Research Trends in the Development of Cosmetic Ingredients for Skin Barrier Improvement

Research Trends in the Development of Cosmetic Ingredients for Skin Barrier Improvement

In 2022, the domestic production performance of functional cosmetics in South Korea reached 4.6 trillion won, accounting for 33.85% of the total cosmetics production. The number of functional cosmetics reviewed increased by about 7.5% from the previous year, totaling 974 items. Especially with the increasing importance of the skin barrier function due to skin sensitivity caused by various environmental pollutants, domestic cosmetic companies are showing interest in the development of new ingredients and products related to this area. This study aims to analyze academic research trends related to in vitro experiments for the development of cosmetics improving the skin barrier, to provide practical information for the cosmetic industry. The findings are as follows: Academic research mainly focused on the efficacy of natural ingredients in improving the skin barrier, but there is a significant lack of quantitative accumulation of research. For the development of skin barrier-improving cosmetic ingredients, efficacy evaluation indicators were set, including hyaluronic acid production, expression of filaggrin gene, loricrin, formation of cornified envelope (CE), and expression of ceramide synthesis enzyme genes. Moreover, effective cosmetic ingredients for improving the skin barrier included lemongrass and perilla leaf extracts, flavonoids, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Exosomelike Nanovesicles derived from apple callus, Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus, Acanthopanax sessiliflorus, Eleutherococcus gracilistylus, Acer okamotoanum extracts, Aloe vera adventitious root extract, ethanol extract of Aruncus dioicus, and organic solvent fraction of Dracocephalum argunense.