267.
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