Avoid the sun, of course, but what you breathe, where you go and even how you blink, all play a big role in what you look like, too. The Estée Lauder Companies recently presented several posters linking environmental factors and biological processes to skin and hair aging at last month’s annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID).

 
According to Dr. Tom Mammone, VP-skin physiology and pharmacology, Estée Lauder Companies Research and Clinique Laboratories, Estée Lauder researchers have been attending the SID event for nearly 30 years.

 
“This is where the basic science gets presented,” he told Happi. “I love this conference because it hits on hyperpigmentation, skin aging and hair biology—all things that are of interest to Estée Lauder.”

 
At this year’s SID event, Estée Lauder poster topics included the impact of pollen on skin physiology; protecting against photo-aging by targeting the transient receptor potential channel, TRPV1; energy enhancing compounds protect against IR-induced barrier disruption in reconstructed skin models; melatonin receptors decrease with age in normal human dermal fibroblasts; biomechanics and periorbital aging–impact of constant skin micro-movements on cellular responses; and prevention of H2O2-induced cellular senescence in human hair follicle dermal papilla cells.
 

According to Estée Lauder, particulate pollution is made up of many different components, including pollen.

 
“Pollen is very irritating to the skin and creates the same inflammation as sun exposure,” noted Mammone. “We need to educate consumers to take preventive steps such as cleansing skin.”

 
Estée Lauder investigated how antioxidants, specifically vitamin C, mitigates the harmful effects of pollen.

 
“There is a lot of overlap with the histamine reaction,” Mammone explained. “Pollen has a lot of proteases.”

 
These proteases disrupt the barrier and trigger a response.

 
In another study, Estée Lauder researchers looked at energy-enhancing compounds that protect against infrared-induced barrier disruption in reconstructed skin models. In-vitro treatment with energy enhancing materials pre-IR radiation exposure reduced the severity of barrier damage and treatment post IR radiation restored the barrier completely, suggesting the compounds optimize mitochondrial energy production. 

 
“IR is a big contributor to deep tissue damage and protecting against this damage is very complex,” according to Mammone.

 
In its research, Estée Lauder tested a series of carnitine to rebalance the mitochondrial energy range. Mammone said that carnitine is fairly easy to use, too.

 
For 10 years, Estée Lauder researchers have studied Circadian rhythm and its influence on skin. During the day, skin function focuses on protection and during the night, it focuses on repair. Circadian rhythm functions well in young, healthy skin, but with age and pollution, this rhythm falters. In another poster, the company detailed how melatonin receptors decrease with age in normal human dermal fibroblasts.

 
“With age, skin cells do not enter the repair stage,” explained Dr. Nadine Pernodet, VP-skin biology & bioactives, Estée Lauder Companies Research and Estée Lauder Brand Laboratories.

 
New research into MT1 and MT2 melatonin receptors elucidated a significant decrease in both types of melatonin receptors in fibroblasts derived from aged donors.  MT1 knockdown in young and aged-derived fibroblasts further revealed a greater sensitivity to UV-induced DNA damage. These data demonstrate a reduction in melatonin receptors as a function of age and suggest the importance of modulating these receptors to help re-establish a natural circadian rhythm in skin cells. These results demonstrate the importance of melatonin receptors in nighttime repair synchronization and their relation to cellular repair.

 
Estée Lauder researchers discovered a tripeptide that mimics the melatonin molecule and repairs it. This tripeptide, Chronolux, can be found in Advanced Night Repair.

 
Pernodet also looked at the impact constant skin micromovements, such as blinking, have on periorbital aging.

 
“We blink 10,000 times a day,” noted Pernodet. “These micromovements reduce collagen production and result in a constant state of inflammation.”

 
Estée Lauder researchers developed a biomechanical eye model that mimics mechanical stress on periorbital skin from the blinking movement to study the cellular impact as a function of age. Results over time show a loss of natural cell reorganization, collagen production and energy, as well as an increase in inflammation and slower cellular proliferation. These stresses, induced by a profound level of repetitive tissue movements that impact skin cells and scaffolding, along with the unique structure of the periorbital skin, explain why eye skin ages faster than the surrounding facial skin. These results show how repetitive skin micromovements impact skin cells over time and their scaffolding which, in part, explains why periorbital skin aging is accelerated.

 
To help improve delicate skin around the eye area, Estée Lauder has created physical absorbers to lower the stress. This “mesh” has been incorporated into a soon-to-be-released new product.

 
Hair is impacted by age, too. Dr. Alison Pawlus, research scientist, Estée Lauder Companies research and Aveda hair innovation and technology, explained that hydrogen peroxide increases in hair follicles with age. Unfortunately, common antioxidants had no impact on reducing these H2O2 levels.

 
To identify an effective treatment, Pawlus and her team developed ahigh-throughput method to identify actives that stimulate the proliferation of hair follicle dermal papilla cells and protect against H₂O₂-induced senescence. During the study, researchers discovered that Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), an Ayurvedic herb, protected against H2O2 senescence.

 
“This material is very active,” explained Pawlus.

 
The fifth poster summarized how skin can be protected against photo-aging by targeting the transient receptor potential channel, TRPV1.An in-vitro study demonstrated that TRPV1 is a significant contributor to photo-aging, making it an important target for photo-protection, while also highlighting the beneficial effects of 4-t-butylcyclohohexanol, an antioxidant, in protecting against UV and IR induced damage. 
 
 
“The posters we presented are the research that we are excited about,” explained Mammone. “But we look to dermatologists to give us guidance on what to target.”
 

And, judging by its research, derms could learn a thing or two from Estée Lauder, too!