70 ANTI-POLLUTION D0 D14 D28 D42
Figure 2: Photomax images show spot fading on Asian skin Recent studies suggest OPN involvement
in the control of skin pigmentation by acting as natural brakes in melanogenesis, thus playing a key role in what we could call the ‘melanin balance’. In particular, OPN2 triggers light-induced acetylcholine (Ach) release from keratinocytes via Ca2+ signaling, and this synapse-like communication from keratinocytes to melanocytes might be able to limit melanogenesis in melanocytes. Additionally, by colocalizing on melanocyte
membrane, OPN3 might limit MC1R-dependent melanogenic pathway. In case of excessive exposure to visible light, opsins can endure a transient conformational change due to the photoisomerization of its retinal chromophore, leading to opsin bleaching and to the induction of a signaling cascade that we call the “photosensory stress”, ultimately impairing the melanin balance and possibly explaining why visible light is so likely to induce hyperpigmentary disorders.6-9 After displaying a few years ago blumilight’s
ability to limit photosensory stress mediated by opsins in keratinocytes, today Ashland is going one step further by exploring this original link between the skin’s photoreceptors and the natural control of melanogenesis.
Cocoa and sunlight, an ancestral love story For thousands of years, cocoa has had a special link with sunlight. Pre-Columbian civilizations were the first people to cultivate the cocoa plant.
The name Theobroma cacao was first
given to the cocoa tree by Carolus Linnaeus – the father of modern-day taxonomic plant classification. Theobroma comes from ancient Greek and translates as ‘Food of the Gods’. Cacao is the Mayan root word retained by the Spanish colonizers of Mesoamerica to describe the tree and its produce. In the Mayan tradition, the cocoa ceremony is a unique and essential ritual of gratitude, said to open the heart and awake the spirit, connecting people with the sky. Among the myriads of health benefits that has been described in hundreds of scientific papers (searching for “human health” and
PERSONAL CARE June 2025
“cocoa” on Pubmed leads to more than 2,000 results), oral intake of cocoa is acknowledged for its antioxidant and vasoprotective effects, its ability to regulate the immune system and help preventing neurodegenerative disorders, but also to improve skin microcirculation and lower skin sensitivity towards UVR.10-13 All these elements have guided Ashland to
explore the properties of cocoa in the field of photobiology, to help the skin get a positive reconnection to the light and get the right level of defense against photodamage induced by UV and visible light.
Powered by white biotech, driven by AI Thanks to proteomic and AI-driven bioinformatic studies, Ashland Research explored Blumilight’s unique peptide profile. Indeed, the biofunctional ingredient is a cocoa extract obtained from a specific non-fermented process dedicated to preserving cocoa proteins and is powered by a patented process of sequential enzymatic transformation, also trendily called ‘white biotechnology’, to obtain natural cocoa peptides. Over 60 peptides were identified in the
composition of the biofunctional ingredient and the attention was drawn to a particular sequence linked to the regulation of melanin balance, opening the door for a complete overhaul of the biofunctional ingredient‘s biological mode of action. A complete reinvestigation was leaded by
Ashland Research, including complementary in vitro and ex vivo studies performed in the French R&D Laboratory based in Sophia- Antipolis, but also clinical studies on Asian and Afro-American volunteers in Ashland clinical facilities in China (Shanghai) and in the U.S. (Bridgewater, New Jersey).
360° solution to defy photodamage Blumilight’s antioxidant capacity was confirmed in vitro on keratinocytes with a strong decrease of ROS induced by blue light stress (-29% mitochondrial ROS, -46% cellular ROS, 0.1% biofunctional ingredient versus control), and ex vivo with a complete reversal of protein carbonylation induced by UVR (1% biofunctional
ingredient versus control). Photosensory stress was explored further
in vitro, the biofunctional ingredient’s ability to maintain OPN2 in keratinocytes under blue light stress was confirmed and the maintenance of OPN3 in melanocytes was complementary demonstrated (0.1% biofunctional ingredient versus control). Deepening the link between the skin’s
photoreceptors and the natural control of melanogenesis, the biofunctional ingredient was evaluated on human skin biopsies and showed its ability to improve the appearance of skin hyperpigmentation induced by blue light and by UV stress, as effectively as the positive control (-50% melanin pigment staining, 1% biofunctional ingredient versus 1% vitamin C). This efficacy on hyperpigmentation
appearance certainly relies on the ability of the biofunctional ingredient to tackle the photosensory stress, but also on its autophagy- stimulating effect demonstrated ex vivo (+38% LC3 immunodetection, 1% biofunctional ingredient versus control), thus closing the loop of hyperpigmentation process by addressing it upstream and downstream. Obviously, photodamage cannot be limited
to the problem of hyperpigmentation since the clinical signs of photoageing also include the appearance of wrinkles and loss of elasticity and firmness. That is why the collagen I and fibrillin-1
increase was also investigated on in vitro models, and ex vivo evaluation showed a visible improvement of the shape and length of elastin fibers under UVR and blue light stress (+46% fibrillin-1 immunostaining under UV stress, +24% under blue light stress, 1% biofunctional ingredient versus control).
Addressing each skin ethnicity in a specific way Interestingly, the clinical evaluation of the biofunctional ingredient revealed an ability to defy photodamage signs in a specific way according to skin ethnicity. Clinical evaluation on Afro-American skins
showed a reduction in dark spot count and an improvement in color contrast between dark spots and unaffected skin as soon as four
www.personalcaremagazine.com
PLACEBO
1% BLUMILIGHT TREATED SIDE
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92
