Olive oil fatty acids: positive effects for the skin

 In this paper we take three olive oil derivatives (Olivem 1000, Sensolene and Olivem 900) having different formulation functions and show how the olive oil fatty acids can provide positive effects on the skin in cosmetic applications.

The skin is externally located and thus serves as a sheath separating internal organs from direct contact with the environment. The main roles of the skin are: protection from UV radiation (melanogenesis), immune defence and a barrier function preventing the penetration of foreign particles. Perhaps of greater importance, skin – especially the stratum corneum layer – is dynamically involved in the management of internal water levels.1 The first skin layer facing the external environment is the stratum corneum; the outermost layer of the epidermis. This histological section is predominantly represented by keratinocytes. The epidermis is constantly renewed through an upward movement – and differentiation – of keratinocytes originating from epidermal basal layers up to the stratum corneum. The stratum corneum accounts for most of the permeability barrier that is mainly provided by the organised embedding of keratinocytes into a lipidrich extracellular matrix. Chemical analyses have shown that the intercellular lipids of the stratum corneum are mainly composed of ceramides, cholesterol, cholesterol esters and fatty acids themselves synthesised by the keratinocytes. In addition to the intercellular lipid lamellae, other classes of lipids originating from the skin surface also play important roles in the stratum corneum. The thin sheet formed by those lipids is called the hydrolipidic film and contains fatty acids.2 Some fatty acids present in the hydrolipidc film such as oleic, and linoleic acid act as ligands of the peroxisomeproliferator activated receptors (PPARs). Activation of the PPARs has been shown to be involved in keratinocyte differentiation3 and accelerated barrier function recovery following acute barrier abrogation.4,5 While secreted at the outer surface of the epidermis, hydrolipidic film lipids may also be importantly involved in the maintenance of the integrity of the lipid configuration of much deeper layers of the stratum corneum. Numerous studies have demonstrated that, depending upon the category of lipids, a gradient of skin surface lipids is detected across the stratum corneum.6-11 It is also proposed that lipids from the hydrolipidc film penetrate within the stratum corneum intermixing with the lipid matrix (cholesterol, ceramides and fatty acids) into which keratinocytes are embedded. This would improve the skin barrier integrity supporting better skin texture, enhanced skin hydration and visco-elastic properties. The results from various studies investigate the dermatological compatibility of a technology based on skin-like, naturally-occurring, fatty acid compositions. The ingredients used in the studies were Olivem 1000, Sensolene and Olivem 900, all of which are complex combinations of olive oil fatty acids, chemically similar (biomimetic) to the hydrolipidic film. The studies show how these ingredients can provide benefits for the skin barrier function. In turn, the pro-barrier action of the olive oil fatty acid-rich ingredients demonstrated positive effects for skin hydration, skin elasticity, skin surface topography and support protection from UV radiation as shown from specific studies with each ingredient.

Results and discussion