The skin’s eye opener: COSSMA

Solar light and artificial blue light coming from electronic devices are the main triggering factors for the appearance of wrinkles and dark spots on the skin. The new Lumicease blue ingredient has been recently developed to not only protect the skin against radiation from different types of light, but also to prepare the skin with the help of an adaptation process that can help cope with the negative effects of radiation that lead to ageing. In a similar way to light, the ingredient also helps activate opsins, which are epidermal photosensors considered to be the eyes of the skin.

Selfies, smartphones and computers can age your skin

UV radiation from the sun was believed to be the main source of photoageing, causing up to 90% of skin ageing signs, including wrinkles and dark spots. But beyond UV, the sun also emits other harmful radiation, such as blue and infrared light, that penetrates deeper into the dermis. Blue light can also be found indoors, since electronic devices, such as computers, TVs, smartphones and tablets, which are present in many people’s daily lives, emit it artificially. It is important to understand that the smartphone dependency, the selfie boom, and long workdays in front of computers can negatively impact our skin’s appearance.

Adaptive response to light

In order to protect itself from light-induced damage, human skin adapts by developing biological mechanisms that increase resistance to light. One of the skin-adaptive responses is to increase the amount of lipids on the cornified envelope, which contributes to improving its barrier function, helping enhance the skin’s natural ability to resist damage.

At low radiation doses, different DNA repair pathways are also activated to restore light-induced DNA damage. Finally, an enhanced antioxidant response that reduces ROS and protects against photo-oxidative stress is also considered to be one of the main skin-adaptive responses (1, 2, 3.)

A ferment extract obtained from a microorganism found in a specific waterfall in the Eastern Pyrenees. Photo: Zffoto/Shutterstock.com

Seeing with the skin

But how does the skin detect light? Opsins, which are the main photoreceptors of the eye and have a key role in light perception, have also been detected in the skin. In particular, opsin 2 is one of the most abundant opsins found in melanocytes and keratinocytes4. Opsins could allow the skin act as a sensory system for light, helping increase its alertness to trigger an adaptive response.

An excellent sustainability profile

The recently launched Lumicease blue ingredient is a ferment extract obtained through biotechnology from a microorganism found in a specific waterfall in the Eastern Pyrenees mountains, in Northern Spain. This microorganism has been shown to adapt to high radiation at high altitudes and even to survive the extreme conditions of spatial exploration on the International Space Station. With the help of sustainable practices, the microorganism was isolated from the waterfall helped to preserve the aquatic environment of the region in which it was isolated.

The ferment extract was shown to minimise the main signs of photoageing, as it prepares the skin for the exposure to solar and artificial blue light while protecting it during the exposure and repairing it in case of light-induced damage. The results of several in vitro and in vivo studies support the efficacy of the ingredient.

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