Pycnogenol, a branded high-antioxidant extract of French maritime pine bark, was recently evidenced in a dermatological study to benefit skin, in a way researchers said could safeguard skin health against environmental stressors, such as environmental pollution, and temperature and humidity variations.
 
“So many of us are awaiting this summer to truly enjoy the outdoors after a brutal winter and a long pandemic year. I personally cannot wait to be outside, and that means we. Have to be proactive in protecting our skin from heat, humidity, solar radiation, and pollution,” Dr. Fred Pescatore, natural health physician, author, and spokesperson for Pycnogenol, said. “This new study shows that daily supplementation with Pycnogenol counteracts damaging environmental stress factors and improves skin barrier function, even when exposed to rigid conditions.”
 
The present study, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial, was published in Skin Pharmacology Physiology. The test group was comprised of 76 participants, 57 of whom were women, with an average age of 41, and all of the participants were workers who spent long hours outdoors in Beijing, China, where they are exposed to urban air pollution, environmental stress, and seasonal changes in temperature and humidity during the spring and fall. Two groups were tested in the study – an experimental group and a placebo group. The experimental group took a daily oral supplement of 100mg of Pycnogenol during the first 12 weeks of the rainy season, from April to July. After a 1-week washout period, participants were crossed over to placebo, and vice versa, for another 12-week study phase in the dry autumn period.
 
The researchers tested the participants for skin moisture content, transepidermal water loss, and skin elasticity, and found that daily supplementation of 100 mg of Pycnogenol for 12 weeks of the rainy season provided a 7% improvement in skin elasticity, and a 7% improvement in skin firmness, versus 0.1% increase and 0.3% decrease in the placebo group, respectively.
 
During phase 2, the dry season, daily oral supplementation of 100 mg of Pycnogenol resulted in: a 13.8% increase in skin lightening (versus 0.8% decrease in the placebo group); 14% decreased transepidermal water loss (versus 4.5% increase in the placebo group);3.3% decrease of skin moisture (versus a 14% decrease in the placebo group); a 13% improvement in skin elasticity (versus a 0.7% increase in the placebo group); and a 13% improvement in skin firmness (versus a 0.3% increase in the placebo group).
 
This builds upon previous research which found that Pycnogenol may promote collagen and hyaluronic acid production within the skin. In that study, researchers saw a 44% average increase in hyaluronic acid synthase levels – this compound is the natural source of water-binding hyaluronic acid in the dermis.
 
“Pycnogenol has a deep catalog of research for skin health, and this study builds upon decades of existing science to show that oral supplementation with Pycnogenol can make a significant difference in skin health and appearance, even in strenuous environmental conditions,” Pescatore said.
 
The researchers concluded that the evidence “strongly indicates that people exposed to high levels of environmental stress will benefit from the regular intake of Pycnogenol.” The authors propose that daily oral intake of Pycnogenol might represent one strategy which can be used as a therapeutic skin product for people living in urban environments, to protect the skin from either air pollution, solar radiation, or both, as it was shown from donor tissue that Pycnogenol was able to inhibit the release of MMP-9, an enzyme which is associated with the degradation of both elastin and collagen.