Efficacy of hydroquinone-free skin-lightening cream for photoaging.

BACKGROUND: Hyperpigmentation and solar damage remains a difficult problem to treat with topical agents. AIMS: To evaluate a novel skin-lightening complex (SLC) comprising four actives targeting melanin formation at multiple levels, namely disodium glycerophosphate, L-leucine, phenylethyl resorcinol, and undecylenoyl phenylalanine, in an oil-in-water emulsion cream. PATIENTS/METHODS: Skin-lightening complex was evaluated in 80 female subjects of skin types I-III with at least moderate mottled hyperpigmentation. After a wash-out period of 1 month with a sunscreen, the subjects added a cream containing the SLC for 12 weeks twice daily to entire face and continued the sunscreen use. RESULTS: Whereas there was no significant change during the wash-out period, the primary endpoint mottled hyperpigmentation decreased by 32% after the 12-week treatment period with the SLC cream. Secondary endpoints such as severity and number of lentigines, skin tone, and skin brightness also improved. In all, 57% of the subjects showed at least a moderate response, 17% did not improve, and 3% got worse after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The SLC cream was well tolerated, in particular when comparing with exfoliating or peeling agent containing skin-lightening products. When used with a daily sunscreen, this study confirms that the SLC represents an alternative to hydroquinone, retinoids, and many other skin-lightening actives.

Novel eye cream containing a mixture of human growth factors and cytokines for periorbital skin rejuvenation.

Evidence of the signs associated with skin aging often first appears in the periorbital area and includes wrinkles, eyelid bags, circles around the eye, or a "tired" look. This multicenter study aimed to investigate a novel eye cream containing a proprietary mixture of human growth factors and cytokines in combination with caffeine, bisabolol, glycyrrhetinic acid, and sodium hyaluronate for periorbital rejuvenation. The study, which was completed by 37 female subjects between 36 to 65 years of age, revealed that clinical signs for wrinkles, lower eyelid bags or sagging, dark circles, and skin texture show significant improvement (average 14%-28%) after 6 weeks of twice-daily application. These clinical improvements were confirmed by a subject questionnaire. The subjects further reported that their tired look significantly improved by 32% in average. All subjects tolerated the eye cream well and liked the way it felt. The cream's efficacy, excellent tolerability in the delicate periorbital skin area, and pleasant sensory properties explain why a large majority (78%) would continue regular use.