Shiseido Discovers New Feature of Retinol that Prevents Future Wrinkle Formation

With the application of its original ”internal and external skin elasticity 3D imaging system,”*1 Shiseido revealed that maintaining the papillary layer (the top layer of the dermis) in its ”delicately soft state” can contribute to preventing wrinkles, and it discovered that retinol had that function.

Wrinkles are formed not only by external factors such as UV rays but also because of mechanical stress that occurs within the skin when making facial expressions.*2 When mechanical stress is transmitted to the dermis, collagen is degraded, leading to the formation of deep wrinkles. Shiseido has revealed that the soft papillary layer absorbs mechanical stress and prevents it from being transmitted to the dermis.*3 Focusing on the presence of the abundance of collagen types I, III, and V that bind together to form soft delicate fibers, an exploration of whether any active ingredients can promote the production of all three types of collagen was undertaken. Consequently, retinol was found to have this effect. The amount of these three types of collagen decrease with age, but it was suggested that applying retinol may contribute to preventing future wrinkles.

The results of this study can lead to a new approach to skin care that will not only improve wrinkles that are already present but also prevent the formation of future wrinkles. The present findings will be applied to the development and design of safe, secure, and high-performance anti-aging skin care.

*1 A patented technology that converts reflected ultrasound signals from the skin into elastic modulus, developed in collaboration with Honda Electronics Co., Ltd. and Toyohashi University of Technology
*2 Stress on cells caused by strain occurring within the skin when facial expressions are made
*3 Collaborative research with Toyota Technological Institute

Figure 1

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Research Background

Skin has a multi-layer structure made up of the stratum corneum, epidermis, and dermis. The details of this structure, however, cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Shiseido's strength is ”visualizing the invisible.” It has conducted research aimed at clarifying the functions hidden within the skin by making the invisible inner layers visible, leading to new beauty proposals for consumers.
Shiseido’s “internal and external skin elasticity 3D imaging system” is an advanced technique that utilizes a high-resolution ultrasound to visualize the invisible “firmness of the internal skin”*4. With this technology, the company discovered that ”firmness of the internal skin” differs from layer to layer and conducted further investigations.
This time, it focused on the dermis, which exhibits varying degree of “firmness of the internal skin” between its papillary and reticular layers. Shiseido decided to deepen its study to clarify the meaning of the “firmness” of the papillary layer, which has a characteristic collagen structure.

*4 Elasticity of the skin (repulsive force when compressed)

Figure 2

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The soft papillary layer was found to protect the dermis from mechanical stress

To clarify why the dermal papillary layer of wrinkle-free skin possesses a delicate softness akin to silk, Shiseido analyzed mechanical stress (magnitude of strain), one of the factors contributing to wrinkle formation. The company created skin models both with and without a soft papillary layer on a computer and analyzed the mechanical stress generated when each model contracted. In the former model, the papillary layer absorbed the mechanical stress, preventing almost any stress from reaching the dermis. On the other hand, in the latter model, significant stress was found to reach the dermis. In other words, it was suggested that the soft papillary layer protects the dermis by absorbing mechanical stress, thus maintaining the skin's condition free of wrinkles.

Figure 3

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The three types of collagen that form a soft papillary layer

Next, Shiseido examined the three types of collagen present in the papillary layer to explore how the softness of the papillary layer can be maintained. Type V collagen, which is rare in the skin and found only in the papillary layer, plays a role in assembling fibers alongside type I collagen and type III collagen. The three types of collagen integrate and influence each other, creating fine, organized fibers in this way (Figure 4).

Figure 4

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Retinol maintains the softness of the papillary layer and helps prevent wrinkles

It was found that the soft papillary layer, formed by the three types of collagen, prevents wrinkles by absorbing mechanical stress, one of the causes of wrinkles. Unfortunately, it became clear that the soft papillary layer decreases with age (Figure 5). And so, Shiseido searched for ingredients that enhance the production of the three types of collagen, finding, as a result, retinol as having this effect. (Figure 6). These findings suggest retinol's potential to help prevent wrinkles.

Figure 5 (left)　Figure 6 (right)

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