Purpose: The skin physiology was measured to evaluate influence of facial aesthetic treatment on the skin. Method: One expert and several neophytes practiced basic facial aesthetic treatment to 34 adult women. 3 measurement indexes (stratum corneum water content (SC water), transepidermal water loss (TEWL), water content under stratum corneum) were measured at three sites (forehead, cheek and near the nasal wing) before and after treatment. The measured values were scored (value after the treatment/value before the treatment), and the relationship between the score and site, age, the proficiency of the treatment was estimated. Results: There was no significant difference between sites in all measurement index (Kruskal–Wallis, p≧0.05). There was a correlation between score and age at several sites (Spearman’s rank-order correlation, p<0.05), score increased according to age in all correlation sites. At the cheek where both the SC water content and TEWL correlated with age, the score of TEWL increased according to SC water content by only neophytes (Spearman’s rank-order correlation, p<0.05). Consideration: While it tends to be effective as older people become, the barrier function also tends to decrease, so TEWL also increases. Improvement in treatment technique could reduce the deterioration of barrier function. Both expert and neophyte showed a TEWL score of 2 or more (n=2), so there is a possibility of causing unexpected reactions, so sufficient care is needed.

The skin concentration of topically applied cosmetic active ingredients is very important for evaluating cosmetics. However, a large variation is often observed in finite dose experiments due to the evaporation of volatile components in the formulation and difficulties for applying formulation uniformly. In addition, steady-state skin concentration could not be attained even after several hours of application. In this verification report, we conducted in vitro skin permeation experiment with an infinite dose to confirm whether formulation with the highest skin permeation would also show the highest skin concentration. Three formulations, lotion, milk, and cream, and the mixture of these formulations containing isopropyl methyl phenol (IPMP) as a model ingredient were applied to excised human skin in eight research facilities. The present experiment was conducted with receptor solution containing 1.0% of Brij 98 in order to increase solubility of IPMP in the receptor fluid without changing skin integrity. The obtained results were consistent among the facilities in the following order of skin permeation (lotion>milk>cream≅the mixture) and corresponded with that of the skin concentration. This result showed that evaluation of topical formulations with in vitro skin permeation experiment with an infinite dose could identify the formulation which exhibited the highest steady-state skin concentration of cosmetic active ingredients. In addition, experiment with mixture formulation might reveal changes in skin permeability associated with changes in thermodynamic activity of IPMP after co-application of several formulations on the skin.

The skin is always exposed to the environment, because it is localized at the outermost layer of the body. Therefore, it is well recognized that the skin is continuously affected by changes in environmental factors and responds to those in order to maintain homeostasis. The accumulation of those responses is considered to be a factor that accelerates skin aging, which is supported by differences of perceived age between twins who have spent their lives in different environments. Thus, the concept of the exposome, which is the sum of all factors the body is exposed to from conception to death, has been proposed to discuss the influence of environmental factors on skin aging. The author introduces the contribution of the exposome to skin aging focusing on sunlight, air pollutants and humidity. Those environmental factors increase oxidation levels in keratinocytes and fibroblasts, which results in the onset of the aging process. These results support the importance of daily care on moisturizing and anti-oxidation in order to delay skin aging.

Skin wrinkles are worldwide, major concern for beauty. Many studies report the mechanisms of wrinkle formation, including intrinsic and extrinsic aging-relating changes of skin structure/function. Since fine wrinkles, which are observed at epidermis, are known to be formed by dryness of skin, moisturizing is one of the best options for prevention/improvement of fine wrinkles. On the other hand, deeper wrinkles show structural alteration of dermis. The changes of quality and/or quantity of dermal extracellular matrix, such as collagen, elastic fiber and hyaluronic acid, are reported in aged skin. In this paper, we summarize how fine- and deep wrinkles are formed based on various studies, and introduce established treatments for anti-wrinkles.

Makeup cosmetics have been used in ancient times for the purpose of religious acts or expression of user’s authorities. The meaning of makeup changes with the times, and nowadays it is mainly used for the expression of personal beauty and tidy appearance. The main function of the makeup products are visual effects such as hiding of skin troubles, modifying the skin color and texture, and making users look more attractive with color and brilliance. In addition, recent makeup products also offer protective function such as moisturization or UV protection. Furthermore, research about the psychological effects by using makeup products is also in progress such as gaining confidence, satisfaction and sociality. There are various makeup products with different application area, and their usage method and required finishing state differ depending on each product. Therefore, in order to use makeup products safely and effectively, it is important to understand the composition of each product and usage method including the package and the applicator. In this article, I explain the formulation composition and several essential raw materials of each makeup product, and outline the molding technology and usage.