Material design using genetic algorithms and preparation of innovative UV-reflecting composite

The neck is a sun-exposed area. It seems to show the symptoms of photo-ageing as well as facial skin in the elderly. However, the physiological study of neck skin has hardly been reported. We examined the change of skin physiological properties at a neck site with ageing for 61 women (18—69 years old) compared with a cheek site. Water content in stratum corneum (SC) was higher, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was lower and the turnover rate of SC judged from corneocyte area was slower at the neck site compared with the cheek site. Skin thickness was thinner, skin extensibility and elasticity were higher, skin grooves were deeper, and anisotropy of skin furrows was lower at the neck site than those at the cheek site. It was shown that the neck was also affected by sunlight but not so much as the cheek from the result of gelatinase activity detected in the tape stripped SC. Skin elasticity decreased with ageing at the neck site as well as the cheek site. Fine wrinkles were remarkably increased in the direction of Langer's line with ageing at the neck. Most skin physiological parameters at the neck showed the value between the cheek (heavily sun-exposed area) and back (not sun-exposed area). From these results, it was considered that not only intrinsic ageing but also photo-ageing affected the neck skin. We developed the prototype of cosmetics corresponding to neck skin physiology based on these results, and evaluated the effectiveness of the prototype product by a consumer test including skin measurement for 4 weeks. After treatment, water content increased, and it gave satisfaction in the skin colour brightness, skin elasticity and skin texture improvements for almost all volunteers. It was concluded that the prototype product was useful in neck skin treatment.     

Methodology for Evaluation of Skin Transparency and the Efficacy of an Essence That Can Improve Skin Transparency

Transparency of the skin is an important factor for realizing beautiful skin, but there is only a visual sensory evaluation method by a beauty specialist. It is unclear how skin physiological characteristics can give transparency. Our purpose is to establish an objective method for evaluating the transparency of the skin and to develop a special cosmetics product which can enhance skin transparency, after investigating the mechanism of the skin characteristics which yield transparency. We developed an optical instrument that could independently measure a diffuse reflection as well as a specular reflection by assembling a polarizing filter in a gonio-spectrum photometer. We analyzed the relationship among skin transparency, specular reflection light and diffuse reflection light. It was shown that there was a strong positive correlation between the skin transparency and the intensity of the diffuse reflection light ( r  = 0.699) and no correlation between the skin transparency and the intensity of the specular reflection light ( r  = 0.190). The results of partial least squares (PLS) analysis of the skin transparency and the skin physiological characteristics showed that a highly transparent skin has a fine skin surface texture with a high hydration of stratum corneum, a low melanin content and a low hemoglobin content. On the basis of these results, we developed an essence that can improve skin texture and blood flow, reduce melanin content, and increase the moisture in the stratum corneum. After eight weeks' usage of this product by consumer panels ( n  = 30), it was confirmed that the skin transparency was improved by the increase of the intensity of the diffuse reflection light by gonio-spectrum photometer measurement and by consumers' self-assessment.     

The vitamin mystique: an analysis of beliefs and reputations of vitamin supplements among a regional sample of grocery shoppers

The objective of the present study was to examine the reputations of vitamin supplements and determine the extent to which supplement reputations among young, middle-aged, and elderly adult men and women correspond to established science. Young, middle-aged and older men and women were recruited as they shopped and were asked to answer a few questions concerning their habits and beliefs about vitamin supplements. The older the participant, the more likely it was they took vitamins; vitamin C was considered most important for all respondents, however, the reputation of vitamin E increased with age. Young and middle-aged women (compared to men) believed vitamin supplements important for health (even if diet is adequate); this was reversed for older men and women.     

Skin color and makeup strategies of women from different ethnic groups

The development of a world-wide makeup foundation range requires a thorough understanding of skin color features of women around the world. To understand the cosmetic needs of women from different ethnic groups, we measured skin color in five different groups (French and American Caucasian, Japanese, African-American, and Hispanic-American) and compared the data obtained with women's self-perception of skin color, before or after applying their usual foundation product. Skin color was measured using a spectro-radiometer and a spheric lighting device with CCD camera ensuring a highly reliable imaging and data acquisition. The diversity of skin types involved in the study lead to define a large, continuous color space where color spectra from various ethnic groups overlap. Three types of complexion - dark, medium, or light - were distinguished in each group. Only Japanese women did not identify with this lightness scale and considered it makes more sense to classify their skin according to a pink-ocher-beige color scale. The approach however revealed the great variety of skin colors within each ethnic group and the extent of unevenness. A fairly good agreement appeared between women's self-perception and data from color measurements but in Hispanic-American group. Data recorded, after foundation was applied, showed overall consistency with makeup strategy as described by volunteers except for the latter group whose approach looked more uncertain and variable. The findings of the study demonstrate the advantage of combining qualitative and quantitative approach for assessing the cosmetic needs and expectations of women from different ethnic origin and cultural background.     

Development of quantitative analysis for the micro-relief of the skin surface using a video microscope and its application to examination of skin surface texture

We developed a new analyzing method for characterizing a skin surface morphology image obtained easily by a video microscope. For the numerical analysis of various characteristics of the skin surface morphology, three parameters were invented; 'the width of the skin furrows,'the fineness of the skin ridges,' and 'the size of the skin pores.' The width of the skin furrows was calculated as mean width of the skin furrows. The fineness of the skin ridges was calculated as number of the skin ridges. The size of the skin pores was calculated as total area of skin pores. The analyzed parameters were compared with the clinical scores evaluated by trained experts, resulting in a high correlation (r = 0.54–0.72). Upon the age related changes in the parameters described above, the number of the skin ridges decreased at around the age of 20, and the size of the skin pores became large with aging during the teens through 40's. In the analysis of seasonal changes, the ridge parameter was high in summer, and the furrow parameter was high in winter. Upon the relationship between the images (the skin surface patterns) and the skin physiological parameters, the skin with a low barrier function (high TEWL) or that with high sebum content gave a low density of the skin ridges. From these results it seems that the image analysis of skin surface morphology using a video microscope is quite useful for an easy and simple evaluation of skin condition.     

Transparent oil-water gels

The present article reviews both the cosmetic and the pharmaceutical literature concerning transparent oil-water gels. We propose the term 'transparent oil-water gel' for semisolid systems that consist mainly of water, oil and an emulsifying agent or agents and that are characterized by a jelly-like consistency, transparency, homogeneity, optical isotropy, thermodynamic stability, and the occurrence of a 'ring' or resonance when a containerful is tapped. The literature reflects a rather remarkable degree of confusion, not only with regard to terminology, but also with regard to the basic concept of the formation of transparent oil-water gels. After a brief discussion justifying our selection of the term, the advantages specifically attributed to these gels are summarized, and the raw materials used in their formation as well as factors affecting their formulation are described. Finally, their applications as cosmetic and as pharmaceutical vehicles are reviewed.     

Clinical and instrumental evaluation of a food supplement in improving skin hydration

Topically applied cosmetic products can be helpful in improving skin hydration. The study shows how oral supplementation could be helpful in improving and preventing the skin dehydration. A total of 32 healthy female volunteers entered the study. Of which, 16 were treated with a food supplement based on vegetable ceramides, amino acids, fish cartilage, antioxidants and essential fatty acids for 40 days and 16 with placebo. The results of the clinical and instrumental evaluations carried out in this study, have highlighted how the active treatment is effective in improving skin hydration and in reducing the cutaneous smoothness and roughness and the depth of furrows, in comparison to the placebo. In fact, concerning several important parameters, as stratum corneum hydration and skin roughness, the improvement measured exceeded 25%. We therefore suggest that a combination of treatments (oral and topical) can be more effective in improving skin hydration.     

复合保健猕猴桃汁的研制

简述了猕猴桃、枸杞、甘草、陈皮的营养价值和生理功能,着重介绍了采用正交试验、感官评价确定饮品配方的过程和复合饮品的加工工艺。据此,开发研制了具有营养保健作用的复合保健饮品。     

La microscopie confocale: interet pour l'analyse du relief cutané. Un outil d'évaluation dermo-cosmétique

Nowadays, the determination of human skin microtopography is usually carried out by methods based on mechanical techniques (profilometry and surfometry), or founded on optical conception (shadowing method and profilometry). Negative skin replicas made of a silicone rubber material (Silflo((R))) or positive casts performed from an epoxy resin (Araldite((R))), are used to assess the skin microstructure. Skin surface microtopography is quantified by measuring furrows depths and spaces between them. An original application using confocal scanning laser microscope (CLSM) is described in this paper. The CLSM gives simultaneously images of the skin surface associated with quantitative measurements of the microtopography. With this apparatus, it is easy to achieve perfect skin replica images with assessment of its microstructure, before and after applications of topical medicines or cosmetic products to evaluate the skin surface restoration. It is worth to mention that it is indispensable to analyse the same skin surface (same plateaux and same furrows). For this reason, it is necessary to localize exactly and to replicate the same skin surface area (4 mm(2)) before and after the cosmetic use, whatever the extended period of the topical application.     

Odor and color of cosmetic products: correlations between subjective judgement and autonomous nervous system response

The color and odor of cosmetics have been shown to be crucial for affective states and able to influence autonomic responses. We report an original procedure to measure the effect on subjects of the color and odor of cosmetic products, and to quantify the correlation between objective (psychophysiological recording) and subjective (psychophysics) responses. Several cosmetic products (lipsticks and nail varnishes) of different colors (white, brown, red, orange, and pink) and odors (two per product) were presented. In a first step, autonomous parameters (skin conductance (SC) and heart rate (HR)) were recorded, and in the second step, subjects rated their sensations on subjective scales (overall appreciation, pleasantness, and emotional arousal). Results indicated that certain color and odor additives in cosmetics act on relaxation, excitation, perceived pleasantness, and emotional arousal. It was also found that certain colors, perceived as pleasant, decreased HR, and that the perception of an 'arousing' perfume significantly increased SC.     

Relationship between clinical features of facial dry skin and biophysical parameters in Asians

There have been few reports classifying the biophysical characteristics of Korean women with healthy skin. Consequently, the aim of this study was to find the most useful parameters for categorizing skin types based on a clinical assessment. One hundred and three female volunteers, aged 20-59, participated in this study. We conducted a self-evaluation questionnaire, a clinical assessment of the facial skin, and non-invasive measurements on the cheek under controlled environmental conditions. The questionnaire survey indicated that 72% of respondents had dry skin. However, results of the clinical assessment focusing on skin roughness and scaling of the cheek showed that 6 subjects had very dry skin (6%), 29 had dry skin (28%) and 68 had normal skin with sufficient moisture (66%). We analysed the correlation between the clinical assessment and biophysical parameters. As a result, we obtained six biophysical parameters that had relatively higher correlations with clinical assessment than other parameters. Our study provided general information about the physiological characteristics of normal skin in Korean women and suggested useful parameters for characterizing dry skin.     

Assessment of sun reactive skin type with multiple correspondence analysis, hierarchical and tree-structured classification methods

The sun reactive skin type classification is based on sunburn susceptibility, tanning ability and phenotypic information. As subjects rarely match all features of a given skin type, the attribution to a class is partially subjective. The aims of the study, were to analyse the contribution of each characteristic to the classification made by the expert, and to establish a classification based on a statistical approach conducted on 212 women living in the Ile-de-France area. Multiple regression was used to construct a formula for each phototype. The coefficients obtained demonstrated that the importance of each characteristic was extremely variable from one phototype to another, suggesting that the phototype determination could be facilitated by adding a weight for every characteristic in the decision. Then, multiple correspondence analysis and clustering analysis methods showed that one phototype could be divided into two more homogenous classes.     

眼动仪在服装面料色彩视觉评价中的应用

针对目前服装面料色彩视觉评价领域存在主观评价不准确、难以与客观评价相联系的问题,将眼动仪应用在该领域进行研究。首先分别以色系和明度为单一变量设计了仿真面料及三维模拟服装;然后用所述面料及服装进行眼动追踪实验,并对受试者进行主观喜好的问卷调研;最后对具有相同色彩要素的面料和服装的客观注视与主观喜好进行相关性分析。结果显示:服装色系注视时间与主观喜好的相关系数为0.744,大于面料色系注视时间与喜好程度的相关系数0.448,与明度变量结果一致;使用眼动仪可建立客观注视与主观喜好间的联系,并且以服装为评价载体能够更有效地反映消费者主观意识中服装面料的整体效果,具有更大的视觉营销价值。     

Relationship between perceived softness of bilayered skin models and their mechanical properties measured with a dual‐sensor probe

The development of a sensor system that can predict the subjective softness of human skin is an important goal for the cosmetics industry. Here, we first carried out a subjective softness evaluation test using 65 skin models consisting of polyurethane bilayers with different thickness of the superficial layer and different degree of cross‐polymerization of the basal layer. The results showed that perceived softness was dependent on the mechanical properties of both the superficial and basal layers. Then, we used a recently developed tactile sensor system composed of a piezoelectric tactile sensor and a load cell to measure mechanical softness parameters of the superficial layer and the whole model, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the data obtained from these two sensors were well correlated with the perceived softness of the prepared models. These results suggest that it may be feasible to predict the subjective softness of human skin in vivo from non‐invasive mechanical softness measurements of the superficial skin layer and whole skin obtained with our new dual‐probe sensor system.     

高温环境下人体年龄对热生理与行为能力的影响

为研究高温环境下人体年龄对热生理与行为能力的影响,招募3个年龄段(20、30、40岁组)的男性,在温度40℃、相对湿度40%的高温环境下,采集受试者的主、客观生理反应和行为能力指标。结果表明:20、30岁组受试者的热耐受性优于40岁组,表现出更好的散热能力和恢复能力;各年龄段热感觉、热舒适性主观评价无显著差异(p>0.05),中年男性高温环境下比年轻男子出汗晚且少,40岁组的皮肤湿度、疲劳程度最低(p<0.05);受试者不同阶段的行为能力除20岁组视觉保留外均无显著差异,即核心温度在38.5℃以内对人体的行为能力没有显著影响。     

Effects of ingesting milk fermented by Lactococcus lactis H61 on skin health in young women: A randomized double-blind study

We conducted a randomized double-blind trial to evaluate the effects of fermented milk produced using only Lactococcus lactis strain H61 as a starter bacterium (H61-fermented milk) on the general health and various skin properties of young women. Healthy female volunteers (n = 23; age = 19–21 r) received H61-fermented milk (10¹⁰ cfu of strain H61/d) or conventional yogurt (10¹⁰ cfu of both Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus per day), as a reference food, daily for 4 wk. Before and at the end of 4 wk, blood samples were taken, and skin hydration (inner forearms and cheek) and melanin content, elasticity, and sebum content (cheek only) were measured. Skin hydration at the inner forearm was higher at wk 4 than at wk 0 in both groups. Sebum content in cheek rose significantly after intervention in the H61-fermented milk group, but not the conventional yogurt group. Other skin parameters did not differ in either group. Serum analysis showed that total protein concentration and platelet count were elevated and reactive oxygen species decreased in both groups after the intervention. Although H61-fermented milk and conventional yogurt had similar effects on skin status and some blood characteristics of participants, an increase of sebum content in cheek is preferable to H61-fermented milk. As skin lipids contribute to maintaining the skin barrier, H61-fermented milk would provide beneficial effects on skin for young women.     

Whitening effect of α‐bisabolol in Asian women subjects

Although skin pigmentation, which results from the production and distribution of melanin in the epidermis, is the major physiological defence against solar irradiation, hyperpigmentation is a common and distressing problem caused by various inflammatory skin disorders, such as eczema, allergic contact dermatitis and irritant contact dermatitis. We evaluated the effects of a preparation containing α‐bisabolol on pigmented skin of a group of subjects. The effectiveness of the active compound, α‐bisabolol, in a base‐cream preparation for the treatment of pigmented skin was tested on 28 female subjects as follows: the cream was applied once a day to the back for 8 weeks. These same women also applied a vehicle control cream to the pigmented skin. The results were evaluated by clinical and biophysical test methods. After 8 weeks of treatment of the α‐bisabolol‐containing cream, there was significant lightening effect in the pigmented skin for the majority of the subjects who tested the cream.     

A fully automated system to study skin surface patterns

An image analysis method to measure the human skin microrelief has been previously proposed.
This new method has been recently automated, using a 'robot'electronically driven by a Quantimet 900. This 'robot'consists of a change-over specimen driven by four motors, and allows forty Silflo® replicas to be analysed in 6 hours, each analysis giving the main directions of the furrows, their density and their mean depth.
For example, the volar forearm microrelief was studied from the detected shadows created by a 26° angle lighting, in the range of 5 to 100 μ m deep furrows. A 38° angle lighting allows such measurements from 50 to 1000 μ m and is used for studying 'crow's feet'wrinkles of the face.
Results clearly show that deep wrinkles appear as early as 30 years old on the human face. The consequences of actinic and mechanical stresses over the life span are discussed.
Un système automatique pour l'étude du relief cutané chez l'homme     

Surface distribution and depths profiling of particulate organic UV absorbers by Raman imaging and tape stripping

Tape stripping in conjunction with scanning Raman microscopy was used for assessing the lateral and vertical distribution of an organic particulate UV filter, methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol (MBBT), in a sunscreen formulation. On the volar forearms of three volunteers, 1 mg cm(-2) formulation containing 10% MBBT was applied, and the average amount of MBBT was measured by Raman scanning microscopy in 15 consecutive tape strippings. The recovery of MBBT was 91.1% with 30.2% localizing on the skin surface (first strip), 42.5% in the upper stratum corneum (strips 2-5) and from 3.6 down to 0.8% in each of the 10 consecutive layers. The concentration of surface deposits of MBBT differed by a factor of 300 between folds, furrows and pores on the one hand and the interjacent ridges on the other hand. Seventy-five per cent of the applied particles occupied a fifth of the evaluated area - where concentrating in folds and furrows - as was confirmed by 3-D reconstruction. On interjacent ridges, 8.6% of MBBT distributed as very thin films preferentially. MBBT localized at sites not connected with the surface, such as in truncated pores or as potentially penetrated material amounted to 0.06% or to a twentieth of the 1.4% found in the lowest skin strippings. Scanning Raman microscopy in combination with tape stripping documented the lateral and vertical distribution quantitatively and at cellular (12.5 μm) lateral resolution. Our results confirmed an earlier report on the vertical distribution of organic particles applied to skin and was in line with similar reports on TiO(2) distribution.     

Skin Color Changes of Squids Todarodes pacificus and Loligo bleekeri During Chilled Storage

ABSTRACT: Squid skin color is one of many important factors to evaluate market values. The effects of chilling and hypoxia treatments on skin color of Japanese common squid Todarodes pacificus and spear squid Loligo bleekeri were investigated to prevent highly fresh squids from abnormal fading skin color with inappropriate commercial value losses. Skin color of the squids gradually faded away during ice-cold storage. Measurements of chromato-phores expansion showed that skin color can be maintained well after death by keeping the bodies well-oxygenated and avoiding direct contact with ice.