A New Peptide Skin-Brightening Facial Cream Demonstrated Clinical Improvement in Jawline Sagging, Discoloration and Overall Photodamage

Abstract

Besides fine lines and wrinkles, chronological aging leads to discoloration, age spots, and more importantly, sagging and loss of elasticity on facial skin. There are ample consumer needs to reduce age spots and skin sagging with an increasing desire for effective topical solutions that can provide meaningful benefits in these areas. A new microdipeptide (acetyl dipeptide) technology was developed that demonstrated the potential to reduce skin inflammation and stimulate the skin’s supporting matrix. This clinical study was designed to test the effectiveness of a facial cream with a unique blend of microdipeptide technology along with brightening and firming ingredients to reduce the key signs of facial aging with twice daily use. The 16-week study included 43 healthy female subjects, ages 40-70 with diverse skin tones, and having mild to moderate jawline sagging with fine lines and/or hyperpigmentation by expert visual grading (3 to 6 on a 0 to 9 scale). Visual grading exhibited statistically significant reduction in all targeted skin aging signs starting at week 8, and continuing improvement to week 16, including jawline sagging (19%), laxity (19%), lift/ firmness (15%), as well as improved evenness of skin tone (16%), hyperpigmentation (14%) and overall photodamage (23%) (mean percent change, p< 0.05). Consumer perception questionnaires also revealed improvement after 16 weeks of use with tighter/tauter jawlines (88%), increased firmness (93%), skin elasticity (93%), refined facial contour (88%), less sagging (95%), and more lifted (91%) and volumized appearance (98%). Furthermore, subjects also indicated brighter skin (95%), increased radiance (93%), less discoloration (86%), fading dark spots (77%), reduced fine lines (93%) and wrinkles (95%), skin looks younger (95%), and overall less noticeable aging signs (95%). Clinical photography supported both the clinical grading and consumer perception of benefits.  In addition, these clinical outcomes are further supported by in vitro and ex vivo investigations showing the microdipeptide activity on inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokines and inducing multiple matrix building biomarkers, beyond elastin, pro-collagen and hyaluronic acid to include decorin and fibronectin. Gene expression profiling showed changes associated with skin barrier and extracellular matrix organizations, therefore mimicking a younger-looking skin. These results demonstrated that this peptide facial cream was well-tolerated and effective in improving jawline sagging, facial skin firmness, skin brightening, and reducing the overall signs of aging.