Background: Skin aging is characterized by slacking and loss of density, especially under ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure. Objective: To investigate the beneficial effects of a combination containing bakuchiol (BK) and vanilla tahitensis extract (VTE) to prevent skin photoaging in vitro and to improve clinical outcomes for naturally aged skin. Materials and Methods: Human dermal fibroblasts were treated with active compounds, exposed to an acute dose of UVA and analyzed by confocal microscopy: actin network for morphology, interleukin-8 (IL-8) for inflammation and p16 for senescence. Human skin was used to evaluate chronic UVA-induced glycosaminoglycan (GAG) loss and to assess the benefit of topical application of a BK+VTE serum (Alcian blue staining). An open-label clinical trial was conducted in women applying the serum twice daily for 56 days (n=43). Skin remodeling was assessed by FaceScan^®. Firmness was evaluated through Dynaskin^® and clinical scoring. Skin radiance was also rated on standardized full-face photographs. Results: UVA induced a significant increase in IL-8 and p16 expression and marked morphological changes in fibroblasts. Treatment with BK or VTE alone prevented both actin network alteration and IL-8 upregulation. Interestingly, BK+VTE demonstrated synergistic protection against IL-8 and p16 overexpression. Serum application prevented GAG loss at the dermo-epidermal junction and increased dermal GAG in UVA-exposed skin explants. In the clinical trial, face ptosis was reduced by 11% on average for 26 responsive subjects and up to 23%. Depth of skin deformation was also reduced by 24% on average for 30 responsive subjects and up to 30%. This firming effect was confirmed by clinical scoring. Radiance was significantly improved by 29% on average for 33 responsive subjects. The serum demonstrated good tolerance/safety. Conclusion: BK+VTE combination demonstrated anti-aging efficacy and might provide a substantial benefit in the daily care of naturally aged skin in women, through their synergistic effect on inflammaging and senescence.

A new dermocosmetic containing retinaldehyde, delta-tocopherol glucoside and glycylglycine oleamide for managing naturally aged skin: results from in vitro to clinical studies Céline Rouvrais,1,* Daniel Bacqueville,2,* Patrick Bogdanowicz,2,* Marie-José Haure,2 Laure Duprat,2 Christine Coutanceau,3 Nathalie Castex-Rizzi,2 Hélène Duplan,2 Valérie Mengeaud,1 Sandrine Bessou-Touya2 1Clinical Skin Research Center, 2Department of Pharmacology, Pierre Fabre Dermo-Cosmétique, Toulouse, 3Laboratoire Dermatologique Avène, Lavaur, France *These authors contributed equally to this work Introduction: Natural aging of skin tissues, the addition of the cumulative action of the time and radiation exposure result in skin atrophy, wrinkles and degeneration of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The aim of the study was to investigate the beneficial effect of a combination containing retinaldehyde (RAL), delta-tocopherol glucoside (delta-TC) and glycylglycine oleamide (GGO) and of a dermocosmetic containing the combination. Materials and methods: The protective effect of the combination was assessed through in vitro gene expression of ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated fibroblasts. A skin aging assay using UV light on ex vivo skin samples and a clinical study conducted in 36 women aged from 35 to 55 years with a minimum of level 4 to a maximum of level 6 on the crowâ??s feet photoscale assessed the antiaging effect of the dermocosmetic. Results: When added to UV-irradiated fibroblasts, the combination substantially improved the ECM in activating the elastin fiber production (fibrillin 2, fibulin 1 and 5 and lysyl ­oxidase-like 2) as well as that of proteins involved in the cellular ECM interactions (integrin b1, paxillin and actin a2). An ex vivo photodamaged human skin model showed that the dermocosmetic formulation containing the combination of the active ingredients protected the elastic network against UV-induced alterations including both elastin and fibrillin-rich fibers in the dermis. A daily application of the dermocosmetic for 2 months on naturally aged skin resulted in a statistically significant improvement (p