Oak, Green Tea and Orange Derivatives to Disrupt JAK/STAT, NF-κB Irritation Pathways

By: Giorgio Dell’Acqua, PhD; Kuno Schweikert, PhD; and Giuseppe Calloni, Induchem AG

Posted: January 3, 2011, from the January 2011 issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

Skin is exposed to the external environment that brings with it daily aggressions such as UV light, chemicals, pollution, temperature, etc. These aggressions can create skin irritation, especially in sensitive skin individuals, leading to itching and discomfort. Moreover, in the long-term, irritation leads to skin damage and premature aging as a result of elastosis and matrix degradation.^1-3 It is therefore important to stop skin irritation rapidly to not only reduce skin discomfort, but also avoid further skin damage.

Skin irritation is sustained by a cross-talk mechanism between a keratinocyte in the epidermis layer and the infiltrating immune cell, e.g. T lymphocytes. This cross-talk creates an amplification loop that leads to overreaction and escalates the inflammatory process with consequent skin erythema and irritation. Under these circumstances, the skin is unbalanced and requires re-balancing.

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