Product developers have brought the mind into matters of skin care, as demonstrated by several podium presentations during the IFSCC in Munich. Could this mean an end to traditional claims substantiation in the future?
Emotion and Age
Kao Corp. explored the effects on beauty of positive emotions induced by pleasant-feeing skin care rituals and touch. LVMH looked at emotion-driven perceptions of age, interestingly noting men perceived women's age more modestly and sensitively than did other women.
Emospin and the University of Tours, France, in conjuction with Chinese manufacturer PECHOIN, also examined how an apparent synergy between traditional Eastern herbal medicine and Western peptide technology not only imparted anti-aging effects, but also a synergistic sense of happiness and well-being.
Arnold Aubert, of Emospin and the University of Tours, explained the premise. "Consumers are no longer 'fighting' age so much as they are adopting a positive attitude toward aging." He added this is a major trend that relates to quality of life. As such, integrative approaches are needed. "We need to look beyond skin care properties to focus holistically on wellness benefits."
East Meets West
Aubert then compared the traditional Eastern approach to medicine, which is focused more on emotions and treats the body as a "garden." In contrast, the Western view approaches the body as a machine to provide evidence-based effects. "But there is a middle ground," he assured attendees; for example, he described research showing that acupuncture can induce opioid-like peptides.
Taking this East-meets-West concept further, researchers sought an answer to impart anti-aging and wellness/psychological benefits via both Eastern and Western views. As such, products developed for PECHOIN borrowed a page from both the West, with an N-Ac-Tyr-Arg-O-Hexadecyl (NATAH) peptide, and the East, with a blend of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi/Reishii) (and) Panax ginseng root (and) Saussurea involucrata (Tianshan show lotus). Results indicated the Eastern blend synergistically supported the activity of the peptide.
Warm Fuzzies
Furthermore, positive psychometric and emotional benefits using the two approaches were shown through self-conception analyses and emotional responses. Emotions were measured in part by biometrics including heart rate variability and prosody, i.e., the pitch of subjects' voices, in response to self-assessment in a mirror.
Change is Now
In the end, it seems this shift in attitude toward aging will not change traditional claims substantiation in the future—it already has. In fact, several additional examples of new test methods related to emotion and other effects were given during IFSCC 2018 podium presentations. Follow us for additional reports in coming days.
