Formulating anti-ageing products with folic acid

Aline Hueber, Christine Saecker – DSM Nutritional Products, Switzerland

If skin aged counter-clockwise when people turned 35 years, not only would consumers select their cosmetic products differently but also the whole cosmetic industry would have to offer completely different product categories. Of course this is just an attractive idea. Ageing proceeds in one direction and the skin unfortunately often shows the most obvious signs of ageing. The major telltale signs are reduced elasticity, poorer structure and appearance of wrinkles. Reduced turnover of skin cells and exposure to environmental factors (such as UV light), speeding up the process of skin ageing, are essential causes.