How skin lipids support the barrier how can we boost it

Skin lipids are at the center of many important developments in cosmetic science, particularly in those that look at skin barrier damage caused by aging and pollution. 

As holistic and science-based approaches to cosmetics continue advancing, skin barrier care stands out as a key concern due to its crucial role in protecting against UV radiation, environmental pollutants, or maintaining hydration, among other functions. Additionally, efforts to support skin lipids as an essential part of the skin barrier have become an even more important concern as the relationship between free radicals and aging is more and more understood.

This is precisely the context where the emergence of cutting-edge lipid barrier care solutions must be understood as a crucial development to preserve the skin’s integrity and promote well-aging.

Shiloxome™, a new innovation by Provital that promotes lipid-enhancing mechanisms for the skin, stands out among the key breakthrough developments presented through Provital’s involvement in the IFSCC.

This active has been a protagonist both in the 2023 and 2024 editions as it represents a new frontier for cosmetic science in many ways, beginning from its extraction from the endophyte Kwoniella mangroviensis, which promotes the use of plant symbiotes as an innovative and sustainable source of biomolecules. 

In 2024 IFSCC’s edition, the cutting-edge lipidome analysis presented has showcased the active’scapacity for modulating the endogenous lipidome profile towards lipids with longer chains, thus demonstrating yet another revolutionary step taken to advance cosmetic science efficacy in the field of advanced botanical cosmetics.

Skin lipids, skin barrier and skin health: the dynamics 

Due to its core function as part of the skin barrier and the outermost layer of the skin (the stratum corneum), supporting the lipidome is central to a healthy and radiant skin. 

In fact, the stratum corneum (SC) matrix is composed of three main types of skin lipids, all of which play a key role n the skin barrier function:

• Free fatty acids (FAs)
• Cholesterol
• Ceramides (CERs) 

Changes in the composition and structure of skin lipids affect the function of the skin barrier. This is why  in skin care and protection, particular attention is paid to the composition of lipid and the lipidome, as organized skin lipids effectively provide a true ‘brick & mortar’ effect, key for the skin’s protective function.

Another important aspect that must be kept in mind in well-aging and anti-pollution skincare is  that  long-chain lipids are a crucial aspect of the skin’s barrier function. In the same way, reduced lipid chain length can lead to disruptions in the skin barrier’s performance.

There is also the case of issues such as lipid peroxidation caused by pollution, which was recently discovered to trigger the degradation of cellular membranes’ structure and function, thus inducing skin roughness, wrinkle formation, and other signs of skin damage and aging.

This is precisely where Shiloxome™, the latest skincare innovation by Provital, stands out, with its capacity to actively replenish the skin lipid barrier through promoting long-chain skin lipids.

Lipidome analysis: our case study for finding the ultimate natural extract for lipid barrier repair

The lipidome analysis represented one of the key testing methods that allowed Provital to investigate the in vivo efficacy of Shiloxome™; and it is one of the greatest innovations ever presented by the company to an IFSCC Congress. In fact, the jury selected the scientific work for podium presentation. . 

In the context of advanced cosmetic testing protocols and a multi-omic study that also included microbiome analysis, the lipidomic study first involved the identification of 328 lipids in the 240 samples analyzed. After a total of 114 lipids were found significantly different after treatment with Shiloxome™ vs placebo, a bioinformatic analysis was performed with the differentially regulated lipids in order to better understand the impact of Shiloxome™on the skin lipidome. Then, a subsequent enrichment analysis – where different lipid properties were assessed (including lipid class, chain length and unsaturation) – meant it was possible to consider not only lipids individually but the whole lipidome. A series of revolutionary results ensued. 

First of all, an oxidized lipid analysis showed Shiloxome™ prevents the skin lipids from pollution-induced oxidation. Within these results, a pronounced effect in specific specific triglycerides and a significant decrease in the oxidation marker Hydroperoxy- squalene were key. 

Through this research, we were also able to understand the active modulates the lipidome profile towards lipids with longer chains and decreased oxidation. This is essential to improve the protective function of the skin barrier in polluted environments and contributes to the restructuring of a youthful and healthy skin.

Secondly, the study detected many different triglycerides and ceramides that were significantly regulated by Shiloxome™. And when looking more specifically, the increase of a long-chain Ceramide called Ceramide NS, directly linked the active to post-menopausal skin conditions,essential for a correct barrier function and has been correlated with a decrease in TEWL.

All in all,the results showcase how Shiloxome™ does in fact change the lipid profile of the skin after 56 days of treatment, modulating it towards lipids with longer chains, and contributing to an overall restructuring for a youthful and healthy skin. 

As such, this endophyte-based extract represents a trailblazing innovation, where science, technology and sustainability efforts meet for a new era of well-aging, anti-pollution cosmetics.