Niacinamide and hyaluronic acid: revisiting tried-and-tested ingredients

Niacinamide and hyaluronic acid have become staples in the well-aging skincare segment thanks to their proven benefits and ability to deliver visible results. 

As more consumers seek reliable ingredients, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid remain among the 10 topics in relation to skincare ingredients according to specialized research by Mintel. At a time when global demand for cosmetic products continues to thrive, both niacinamide and hyaluronic acid have become the tried-and-tested ingredients for well-aging efficacy.

In this context, brand differentiation through reimagining well-known ingredients remains a key strategy to stay relevant for consumers. As such, brands can lean on the groundbreaking discoveries that current cosmetic science is bringing to the table: from a renewed focus on skin microbiome, to a more sophisticated knowledge around the role of free radicals. 

Within this framework, opening a new frontier of cosmetics where sustainable cosmetics meet technology and plant intelligence stands out as a remarkable choice.

The established effectiveness of niacinamide and hyaluronic acid

As part of the well-aging segment, the efficacy of niacinamide and hyaluronic acid has been largely demonstrated through scientific validation in recent years. As such, numerous studies and clinical trials have proven their efficacy and safety, building consumer trust and turning both into familiar and sought-after ingredients.

Niacinamide

Also known as Vitamin B3, this is a water-soluble vitamin that is essential for the proper functioning of the skin. 

The key mechanisms behind the benefits of niacinamide for well-aging lie in it being the precursor of important cofactors – such as niacinamide adenosine dinucleotide (NAD) and niacinamide adenosine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP); both of which are able to reduce oxidation in over 40 cellular biochemical reactions, many of them related to the visible signs of aging.

As such, by serving as a precursor to NAD/NADP, niacinamide stimulates collagen synthesis, which helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles and is fundamental for well-aging in skin care.

But that’s not all, as niacinamide is also capable of enhancing the skin lipid barrier function in two fundamental ways: 

• It upregulates the synthesis of ceramides and other stratum corneum lipids
• It stimulates keratinocyte differentiation, which helps strengthen the skin barrier

These, in turn, cascade into other vital well-aging effects, such as reduced Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL), improved moisture retention and increased resistance to potential harmful agents.

Additionally, niacinamide presents extraordinary anti-inflammatory properties (making it beneficial for conditions like acne or eczema), inhibits hyperpigmentation and promotes sebum regulation. A combination of advantages that turns niacinamide into an all-round beneficial well-aging ingredient for many skin types.

Hyaluronic acid (HA)

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance found in connective tissues throughout the body. Part of many success stories in skincare formulations, it’s known for its remarkable ability to attract and hold onto water molecules, providing intense hydration for the skin. As such, it’s involved in regulating water balance in the dermis, but also in balancing vital skin structures. 

The visible effect of hyaluronic acid is it plumps the skin and it improves its texture, making it look fuller and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Underneath, it also promotes an enhanced skin barrier, which is also fundamental for protection against environmental damages.

But the physicochemical properties of HA don’t stop at this intense hydration, as it’s also known for its capacities to promote tissue repair. As such, it can interact with immune cells and activate them, leading to an inflammatory response against pathogens or the injury of cells, ultimately clearing damaged tissues.

Updating the benefits of niacinamide and hyaluronic acid through breakthrough cosmetic science

As we’ve mentioned above, with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid being anchored as the pillars of well-aging, there’s a risk of brands relying too much on the familiarity of these ingredients in an increasingly saturated market.

As such, the well-aging trend can be understood as an established, developed segment where consumers are eager for breakthrough cosmetic science that takes skin health and appearance to a new frontier.

This is precisely where innovations such as Shiloxome™ stand out. A biotechnological protective solution born out of outstanding cosmetic innovation by Provital, it supplies the skin with a preventive and corrective well-aging effect. This ingredient goes beyond the effects of niacinamide and hyaluronic acid thanks to incorporating additional effects, such as its antipollution or lipid repair activities.

Conceived as an ecosystem ingredient, it has been developed through a breakthrough biotech platform that allows for using plant endophytes as a sustainable and effective source for cosmetics for the first time. 

Thanks to this innovation, Shiloxome™ is derived from a fermented extract of the endophytic yeast Kwoniella mangroviensis from the inside of the bark of the cork oak (Quercus suber). As such, it acts as a shielding ingredient that provides the skin with the capacity to adapt, survive, and protect itself; and it has waymore comprehensive well-aging proof than many other familiar ingredients thanks to a multi-omic efficacy study.

When it comes to efficacy, in vivo tests of Shiloxome™ have validated its properties for reinforced lipid barrier, moisture retention and an enhanced “brick & mortar” epidermal function. 

To further evaluate the ingredient’s efficacy, we embarked on a first-of-its-kind skin lipidomic study aiming at analyzing the lipidome profile and variation after skin treatment with Shiloxome™ vs. placebo. 

In short, the breakthrough test showed the ingredient’s wide action in improving the skin barrier function. Results were, in fact, able to provide a promising glimpse into the potential of this active ingredient:

• The oxidized lipid analysis showed Shiloxome™ prevents the skin lipids from pollution-induced oxidation
• It increases the total chain length of the lipidome, significantly regulating 55 different Triglycerides (TGs) and 31 endogenous long-chained Ceramides, particularly important in target studies for well-aging and skin barrier.
• Shiloxome™ modulates the endogenous lipidome profile towards lipids with longer chains, thus improving the skin barrier’s protective function in polluted environments, and contributing to the restructuring of a youthful and healthy skin. 

Additionally, the testing looked at post-menopause skin in particular, with a focus on the mechanisms that effectively impair the stratum corneum and compromise the lipid barrier and dermal production of collagen and other structural components. What’s more, we were interested in the correlation of these factors with the well-known effects of a polluted environment on the skin. This was particularly important because, especially after menopause, the skin becomes thinner and more vulnerable to environmental stressors.

As such, Shiloxome™ increases a long-chain Ceramide directly linked to post-menopausal skin conditions (Ceramide NS (CER [NS], also called ceramide II); and overall promotes ceramide quality by a newly-defined mechanism that relates lipid oxidation (caused by pollution) with healthy lipid elongation that the skin barrier needs.

Overall,  Shiloxome™ stands out as a powerful ecosystem ingredient that visibly fights aging signs by enhancing allskin’s natural barriers, while also safeguarding the skin against pollution, and making it the perfect solution to aging consumer needs that seek innovative formulas that go beyond niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.