Coffea bengalensis for Antiwrinkle and Skin Toning Applications

By: Marida Bimonte, Antonietta Carola, Annalisa Tito, Ani Barbulova and Francesca Carucci, Arterra Bioscience; Fabio Apone and Gabriella Colucci, Arterra Bioscience and Biolab; Irene Monoli and Mirna Cucchiara, INTERCOS SpA; and Jacqueline Hill, CRB SA

Posted: September 1, 2011, from the September 2011 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

The aging process leads to a loss of firmness and elasticity in the skin, causing tissues to collapse and the subsequent production of wrinkles. This wrinkle formation involves dramatic structural alterations in the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis. For example, alterations of the hydration state and water-holding capacity of the epidermis have been found to contribute significantly to the formation of wrinkles¹ and can easily be associated with a deficiency of water mostly due to the drying activity of environmental factors such as UV, light, heat and pollution.²

The epidermis is mainly composed of keratinocytes, which proliferate in the stratum basale (SB), differentiate and migrate toward the skin surface. The outermost layer of the epidermis, the stratum corneum (SC), is mostly composed of flattened and cornified keratinocytes, which produce high amounts of keratin during the differentiation process. Dead keratinocytes are held together by junctions and microfibrils composed of different insoluble proteins that are essential for the skin’s mechanical integrity and waterproof properties.

Involucrin (INV) and filaggrin (FLG) are two important proteins in the epidermis, and both contribute to the structural integrity of the SC.³ Moreover, FLG is a source of natural moisturizing factors (NMF), as it generates precursors of the NMF upon hydrolysis.⁴ Another important factor that plays a key role in skin hydration and integrity of the epidermis is aquaporin (AQP); specifically, aquaporin 3 (AQP3), located at the plasma membrane in the SB and stratum spinosum, where it plays an essential role in water transport.⁵

This is only an excerpt of the full article that appeared in Cosmetics & Toiletries, but you can purchase the full-text version.