LONGEVITY 21
Bakuchiol NAD+ ester: a dance of youth and longevity
Mehran Ghadim – Grant Industries
The Hindu deity Shiva is an embodiment of transformation, regeneration, and yogic harmony. There are many depictions of Shiva: in one, Shiva is named Nataraja (‘Lord of the Dance’) as he performs a cosmic dance (the Tandava) which represents the cycle of destruction and creation to establish a renewed world. In another, Shiva uses his third eye to raze the old world and illuminate a greater truth. This pattern of abolishing previous
conceptions to make way for new ideologies is a central tenet of science and innovation. The longevity movement in the personal care industry is a clear example. Traditional methods to combat ageing processes are largely compensatory approaches. We know that collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid content decline in skin with age.1 We know there is an increase in low grade inflammation across body sites.2
The most potent
pathways utilized today (retinoid pathways, growth factors, etc.) don’t aim to resolve the reasons why this decline occurs, instead they pull on alternative levers to counteract this decline. Imagine you are on a boat and there is a
hole in the boat causing water to leak inwards. Traditional approaches do not resolve the hole, instead they help you get the water out of the boat faster (such as giving you a bucket to help throw the leaking water out). The pursuit of longevity is to help patch up the
hole. This opens the path to several fundamental questions: how can these insights be applied to improve actives? Which method is better to keep the water out? If the clinical end result is similar, then does it matter how we get there?
What is longevity and why is it different? Let’s first review the central factors targeted in longevity treatments. Modern research has consolidated ageing into several interconnected factors labelled the hallmarks of ageing.3 In the broadest sense, ageing can be seen as a
gradual decline in the organization and integrity of ‘information’ that constitutes your biology. If you were an orchestra, ageing would be the gradual misplacement of musical notes until the song is substantially different. Cellular machinery loses efficiency. Cells
behave abnormally to their original functions. The microbiome skews to a more disruptive state. Inflammation increases as the body’s stress defence systems become worn. All of these factors
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and more lead to the visual changes we see in skin.
With this knowledge, we can create several
‘schemas’ or potential ways one might age. This is one schema as an example: significant UV or oxidative stress damages DNA over time. This leads to ‘excessive’ use of the DNA damage response system. In some cells, the machinery focused on handling the damage reduces resources needed to maintain the informational integrity. Some of this key machinery, like sirtuins or PARPs, and their resources, like NAD+, are longevity treatment targets. In other cells, the damage reaches a point
where the cell becomes senescent (termed ‘zombie cells’). Senescent cells behave abnormally and release distress signals to the surrounding environment. This contributes to inflammation and propagation of senescence, which will ultimately degrade the extracellular environment. That is a step-by-step example of how a clinically apparent
ageing of the face may occur. How do we know this happens? Several
studies have confirmed this relationship. Skin biopsy studies comparing populations with familial longevity (lineage living to long ages) vs age matched controls (sometimes spouses) have found lower senescence markers in skin are associated with younger biological age.4-6 One study even found an association with
elevated senescent markers in skin and higher perceived age via wrinkle grading.6
Another
study using skin samples obtained from Sydney Adventist Hospital patients showed a reduction in key longevity markers ( NAD+, Sirtuins) and increase in DNA damage with increasing age (newborn to elderly age range).7 Other good sources of evidence are
organotypic models which are lab models with cells made to closely mimic clinical conditions. Skin organotypic models have demonstrated that increasing amounts of senescent cells lead to ‘ageing’-like characteristics.
May 2026 PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE
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