54 ANTI-AGEING
production of dermal components, but also, even more importantly, supports a youthful dermal organization and strengthens the skin’s basement membrane. These activities underline the potency of WP Complex to provide skin with the possibility to regenerate and return to a more youthful state of firmness and elasticity showing fewer wrinkles.
In vivo studies Depth of wrinkles Effect on wrinkle depth was determined on crow‘s feet next to the eyes. On one side of the face, a formulation containing 0.5% WP Complex was applied. The other side of the face was treated with a placebo. Treatment took place twice daily for a total of 14 days. Twenty volunteers enrolled in the study. At the start and end of the study, wrinkle
depth was determined by profilometry with the stylus OFR 01 scanner (Romano GmbH, Cologne, Germany) of silicone replicas (Silasoft NR, Detax-K. Huber KG., Karlsruhe, Germany) taken on wrinkles. The parameter Rt (DIN 4768/1) that evidences wrinkle depth was evaluated.34 A significant effect of WP Complex on wrinkle
depth could be strikingly observed, after a mere 14 days. WP Complex (0.5%) clearly outperformed the placebo-formulation. Values presented, are related to initial conditions (Figure 7).
Figure 4: Example of results for collagen Type I (blue: fibroblast nucleus, green: collagen Type I)
Improvement of skin firmness Skin firmness was determined with a the Cutometer SEM 474 (Courage + Khazaka Electronic GmbH, Cologne, Germany).35 In this study, 20 human volunteers applied the test substances (a gel containing 0.5% WP Complex and, on the other inner forearm, the corresponding placebo) for ten days, twice daily. At the start and at the end of the study, skin firmness was determined. After this extremely short period, ten days, it
could already be shown that the application of WP Complex could make the skin very significantly firmer. This was clearly not the case for the placebo. The values presented, are related to initial conditions (Figure 8).
Conclusion Despite ongoing and growing interest in more
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Control type V Col Fibulin-1 Fibulin-5
Figure 5: Treatment with WP Complex leads to an increase in expression of supportive components of the dermis
PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE January 2026
Figure 6: Treatment with WP Complex leads to an increase in expression of structural components of the basement membrane
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preventive approaches to skin ageing, the skin care consumer continues to focus on rejuvenating skin. Reducing wrinkles and firming sagging skin were, are, and will continue to be a central concern. Furthermore, the consumer’s increasing expectations are expressed in her need to obtain quick and tangible results from the skin care product she uses. There is an increasing need for effective skin
care solutions that address these concerns. To reduce wrinkles and make skin firmer, contemporary science shows us that it is indeed important to provide the skin with its main building blocks, e.g., collagen Type I, with which it establishes its firmness and volume. What it also shows is that these building blocks can only unfold their effects when they are incorporated
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into the complex dermal structures, as is the case in young skin.
The dermis and the basement membrane
are incredibly complex structures. Improving the quality of their structures is essential when aiming to make skin firmer and reduce wrinkles. The other key molecules which make up the structure of the dermis and the basement membrane are, in essence, as indispensable as collagen Type I. In cell biological studies, WP Complex was
shown to increase the production of all key molecules in making skin firmer and reducing wrinkles. These cell biological results underline the different outcomes when WP Complex is applied on human skin: it makes skin thicker, firms skin, and reduces wrinkles. These results are obtained with, for the
Control Treated with WP Complex
Figure 3: Example of results for collagen Type III (blue: fibroblast nucleus, green: collagen Type III) Control Treated with WP Complex
Expression (%)
Expression (%)
Control Integrin α6 Laminin-332 Col type IV Col type VII
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