Cosmetic Coloration: A Review.

Colorants for cosmetics appear to be more strictly regulated than any other cosmetic ingredients. Most countries have adopted a positive regulatory system for colorants used in cosmetics. Although there have been many reports on colorants that are used in food products from regulatory perspectives, reports on colorants used in cosmetic products have been limited.

Oral Intake of Enzymatically Decomposed AP Collagen Peptides Improves Skin Moisture and Ceramide and Natural Moisturizing Factor Contents in the Stratum Corneum.

The stratum corneum (SC) is the outermost layer of the epidermis and plays an important role in maintaining skin moisture and protecting the skin from the external environment. Ceramide and natural moisturizing factor (NMF) are the major SC components that maintain skin moisture. In this study, we investigated whether the oral intake of enzymatically decomposed AP collagen peptides (APCPs) can improve skin moisture and barrier function by assessing changes in the ceramide and NMF contents in the SC after APCP ingestion with the aim to develop a skin functional food.

Long-term effects of face masks on skin characteristics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Nowadays, face masks are a crucial part of our daily life. Previous studies on their impact on the skin usually focused on the adverse effects of face masks. Few studies have assessed their influence on skin characteristics.

Three-dimensional microengineered vascularised endometrium-on-a-chip.

Study Question: Can we reconstitute physiologically relevant 3-dimensional (3D) microengineered endometrium in-vitro model?

Summary Answer: Our representative microengineered vascularised endometrium on-a-chip closely recapitulates the endometrial microenvironment that consists of three distinct layers including epithelial cells, stromal fibroblasts and endothelial cells in a 3D extracellular matrix in a spatiotemporal manner.

What Is Known Already: Organ-on-a-chip, a multi-channel 3D microfluidic cell culture system, is widely used to investigate physiologically relevant responses of organ systems.

Study Design, Size, Duration: The device consists of five microchannels that are arrayed in parallel and partitioned by array of micropost.

Molecule-Resolved Visualization of Particulate Matter on Human Skin Using Multimodal Nonlinear Optical Imaging.

Precise measurement of particulate matter (PM) on skin is important for managing and preventing PM-related skin diseases. This study aims to directly visualize the deposition and penetration of PM into human skin using a multimodal nonlinear optical (MNLO) imaging system. We successfully obtained PM particle signals by merging two different sources, C-C vibrational frequency and autofluorescence, while simultaneously visualizing the anatomical features of the skin via keratin, collagen, and elastin.

Evaluation of changes in skin characteristics due to the poor quality of sleep caused by smartphone usage.

Background: Blue wavelengths are thought to have an effect on circadian rhythms. Using a smartphone, which emits a 453 nm blue light, can worsen the quality of sleep.

Aims: To study the skin changes caused by poor sleep quality induced by smartphone usage.

Chemical Structure and Biological Activities of Secondary Metabolites from L.

L. is a halophyte that grows in salt marshes and muddy seashores, which is widely used both as traditional medicine and as an edible vegetable. This salt-tolerant plant is a source of diverse secondary metabolites with several therapeutic properties, including antioxidant, antidiabetic, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-obesity effects.

Skin characteristics following repeated exposure to simulated outdoor and indoor summer temperatures in South Korea and Southeast Asia.

Background: Although changes in skin depend on the external environment, researchers have performed only a few studies on effect of the actual environment. Most studies have researched skin characterization based on changes in the humidity or temperature.

Aim/objective: This study aimed to evaluate changes in the skin based on the difference in indoor and outdoor temperatures and humidity during summer in South Korea and Southeast Asia.

Layering sunscreen with facial makeup enhances its sun protection factor under real-use conditions.

Background: The proper application of sunscreen is important to ensure protection of the skin against ultraviolet (UV) damage. Sunscreens are used in various ways in real world situations, which alters their UV protection efficacy. In this study, we simulated typical consumer use of sunscreen, which is often sequentially covered with facial makeup, in a laboratory study.

Clinical brightening efficacy and safety of Melasolv™ (3,4,5-trimethoxy cinnamate thymol ester, TCTE) in Southeast Asian women.

Background: Skin darkening because of increased and irregular synthesis of melanin causes melasma, solar lentigo, and freckles. Melasolv™, produced in the early 2000s, shows potent depigmenting effect and has low cytotoxicity. It has been used as a brightening agent in cosmetics for decades.

Chitosan-Alginate-Pectin-coated Suspended-Liquid-Encapsulating (CAPSuLE) marbles for therapeutic agent storage and delivery.

Developing a cutting-edge system capable of ensuring long-lasting functionality of therapeutic agents and implementing diverse delivery modes is challenging. A quasi-spherical triple-layered capsule containing suspended liquid droplets and allowing multi-modal delivery of therapeutic agents in the aqueous phase was developed, primarily by adopting the core principles for creating liquid marbles. A naturally derived wettable polysaccharide-pectin-was utilized as a liquid-air interfacial barrier to keep the liquid droplets in the core zone.

Quantitative evaluation of facial sagging in different body postures using a three-dimensional imaging technique.

Background: The possible contribution of head flexion posture while using a smartphone to the formation of "smartphone face," is an increasing concern. Smartphone face describes the facial changes in a stooped posture receiving more gravitational pull on the jowl area.

Aims: In this study, we quantified facial sagging in different postural changes using a three-dimensional imaging technique.

Syringaresinol Inhibits UVA-Induced MMP-1 Expression by Suppression of MAPK/AP-1 Signaling in HaCaT Keratinocytes and Human Dermal Fibroblasts.

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation induces detrimental changes in human skin which result in photoaging. UV-induced intracellular changes cause degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM). UV-stimulated cleavage of collagen in ECM occurs via matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).

AKT-targeted anti-inflammatory activity of calyx ethanolic extract.

Background: Korean ginseng () plays an anti-inflammatory role in a variety of inflammatory diseases such as gastritis, hepatitis, and colitis. However, inflammation-regulatory activity of the calyx of the berry has not been thoroughly evaluated. To understand whether the calyx portion of the berry is able to ameliorate inflammatory processes, an ethanolic extract of berry calyx (Pg-C-EE) was prepared, and lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages and HEK293 cells transfected with inflammation-regulatory proteins were used to test the anti-inflammatory action of Pg-C-EE.

Identification of Major Flavone C-Glycosides and Their Optimized Extraction from Cymbidium kanran Using Deep Eutectic Solvents.

, an orchid exclusively distributed in Northeast Asia, has been highly valued as a decorative plant and traditional herbal medicine. Here, extracts were prepared in 70% aqueous methanol using ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and subjected to liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry analysis, which were used for quantitative and qualitative analysis, respectively. It was found that the extracts were rich in flavone -glycosides including vicenin-2, vicenin-3, schaftoside, vitexin, and isovitexin.

The analysis of scalp irritation by coacervates produced in hair shampoo via FTIR with focal plane array detector, X-ray photoelectron microscopy and HaCaT cells.

Objective: Coacervates are inevitably formed on scalp on using hair washing products. Our goal was to analyse the coacervates in detail to identify the part responsible for scalp stimulation.

Methods: Shampoo that increases coacervate formation was applied to in vitro skin and was washed.