FORMULATING FOR MILDNESS
Tackling conspicuous pores from start to finish
Harald van der Hoeven – CLR Berlin
The skin of the face has many pores which are associated with sweat glands and hair follicles. Those related to the hair follicles are much larger (40–80 µm) and are mostly visible to the human eye. Pores associated with sweat glands are only 5–10 µm in size. The density of pores related to the hair follicles (in this text, hereafter called pores) on the face is about 200–300/ cm2
. It is not unimaginable that, when pores
change their normal natural features, they can become a problem. A growing number of consumers feel that the
visibility of the pores on their face makes them look less attractive. They find their pores too conspicuous and feel the need to counteract this by using makeup or skincare products. Where makeup normally only covers the problem, skincare products can have different biological activities which make pores less conspicuous. In the past, astringent ingredients were
widely used. These lead to irreversible coagulation (‘firming up’) of superficial skin proteins, which ‘tightens’ the pores. However, there are important downsides to this approach. Astringent ingredients do not present a fundamental solution to the problem; they have a temporary effect at best and interfere with the natural state of the skin’s own proteins.
What makes pores conspicuous? In light of the growing need for effective skincare products which provide a fundamental but mild solution to the problem, there is a demand for active ingredients which can act at the core of those biological processes in the skin that lead to pores becoming more visible. A thorough understanding of these processes is called for and, at least as importantly, an understanding of which features of pores make them more visible and conspicuous in such a way that they become a problem for the consumer. There are two aspects of pores which we
need to address so we can make them less conspicuous. Firstly, and obviously, their size. Secondly, however, we need to look at another essential: the colour contrast of the pores with the surrounding skin area. It is not difficult to understand that when the colour contrast is more pronounced, the pores will be more visible.
Colour contrast has many different origins Colour contrast related to pores can originate from different biological processes with different
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outcomes, but can all be of significance when providing a 360° solution to the problem of conspicuous pores. People with oily skin are known to have pores which are more visible. Within the hair follicles, the sebaceous glands
produce sebum. Sebum, as such, plays different beneficial roles, but overactive sebaceous glands will produce more sebum than strictly necessary (i.e. hyperseborrhea). The resulting oiliness of skin is not just tangible, it can also become visible, as the skin can become shinier. The shininess of skin increases the colour contrast of the pores, which in people with oily skin are typically already enlarged. Another important feature of the colour
contrast of pores can also be related to elevated sebum production. With hyperseborrhea, the barrier function within the hair follicle is weakened, which allows for the initiation of inflammatory processes. These processes, in turn, can lead to local redness in and around the pores. The red pores are more visible to the naked eye than noninflamed pores. Inflammatory processes, therefore, need to be tackled as well in order to obtain the desired effect. Yet another important factor in increasing the
colour contrast of pores is protein carbonylation. This phenomenon, too, is related to the sebum which is produced in the sebaceous glands inside the hair follicles. Some lipids from sebum can become oxidized, obtaining so-called
reactive aldehyde compounds. Free radicals that induce this process are aplenty in and around the pores. The reactive aldehyde compounds interact
with the proteins (e.g. keratins) in the stratum corneum locally around the pores, making them carbonylated. Carbonylated keratins have a distinctly darker colour than the noncarbonylated keratins which are further away from the pore, making the colour contrast between the pore and its surrounding area more clearly noticeable. Lastly, another factor can also play a role:
protein glycation. Glycation in the skin represents a (bio)chemical reaction between reducing sugars and proteins in the skin. Glycation is also considered to be a step in the so-called ‘browning’ reaction. Free radicals can also play a role in this reaction. For skin, the glycation process can have
many outcomes. Two of them are relevant to the conspicuousness of pores: the aforementioned glycation-related ‘browning’ reaction in the epidermis can play a role in colour contrast, as the pores might seem to become yellowish in colour. Yet glycation can also take place in the dermis. Here it can play a detrimental role in the visibility of skin pores.
The size of pores originates deep inside the skin This brings us to the second and, arguably,
April 2023 PERSONAL CARE
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