SKIN HYDRATION 49
HarnessingCistanthe grandiflora for smart skin
Paula Martínez, Sofía De Esteban - Cobiosa ABSTRACT
Skin hydration is one of the most fundamental determinants of cutaneous physiology, influencing elasticity, barrier integrity, enzymatic activity, and visual appearance.1
the epidermis is essential for maintaining normal desquamation processes and optimal mechanical properties of the skin.2 From a consumer perspective, hydration
represents one of the primary expectations in skin care. Market analyses indicate that hydration is considered the primary functional expectation among skin care users across age groups, highlighting its central role in product selection and perceived efficacy.3
Similarly,
surveys on dermatological concerns consistently report dryness or dehydrated skin among the most frequently reported skin complaints across populations.4 Despite this importance, traditional cosmetic
hydration strategies rely predominantly on passive mechanisms such as occlusion, humectancy, and lipid replenishment. While effective at temporarily increasing stratum corneum water content, these approaches do not directly address the biological transport mechanisms regulating water movement within the epidermis. Increasing evidence suggests that epidermal
hydration must be understood as a biologically regulated homeostatic system, rather than a simple function of water retention alone.
www.personalcaremagazine.com Adequate water content within
Skin water homeostasis as a dynamically regulated system Epidermal hydration results from a complex interaction between structural barrier components, natural moisturizing factors, osmotic gradients, and active transmembrane transport pathways.1 Water distribution across the epidermis is
critical for keratinocyte proliferation, enzymatic processing of corneodesmosomes, lipid organization, and barrier recovery. Importantly, water movement across cell
membranes cannot be fully explained by passive lipid diffusion alone. Instead, specialized membrane channel proteins enable rapid and selective water transport across biological membranes.5 These proteins belong to the aquaporin family,
which plays a crucial role in maintaining skin hydration by facilitating the transport of water and small solutes across cellular membranes in both the epidermis and dermis. Their presence ensures efficient water distribution within the skin, thereby contributing to the maintenance of cutaneous hydration and homeostasis. The mechanism of action of aquaporins
relies on their unique structure and selective permeability. These proteins form pore-like channels that allow rapid and highly selective water transport across membranes. The channel architecture includes hydrophobic
The concept of skin hydration has evolved from a passive approach toward more advanced strategies based on so-called ‘intelligent hydration’, which is aimed at modulating the expression of key proteins involved in water balance, such as aquaporins. In this context, current research focuses on the development of active ingredients capable of stimulating the skin’s intrinsic physiological mechanisms. Inspired by the adaptive strategies of plants that thrive in extreme environments, biologically active metabolites have been identified with the ability to induce aquaporin expression. Through advanced biotechnological processes, such as the isolation and cultivation of plant stem cells, it is possible to extract, optimize, and concentrate these bioactive compounds, whose availability is limited through conventional agricultural methods. The topical application of these metabolites promotes the regulation of aquaporins in the epidermis, leading to a significant improvement in skin hydration and overall skin wellbeing. This approach represents a new generation of dermocosmetic solutions based on the activation of endogenous processes and the optimization of the skin barrier function
domains that contribute to molecular selectivity, ensuring that primarily water molecules, and in some cases small solutes such as glycerol, can pass through the pore. Water molecules typically move through the channel in a single-file arrangement, connected by hydrogen bonds, which enables efficient and controlled transport. Beyond their role as water channels, aquaporins are important regulators of skin physiology. They have been implicated in key biological processes including skin hydration, wound healing, and inflammatory responses. Consequently, understanding aquaporin
function provides valuable insight into dermatological conditions and potential therapeutic strategies, making them an important focus of research in dermatology and skin care science.6 In mammals, the aquaporin (AQP) family
comprises 13 homologous channel proteins that can be functionally classified into three main
May 2026 PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE
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