“In many countries, in the next 50 years, about one-third of women will be over 50 years of age,” said Frédéric Bonté, Director of Scientific Communication in its keynote speech. “Appearance and skin vitality are and will remain a subject of primary importance in daily life and for social well being.” In such a context and considering the progress of scientific knowledge, “the current issue is no longer to fight ageing, but to trigger rejuvenating processes”, added Dr. Max Santoul, dermatologist and scientific adviser of LVMH Recherche.
In order to investigate the new strategies that can regenerate the health and youth of the skin by producing a durable effect below the skin’s surface, LVMH Recherche Parfum & Cosmétiques - the common scientific arm of LVMH’s main cosmetic brands (Parfums Christian Dior, Guerlain, Parfums Givenchy, and Fresh) - gathered scientists whose presentations covered a wide range of topics, including genetics, cellular and molecular biology, active ingredients, reprogramming strategies and formulation, dermatology, and even developmental meditation.
Biological and cellular approaches
Dr. Aubrey de Grey, a biomedical gerontologist based in Cambridge, and Chief Science Officer of SENS Foundation, a California-based charity dedicated to combating the aging process, presented a very ambitious approach that encompasses the characterisation of all the accumulating and eventually pathogenic molecular and cellular side-effects (“damage”) of metabolism that constitute mammalian aging and the design of interventions to repair and/or obviate that damage.
Concerning skin aging in particular, he noted that while the skin a rather complex tissue was affected by what occurred in the rest of the body, the specific types of molecular and cellular “damage” accumulating in all tissues, including the skin, are broadly similar. Whether it concerns the extracellular or intracellular level, this damage can be properly fixed through maintenance strategies including cell therapy, phagocytosis by immune stimulation, transgenic microbial hydrolases, etc. In sum, according to Dr. Aubrey de Grey, a sophisticated multi-component assault will probably be necessary if we are to achieve complete rejuvenation of aged skin - but this is no longer a utopian goal. “With sufficient resources and determination, it can be achieved within the foreseeable future,” he said.
Focusing on the issue of stem cell and skin rejuvenation, Carlo Pincelli, Professor of Clinical Dermatology and Director of Research of the Laboratory of Cutaneous Biology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, detailed the role of Keratinocyte Stem Cells (KSC) in the process of skin aging. He showed that while KSCs play a key role in the process of skin aging, cosmetic and medical rejuvenation strategies nevertheless have to take into account the entire environment of stem cells, and in particular the KSC niche, to be effective.
For her part, Melanie Swan, a Research Fellow at DIYgenomics, a non-profit research organization she founded in March 2010 to investigate the links between genotype-phenotype, explained how genomic profiling of individuals might lead to personalised solutions, including the development of skin care products customized to individuals per genetic profiles. “Personalized genomics is an important emerging field of science being applied to human biology and medicine. Its application in disease risk assessment, wellness profiling, drug response determination, and product response customization may only grow over time and lead to many useful innovations in translational anti-aging skin research,” she said.
While some of these biological approaches may seem quite utopian,the publication in the November 1st issue of Genes & Development, of a successful rejuvenation protocol of senescent and centenarian human cells, prove that impressive results can already be achieved under laboratory conditions. Scientist have succeeded in reprogramming the pluripotent state of old cells through the introduction of a series of specific genes, and thus demonstrated that cellular senescence is not a limit and that age-related cellular physiology is reversible.
Dermatological treatments
However, more practical and immediate approaches of skin rejuvenation were also presented. Dr. Leslie Baumann a dermatologist, researcher, professor and well-known author, presented the various techniques already available to dermatologists and how their combination within a multifaceted approach can lead to visible results.
Dr. Laure Rittié, Research Investigator at the Department of Dermatology Photoaging and Aging Research Program, of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, explained how laser-based devices can be effective in rejuvenation strategies aiming at stimulating collagen production in photodamaged skin. Laser devices are used to generate a controlled wound healing reaction that ideally triggers minimal inflammation and maximal collagen production.
Product developments
While they are not yet any promises of eternal youth, major cosmetics manufacturers are closely monitoring these various scientific developments. “By combining our knowledge with information from the fields of sociology, psychology and neurocosmetics, and validating our results in clinical studies and consumer panels worldwide, we seek to reach tailored cosmetics solutions,” said Eric Perrier, Executive Vice-President R&D at LVMH Recherche.
“The idea that ageing is an active continuation of a genetically programmed development of organisms has been partially discredited. Ageing is now admitted to be a loss of equilibrium between the capability of an organism to maintain its repair potential and the frequency and intensity of the damage to which it is exposed,” explained Carine Nizard, Bio-Science innovation Manager at LVMH Recherche.
Carine Nizard presented three examples of skin-cell rejuvenation strategies, using innovative ingredients, developed by LVMH Recherche based on experimental work (in LVMH laboratories or within academic collaborations). These strategies were materialised into cosmetic products marketed by LVMH brands. “These approaches enable us to have interesting in-vitro skin-cell rejuvenation experimental data and in vivo quantifiable results for skin following their cosmetic use,” she concluded.
