Shiseido discovers pure retinol softens skin’s stratum corneum in tackling root cause of wrinkles

13 Jul 2023 --- Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido has found that the hardening of the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of skin, is a major cause of wrinkle formation. The company has developed a treatment for wrinkles that uses “pure retinol,” a compound that can soften the stratum corneum and prevent wrinkles from forming.

As we age, the stratum corneum becomes thicker and harder, while the other layers become softer. This difference in hardness causes wrinkles to form.

Using its in-house “internal and external skin elasticity 3D imaging system” technology, Shiseido found that the difference of hardness between the skin layers led to the progression of a “gap between the two skin layers (stratum corneum and dermis),” which is the root cause of wrinkles. 

The company also discovered that pure retinol – an active ingredient with documented effects on wrinkle improvement – softens the stratum corneum. This newly discovered function helps prevent the progression of wrinkles from the surface of the skin to its deeper layers.

Pure retinol was found to soften the stratum corneum, preventing the progression of wrinkles.Shiseido’s TripleLock technology
Retinol – vitamin A – is a fat-soluble vitamin essential for the body’s general growth, maintaining vision and keeping the skin and mucous membrane healthy. 

In its pure form, retinol is highly effective in improving the skin. However, it is easily degraded by oxygen, heat and light. 

“Therefore, it takes some ingenuity to keep the ingredient stable and ensure that it gets delivered to the skin in order to fully demonstrate its effects,” highlights Shiseido.

Through over 30 years of research on retinol, Shiseido has developed “Shiseido Retinol TripleLock Technology,” a proprietary microencapsulating technology, to create products formulated with pure retinol.

The technology does not allow oxygen and light to pass through, maintaining stability. The microcapsules are made of a biocompatible material that is able to dissolve in the skin. This allows the retinol to be released slowly and evenly, over a period of several hours. 

Retinol TripleLock also helps to prevent the retinol from being too harsh on the skin, while delivering the effects of pure retinol to the skin with “absolute certainty.” 

Furthermore, the company’s claim on the effect of the active ingredient pure retinol in improving wrinkles was recognized for the first time in Japan by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. 

“This effect is reproducible, and the function that leads to wrinkle improvement in each layer of the skin – from the superficial layer (epidermis) to the deep layer (dermis),” details Shiseido. The phenomenon also has an effect on the wrinkles of the neck.

Deeper into the roots of wrinkles
While pure retinol has a “clear” beneficial effect, Shiseido notes it takes several weeks for its positive physiological changes on the skin to appear. 

In search of even more efficient wrinkle improvement beyond pure retinol treatment, the company has also been studying the mechanical structure of the skin, to “get to the root of wrinkles.”

Shiseido developed a 3D imaging technology that measures the internal and external elasticity of skin layers.It has developed “internal and external skin elasticity 3D imaging technology,” which measures the elasticity of each microscopic region of the skin in three dimensions. It states this had previously been “considered impossible” by conventional standards.

As the only manufacturer in Japan that also sells products (quasi-drugs) containing pure retinol, Shiseido continues to pursue its studies in this field.

Shiseido research pipeline
In recent R&D advancements, Shiseido partnered with the biotechnology Group Chitose and invested ¥1 billion (US$7.1 million) in the group’s Matsuri project. The project aims to establish a sustainable microalgae-based industry.

Last month, the Japanese beauty specialist pinpointed the biological mechanisms of special proteins affecting senescence, the biological measurement of aging at the cell level. The company worked with scientists at the Cutaneous Biology Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital to understand this occurrence.

In the same month, Shiseido developed a technique to inhibit melanin production that combines Panax ginseng root extract – a popular botanical ingredient originating from East Asia – with unique radio frequency irradiation, based on high-frequency electrical stimulation at a uniquely set frequency.

The beauty giant also recently investigated the skin revitalizing properties in a trio of botanical active ingredients. It succeeded in reproducing a “thinning” phenomenon, which is characterized by a decreased thickness of the dermis caused by aging.

In January, Shiseido unveiled the “world’s first” measurement system that employs a non-invasive approach to visually and numerically analyze the 3D facial shape and optical properties of the skin to understand the factors involved with changes in skin appearance. 

Among other activities, the company has investigated the effects of yuzu fruit-based epidermal regeneration, as well as hyaluronic acid’s function in strengthening the healthy barrier function of lips.

By Benjamin Ferrer