As the population around the globe is aging, with an expected 2 billion people over 60 years old by 2050 which will represent 21% of the global population, finding new pathways to rejuvenate skin remains a major focus for the development of new products in the cosmetic industry.
 
 
Genetically-determined factors of aging, called chronoaging, are one determinant of aging. But they are not the only ones. Extrinsic factors like UV exposure and chronic inflammation strongly impact the way skin is aging. These phenomena are called photo-aging and inflammaging and they can affect the way genes are expressed and translated into proteins, causing the decay of skin structure.
 
Only 1.2% of our genome serves to encode proteins, the rest being transcribed into non-coding RNA (ncRNA). Those longer than 200 nucleotides, called long non-coding RNAs, have started to be studied only recently and even if their functions remain unclear, those already studied have shown to affect gene expression and biological functions. In particular, the long non-coding RNA “nc886” was recently recognized as a key regulator of Protein Kinase R (PKR), a protein known for inducing premature aging in various diseases and organs. Additional research done by the R&D teams of Clariant Active Ingredients have demonstrated a link between nc886 expression and chronoaging, inflammaging and photoaging.
 
Based on these results, Clariant Active Ingredients selected a marine natural product based on its ability to stimulate nc886 and then protect the skin from photoaging and inflammaging: Laminaria japonica. And used it to produce Epseama™.
 
Epseama™ increases nc886 expression in normal conditions. UVB irradiation decreases significantly nc886 expression, but Epseama™ is able to counteract the deleterious effect of UVB exposure by maintaining the proper level of nc886 expression in keratinocytes. By boosting nc886 production, Epseama inhibits the production of MMP-9 and therefore prevents collagen IV degradation. It also boosts collagen I, VII and XVII production as well as laminin 5, some key components of skin structure. This results in a strenghtened and more elastic skin structure. For the innovative pathway it targets, Epseama was rewarded with the silver price at the BSB Innovations Awards in the category “Actives and Naturals” for anti-aging.
 
Clinical trials were conducted on 19 women over 50 years old during four weeks. Difficult to remove nasolabial wrinkles were smoothed, reduced by 19% in volume and 10% in roughness. Hyperpigmented spots were decreased by 10%, for an improved complexion homogeneity. Also, skin moisture level was increased by 14.2%. These results demonstrate the rejuvenation potential of Epseama, as a new solution for the formulation of anti-aging products.
 

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