Punicalagin-enriched oral pomegranate extract could be used as an effective agent for the maintenance of skin appearance and skin health.
For a few hundred years, Punica granatum L. has been used in traditional medicine to treat several diseases such as cancer, diarrhea, diabetes, and microbial infections. Current scientific research indicates that the unique phytochemical composition of this natural product is mainly responsible for the range of biological activities demonstrated by the different components of pomegranate.
Very recently, Mincy Chakkalakal has evaluated in his doctoral thesis the effects of the fruit extract of Punica granatum L. on different parameters of skin health: facial wrinkle severity, sebum production, transepidermal water loss, melanin index, and redness of the skin. The investigation was conducted at Integrative Skin Science and Research (Sacramento, California, USA) and included eighteen healthy males and females, aged 25–55 years. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed in which subjects were supplemented daily with a punicalagin-enriched oral pomegranate extract for four weeks. A facial image collection and analysis system was utilized to evaluate the appearance of the skin. The results revealed statistically significant reductions in the melanin index of the cheeks, transepidermal water loss from the stratum corneum of the cheeks, and facial appearance of average wrinkle severity. In addition, no adverse effects were registered over the four weeks of the analysis. Therefore, this study demonstrated an improvement in several biophysical properties of the skin with Punicalagin-enriched oral pomegranate extract supplementation.
Article: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of oral pomegranate extract on the microbiome and skin biophysical properties. https://open.bu.edu/handle/2144/43998
