SKIN CARE
Making sense of the skin–brain connection
Harald van der Hoeven – CLR Berlin
A deep dive into consumer physiology and psychology teaches us that increasing numbers of consumers feel that they have problems with their skin. Virtually nobody is fully satisfied with their skin, approximately 50% of all consumer perceive their skin to be sensitive and more and more people seem to suffer from skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Although cosmetic products cannot and are
not allowed to cure skin diseases, especially dermocosmetic products are recognized to offer effective support. It is not for nothing that the dermocosmetic segment of the skincare industry has shown strong and constant growth over the last decade. Consumers, seemingly, rather first go to the
pharmacy to buy a dermocosmetic product than go directly to a dermatologist and what they find in the pharmacies looks to provide satisfactory results for them. Although the modern consumer of
dermocosmetics is focused on finding a solution to the skin problem they have they are also seeking for an improvement in their quality of life, their emotional wellbeing. The problem they have with their skin is not simply localized in the skin, more often than not their skin problem also constitutes an emotional burden. Current dermocosmetic skincare offerings
seem to work biologically and for emotional wellbeing. There is room for improvement, though. The question which is answered in this article is: how? It is well-known from scientific research that
the care of skin with skincare products has a great psychological aspect. The ritual of applying a skincare product alone already makes people feel good, i.e. improves wellbeing. Obviously, consumers demand more than
just this rather simple ‘feel-good factor’ from applying skincare products. They associate healthy skin with wellbeing. Inversely, people who do not have healthy
skin, skin which does not look and feel good, more often than not have lower self-esteem and overall quality of life. Their general wellbeing is impaired. There is a link between skin health and
wellbeing, a link between the skin and the brain, a skin–brain connection. In order for the skincare industry to provide consumers with efficacious and satisfactory products that address what seems to be one of their most important needs, understanding the skin–brain connection is a prerequisite.
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Yet do we as scientists fully understand all that is happening between the skin and the brain? No, we obviously do not. Do we, however, have enough understanding to make a consumer-relevant difference? Yes, we think we do.
Are they linked? To come to this understanding, some definitions are in order. There is no consensus around a single definition of wellbeing. However, at a minimum, wellbeing includes
the presence of positive emotions and moods (e.g. contentment, happiness), the absence of negative emotions (e.g. depression, anxiety), satisfaction with life, fulfillment and positive functioning. In essence, from a biological point of view,
wellbeing is always accompanied by optimal functioning of the body’s physiological systems, i.e. bodily health. Hence the term ‘health and wellbeing’. Additionally, health is an active process that
enables an organism to adapt to fluctuations in its intrinsic and extrinsic environments to maintain health or recover to a healthy state
after being exposed to a health-threatening stressor. Concluding and extrapolating from the
above, understanding the ability of positively influencing skin’s resilience against stressors and its ability to maintain or regain its healthy homeostasis, is at the core of improving not only skin health, but also consumer wellbeing. Improving skin health and consumer
wellbeing implies, therefore, the need to thoroughly understand the skin’s complex immune functionality. Indeed, virtually all cells which are found in the skin are immunologically active. They do not just sense problems or ‘stressors’, as described above, most of them are also able to act against these stressors. When the skin cells have full immunological
capacity, they are able to act effectively, without any perceivable or visible negative outcomes for the skin. In many cases, however, the skin cells’ immune reaction to a stressor has negative effects. Skin can become red or itchy etc. This is the case with people who have
sensitive skin, but also with babies and people with problematic skin, such as acne, dry and atopic skin. In essence, these people
June 2023 PERSONAL CARE
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