UV protection has long been recognised as an important step in battling the signs of skin ageing, but until recently, consumers relied primarily on sunscreens as their weapon of choice.
But now a new technology from ISP is aimed at helping the skin’s own natural barrier function protect against UV rays. Caspaline 14 is a synthetic peptide designed to target and boost the expression of caspase-14, a cysteine protease linked to skin softness and suppleness. Unlike a topically applied sunscreen, Caspaline 14 does not rely on an active UV blocker for protective properties. Instead, it focuses on the skin’s natural ability to minimise damage from UV exposure. By boosting caspase-14, which has been linked with cornifying epithelial tissue, such as the skin, and influencing terminal keratinocyte differentiation and formation of the skin’s barrier function, Caspaline 14 may help limit skin damage from UV. Studies have shown that skin deficient in caspase-14 exposed to UVB radiation experiences significantly more damage, supporting the theory that caspase-14 is an important component in the skin’s natural UV defences. In ex vivo examinations of tissue stressed by UV radiation, skin pre-treated with Caspaline 14 produced fewer apoptotic cells and fewer cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (UVB-induced DNA damage) compared to the control. Caspaline 14 also helps boost the expression of filaggrin, the precursor of Natural Moisturising Factor (NMF), an important component of supple skin.
