Ashland applied the science of circadian regulation to skin care by creating an extract from yeast protein that may help to maintain skin’s cellular rhythm and guard against UV damage in vitro for healthy-looking skin. More than 20% of gene expression in a given tissue falls under circadian regulation. This regulatory function within skin cells, however, may be disrupted by external factors.
Chronogen YST (Proposed INCI: Water (aqua) (and) Glycerin (and) Hydrolyzed Yeast Protein) promotes expression within clock gene proteins in vitro to resynchronize optimal skin function.
At night, cells undergo DNA repair and replication procedures based partly on the expression of clock genes within a closed loop system. In contrast, at the beginning of the day, DNA needs to prepare for UV exposure with antioxidant enzymes. This 24-hour cycle can be disrupted by UV exposure and, accordingly, impede cell regeneration. Even small amounts of UV damage can result in disruption to the cells’ 24-hour cycle.
The active was shown to resynchronize the skin’s circadian clock and improve skin turnover, a skin parameter that slows with aging. It is recommended at 1% in day-time formulations to help skin boost its natural defenses against UV-induced damage; night-time formulations to boost the skin’s own processes in skin regeneration; anti-aging formulations with claims based on epigenetic science; and formulations to help maintain the skin’s “synchronized” internal clock.