Edible oils and fats can be broadly classified into liquid oils and solid fats. Solid fats are naturally found in animal fats and tropical plant oils such as palm oil and cocoa butter. Additionally, the processing technology of edible oils and fats can modify the molecular structure of triacylglycerols or constituent fatty acids to improve their physical properties, enabling the creation of oil and fat products with various characteristics. The crystallization properties of vegetable fats play a significant role in the deliciousness of foods. Examples include chocolate, whipped cream, and ice cream. This paper introduces the processing technology of vegetable fats and their use in various foods.

More than forty years have passed since a groundbreaking medical event in 1983, when two young boys with life-threatening burns covering over 95% of their bodies were saved through the transplantation of cultured epidermal sheets derived from their own skin cells. This unprecedented treatment marked the first clinical success in what would later be known as regenerative medicine, establishing the concept of using a patient's own cells to create tissue grafts. Techniques originally developed for skin regeneration have laid the groundwork for advances in other areas of regenerative medicine. While concerns remain about the safety and cost of stem cell-based therapies, the long-standing clinical use and commercialization of skin regenerative medicine provide a promising model for the future. Skin regeneration has consistently led the way in shaping both the conceptual and technical frameworks of the field. This review explains how the development of culture methods for human epidermal keratinocytes led to the emergence of regenerative medicine.

Itching is a typical problem of the scalp. In the past, numerous studies have been reported on skin irritation and adsorption by surfactants included in shampoo formulations. However, only few studies have examined the adsorption of surfactants to the stratum corneum in terms of physical properties such as ionic properties. Moreover critical micelle concentration (CMC) has not yet been comprehensively investigated. In this study, we defined the adsorption index as “anionicity of anionic surfactant at skin pH × CMC of detergent” in order to reduce the amount of surfactant adsorption on the stratum corneum. We investigated the relation between the absorption index and the absorption of anionic surfactants on the stratum corneum and found it to be a useful index. We tried to use sodium lauraminopropionate (LAP), a type of amphoteric surfactant, focusing on reducing the molecular occupied area as a method to lower the adsorption index. We found that LAP effectively lowered CMC and also reduced skin irritation compared to Cocamidepropyl Betaine (CAPB), a general-purpose amphoteric surfactant. These results suggest that reducing the amount of adsorbed anionic surfactants in the stratum corneum suppresses barrier disruption and consequently alleviates skin irritation. This study should contribute to the development of safe cosmetics.

Skincare products and topical pharmaceuticals are designed to exert their effects by enabling active ingredients to penetrate the skin’s barrier and reach the intended target site. The stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the skin, is characterized by a structure often described as a “brick-and-mortar model.” In this model, the intercellular lipids, representing the mortar, play a critical role in regulating the permeability of substances. Maintaining the well-ordered structure of these lipids is essential for the skin’s barrier function. In this study, we employed confocal Raman spectroscopy as a novel approach to evaluate the structural alignment of intercellular lipids in the stratum corneum. The impact of tape stripping, a procedure that partially removes the stratum corneum, on skin barrier functions assessed by confocal Raman spectroscopy, can be compared with the results of transepidermal water loss (TEWL). The data demonstrated that this method can be an effective tool for evaluating the state of intercellular lipids and their structural organization. Interestingly, while confocal Raman spectroscopy provided valuable insights, its results did not always align with TEWL, a conventional marker of skin barrier function. This discrepancy suggests that the rapid recovery of barrier function in damaged skin involves complex biological processes beyond the maturation of intercellular lipid structures. These findings highlight the need for further investigation into the mechanisms underlying skin barrier recovery.

It has been reported that residual chlorine in tap water damages hair, but its effect on the color fading of dyed hair remains unknown. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of residual chlorine on the color fading of dyed hair. Dyed hairs in three different colors were repeatedly washed in a shower with or without shampoo using either the residual chlorine water or purified water from which residual chlorine had been removed. Further, the change in the color difference ⊿E^* over time was examined. In all colors, the ⊿E^* increased when showered with the residual chlorine water and the purified water, but that of dyed hair was larger when showered with the residual chlorine water than with the purified water, suggesting that residual chlorine contributes to color fading. The contribution of residual chlorine to color fading was determined from the behavior of ⊿E^* under each test condition. The results suggest that, depending on the color, the contribution of residual chlorine is comparable to that of shampoo, which is generally considered to be a cause of color fading. In the chromaticity diagram, color fading caused by residual chlorine and shampoo showed a similar hue change. This indicates that, like shampoo, residual chlorine promotes the elution of dyes. These results demonstrate that residual chlorine is one of the causes of the color fading of dyed hair and that washing hair with the purified water can prevent the color fading of dyed hair.

In recent years, the concept of “clean beauty” has gained significant attention within the cos­metics industry, driven by growing consumer awareness of health, environmental sustainability, and corporate transparency. Clean beauty encompasses not only the use of safe ingredients but also ethical sourcing, eco-friendly manufacturing, and the disclosure of information throughout the supply chain. Despite its popularity, the term lacks a universal definition, leading to inconsistencies in standards and potential greenwashing. This essay explores the evolution of clean beauty and its core pillars─safety, ethics, environmental responsibility, and transparency. It discusses the challenges of ingredient selection based on scientific evidence, the importance of avoiding misleading “free-from” claims, and the need for rigorous evaluation of alternative substances. The essay also highlights corporate initiatives, and these efforts reflect a broader industry trend towards making clean beauty not a marketing objective, but a natural outcome of responsible product development. Ultimately, the essay advocates the necessity of ensuring that clean beauty becomes the new norm rather than a fleeting trend. This goal can be achieved through industry-wide collaboration to address cost and regulatory challenges, as well as active public communication by scientists.