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The Scandinavian region is home to a unique biome with endemic plant species. The aim of this study was to explore this natural diversity and identify plant extracts providing positive skin barrier effects. Six plant extracts were identified as starting material. Following biochemical screening, two candidates outperformed the rest: Betula alba (BA) and Empetrum nigrum (EN). Quantitative PCR analysis showed that BA and EN upregulated barrier genes, when used individually and in combination. Betula alba increased AQP3 and OCLN protein expression, something niacinamide was incapable of. Additionally, the skin barrier was strengthened, evidenced by inhibition of KLK5 and hyaluronidase and showed strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity through DPPH and COX2 inhibition, respectively. A first split-face clinical study was conducted using the combination of extracts versus placebo. There was a significantly better skin restructuring effect and corneocyte cohesion on the side treated with combined extracts. A second split-face clinical study assessed the combined extracts versus 3% niacinamide. Significant variations in skin hydration and TEWL were observed in favor of the extract treated side. In conclusion, we identified a natural alternative to niacinamide for improving skin barrier health, in Scandinavian plant extracts, which yield strong performance, but at a lower concentration.

Higher demands on skin care cosmetic products for strong performance drive intense research to understand the mechanisms of skin aging and design strategies to improve overall skin health. Today we know that our needs and influencers of skin health and skin aging change throughout our life journey due to both extrinsic factors, such as environmental factors and lifestyle factors, as well as our intrinsic factors. Furthermore, we need to consider our microflora, a collection of micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which is a living ecosystem in our gut and on our skin, that can have a major impact on our health. Here, we are viewing a holistic approach to understand the collective effect of the key influencers of skin health and skin aging both reviewing how each of them impact the skin, but more importantly to identify molecular conjunction pathways of these different factors in order to get a better understanding of the integrated “genome-microbiome-exposome” effect. For this purpose and in order to translate molecularly the impact of the key influencers of skin health and skin aging, we built a digital model based on system biology using different bioinformatics tools. This model is considering both the positive and negative impact of our genome (genes, age/gender), exposome: external (sun, pollution, climate) and lifestyle factors (sleep, stress, exercise, nutrition, skin care routine), as well as the role of our skin microbiome, and allowed us in a first application to evaluate the effect of the genome in the synthesis of collagen in the skin and the determination of a suitable target for boosting pro-collagen synthesis. In conclusion, we have, through our digital holistic approach, defined the skin interactome concept, as an advanced tool to better understand the molecular genesis of skin aging and further develop a strategy to balance the influence of the exposome and microbiome to protect, prevent, and delay the appearance of skin aging signs and preserve good skin health condition. In addition, this model will aid in identifying and optimizing skin treatment options based on external triggers, as well as helping to design optimal treatments modulating the intrinsic pathways.

Background: To explore how the efficacy of product trials for skin cosmetics can be improved through the use of consumer-level images taken by volunteers using a conventional smartphone. Materials and Methods: 12 women aged 30 to 60 years participated in a product trial and had close-up images of the cheek and temple regions of their faces taken with a high-resolution Antera 3D CS camera at the start and end of a 4-week period. Additionally, they each had ``selfies'' of the same regions of their faces taken regularly throughout the trial period. Automatic image analysis to identify changes in skin colour used three kinds of colour normalisation and analysis for wrinkle composition identified edges and calculated their magnitude. Results: Images taken at the start and end of the trial acted as baseline ground truth for normalisation of smartphone images and showed large changes in both colour and wrinkle magnitude during the trial for many volunteers. Conclusions: Results demonstrate that regular use of selfie smartphone images within trial periods can add value to interpretation of the efficacy of the trial., 17 pages, 12 figures, 3 tables. This is the submitted version, the definitive published version is at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/srt.12928

It remains important to investigate skin ageing signs across different skin types for targeted solutions. Limited data is available on Indian skin changes throughout ageing, hence three fields were investigated: skin features during the ageing process, their relationship with perceived age and self-declared skin ageing concerns. Photographs, skin topography, colour and biophysical measurements of 202 Indian female volunteers, 30–65 years old, were collected. Another panel of 693 naïve graders, 20–65 years old, estimated the age of photographs previously collected. Associations between 28 skin features and real/perceived age were assessed using linear correlation coefficients. Skin feature scores of an older perceived group were compared versus the scores of a younger perceived group, to establish skin features that lead to an older appearance. Additionally, the naïve graders were asked to rank 12 skin ageing concerns by importance. Twenty-four features correlated with real and perceived age. The ages of the volunteers were overestimated, especially those in their 30s. Skin features related to skin brightness suggested an older look for volunteers in their 30s. From the 40s onwards, wrinkles around the eye area, glabellar and corner of the mouth were also drivers for looking older. In the 50s, features such as upper lip wrinkles, hydration and roughness on the crow’s feet were worse in the older perceived group, while nasolabial folds suggested an older appearance in the 60s. By having identified skin features that worsen with age and contribute to an older perceived face, this research will facilitate the creation of tailored products and communication for Indian women to look after their skin concerns throughout the ageing process.