An increased awareness of the connection between our brain and our body has emerged, and with it, emotional well-being has become increasingly important. Self-care in personal care can help promote mental health, and in turn, a relaxed state of mind and less stress can also improve the appearance of the skin.
Skin that feels good can, conversely, lift mood; Not only consciously through a visible improvement in the skin appearance, but also unconsciously via the skin-brain axis. The boundaries between health & beauty are blurring and the new kind of skin care combines neuroscience & dermatology to the approach of neurocosmetics. Products and active ingredients based on neurocosmetics are increasingly showing up in the market.
How does neurocosmetic work?
The goal of neurocosmetics is to minimize the negative consequences for our skin caused by stress, for example. It is based on the idea that the brain and skin are connected and that emotions are able to influence the skin.
According to research, certain actives can affect our mood, when they get in contact with nerve endings in the dermis. The skin contains several hundred thousand neurons, about 10m meters of nerves and about 200 sensory receptors per cm² that can exchange stimuli with our brain. The potential of the skin for applications in neuroscience and neurocosmetics opens up a wide field.
The connection between skin and brain is achieved through signal transmission via released molecules (endocrine system) and through direct connection through nerve cells (nervous system). With age, the number of nerve fibers in the skin decreases. Factors such as oxidative stress, inflammation and reduced blood flow intensify this process. This has a negative impact on skin function and fewer positive stimuli are transmitted via the skin-brain axis.
But certain active ingredients can protect neurons and neurites (extensions of the cell body of a neuron) from decrease. Neurocosmetics rely on ingredients such as TiMOOD™ from our Mibelle Biochemistry, which supports neuronal function in the skin in order to specifically stimulate the connection between skin and brain, thus acting on the skin balance and helping us to achieve a beautiful skin appearance.