Shiseido Wins Top Award at IFSCC Conference 2021 in Cancún

Moe Tsutsumi, Ph.D., at the Shiseido MIRAI Technology Institute, won the top award for the podium presentation at the 2021 Cancún Conference of the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists (IFSCC), the world's largest cosmetic science research conference, held in Cancún, Mexico, between Monday, October 18 and Thursday, October 28, 2021. Dr. Tsutsumi’s presentation, entitled ”Skin beauty with gentle-touch-receptor Merkel cells—Restore your sense with a pleasant scent” was selected from among a total of 285 research reports presented at the conference (35 oral presentations, 250 poster presentations). This is the 29th award for Shiseido(25 of which are Conference/Congress Awards) including those received at the ”IFSCC Congress” held every other year, as well as those from the ”IFSCC Conference” which is held in the year between the biennial Congress, making Shiseido the most awarded company among all cosmetic manufacturers in the world.
Shiseido aims to create new consumer values under its medium-to-long-term strategy, ”WIN 2023 and Beyond.” Leveraging the company's globally highly acclaimed R＆D capability to its fullest, Shiseido will continue to accept the challenge of creating groundbreaking innovations with the goal of “Be a Global Winner with Our Heritage.”

Outline of the Conference Award winning theme

Title of the awarded presentation: “Skin beauty with gentle-touch-receptor Merkel cells—Restore your sense with a pleasant scent”
Presenter: Moe Tsutsumi, Researcher, MIRAI Technology Institute, Shiseido
Content：
In collaboration with Monasterium Laboratory, we discovered that odorant receptors are expressed in Merkel cells, which mediate touch sensation, and demonstrated that these receptors are activated by a type of synthetic perfume which has sandalwood-like odor, using human skin culture systems and live cell-imaging of human skin. Moreover, we also found that peripheral nerves that are connected to Merkel cells and transmit touch sensation to the brain are also involved in maintaining the structure of the dermis associated with skin firmness and sagging. These discoveries suggest that Merkel cells can be activated by odorants, even in the absence of touch, and this mechanism has the potential to improve skin condition.

Award winner, Moe Tsutsumi

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Merkel cells and nerve fibers in human skin observed by multi-photon microscopy

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About IFSCC

The International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists (IFSCC), formed in 1959 with participation of cosmetic chemist societies from eight countries, is a federation dedicated to the development of more sophisticated and safer cosmetic science technology through cooperation among cosmetic chemists around the world. Currently, the IFSCC has roughly 16,000 members from 50 societies, representing 80 countries and regions. The IFSCC Congress, which is held in even-numbered years, is attended by over 1,000 participants presenting several hundred research studies, making it the world's most prestigious place—both in name and substance—to present research studies related to cosmetics and skin. The IFSCC Conference has been held in odd-numbered years with the aim of educating young researchers and raising awareness in developing member states.

▼Shiseido Corporate Website ”Introducing IFSCC Research Awards”
https://corp.shiseido.com/en/rd/ifscc/