Geneva, Switzerland—Some feel beauty starts from within, especially when antioxidants come into play. New data suggest a powerful antioxidant ingredient may lead to significant benefits in skin health, according to a group from Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine in Germany and Horphag Research (based here).

Twenty postmenopausal women were given the pine bark extract (Pycnogenol from Horphag Research) for three months, and their skin health was evaluated before, during and after supplementation. Researchers accomplished this testing via corneometry (measures skin hydration), cutometry (gauges skin elasticity), visioscan (analyzes deep lines and wrinkles), ultrasounds and biopsies.

Overall, the extract was said to improve skin hydration and elasticity, especially in those with dry skin. Also, there was an increased expression of the enzyme that makes hyaluronic acid and collagen. These findings offer molecular evidence that the extract benefits skin health and are published in a recent issue of Skin Pharmacology and Physiology.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, March 2012 (online 1/31/12)