60 MENOPAUSAL SKIN CARE
1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0
Antioxidant capacity ***
*** Control ■ Elastapure 0.3mg/mL ■ Gene expression
3.5 3
2.5 2
1.5 1
Elastapure® 0.5 mg/ml
Marine elastin 0.5 mg/ml
Trolox 100 µM
Figure 1: ORAC Assay. Recombinant human elastin showed a significantly higher capacity to absorb oxidative species that the positive control (Trolox) and marine elastin at the same concentration. ***: p<0.001
microstructure of the skin ECM lead to the reduction of skin thickness by 1.13% and of skin elasticity by 1.5% per postmenopausal year,4 accelerating the signs of age.
Biomimetic human elastin Biotechnology enables a new era of ingredient design, including the programming of microorganisms to produce molecules of interest. This biodesign process integrates biological engineering and computational methods, making it possible to create biomimetic molecules that are chemically identical to their naturally occurring counterparts with greater activity and potency, like sh-polypeptide-50. Using this approach, recombinant human elastin is produced via industrial biotechnology, creating a high-purity, animal-free ingredient for cosmetic use. Like tropoelastin, the recombinant human elastin is water-soluble, and its polypeptide sequence was intentionally designed to match a segment of the human elastin amino acid sequence to act as a signaling molecule. Given elastin’s central role in maintaining
the skin’s youthful properties, the challenges associated with its biosynthesis in adults, and its degradation during ageing, which is aggravated for menopausal individuals, this biomimetic polypeptide is designed
A
300 250 200 150 100 50 0
Control ■ Elastapure 0.3mg/mL ■ Elastin production
0.5 0
SOD2 GSTK1 GPX2 GLRX PRDX5
Figure 2: Comparison of antioxidant gene expression in keratinocytes. SOD2: Cell protection; GPX2: Cell protection; GLRX: Antioxidant defense; PRDX5: Antioxidant protection13
to stimulate the endogenous synthesis of extracellular matrix components, most notably elastin, in the skin.
The benefits of elastin treatment to menopausal skin The recombinant elastin sequence carries multiple functions. First, it can neutralize reactive oxygen species while supporting the intrinsic defences of cells by stimulating antioxidant genes. In antioxidant assays, the recombinant elastin showed higher ROS- absorbing capacity than vitamin E analogs and marine elastin (Figure 1). Additionally, microarray analysis of
keratinocytes cultured in the presence of 0.3mg/ml recombinant elastin showed significant upregulation of genes involved in antioxidant defence in comparison to untreated controls (Figure 2). These traits can be of special interest in
the treatment of menopausal skin given the diminishing protecting effect of estrogen against ROS and the consequent negative effects of oxidative stress on procollagen synthesis.
The stimulatory effect of recombinant elastin on the synthesis of extracellular matrix components was first demonstrated using an in vitro model that mimics the hormonal changes of menopausal skin.
B +62%* +397%***
250 200 150 100 50 0
Non-menopausal Menopausal
Control ■ Elastapure 0.3mg/mL ■ Hyaluronic acid production
Dermal fibroblasts were cultured in medium containing specific hormonal and growth factor concentrations adapted from the model suggested by Remoué et al.14 The synthesis of ECM components was
measured in the cell culture supernatant after 72 hours of culture in the presence of recombinant elastin at 0.3mg/ml and quantified using ELISA kits. The results of this study (Figure 3)
highlight the effects of hormonal depletion on the production of ECM components in fibroblasts, with 67% lower production of elastin in fibroblasts cultured in menopausal condition relative to non-menopausal condition. Treatment with recombinant elastin significantly increased the production of elastin by fibroblasts in menopausal and non- menopausal conditions, with 397% increase in elastin production in menopausal condition. Similarly, the production of hyaluronic
acid by fibroblasts was boosted by 83% and of collagen III by 132% relative to control in menopausal conditions. Treatment with this ingredient overcame
the negative effects of hormonal changes, and fibroblasts achieved similarly high levels of ECM production in both non-menopausal and menopausal conditions when treated with the recombinant human elastin. The benefits offered by the polypeptide
C +23%ns +83%*
3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0
Non-menopausal Menopausal
Control ■ Elastapure 0.3mg/mL ■ Collagen 3 production
+81%*
+132%**
Non-menopausal
Menopausal
Figure 3: Comparison of production of ECM components by dermal fibroblasts cultivated in vitro under non-menopausal and menopausal conditions treated with recombinant human elastin (Elastapure) relative to untreated controls. Significance was assessed with paired t-test (ns: p≥ 0.05, *: p< 0.05, **: p<0.01, ***: p<0.001). A: average elastin content in the supernatant after 72h culture. B: average hyaluronic acid content in the supernatant after 72h culture. C: average collagen type 3 content in the supernatant after 72h culture
PERSONAL CARE November 2025
www.personalcaremagazine.com
Elastin (ng/mg protein)
ORAC (TE µM)
HA (µg/mg protein)
Expression (Fold Change)
Col III (ng/mg protein)
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 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107
