ETHNIC CARE
Addressing inflammation – a primary skin care goal for all ethnicities Treating inflammation is the first step to even skin tone. Harald van der Hoeven, director product design and development of CLR Berlin, reveals how a potent anti-inflammatory active ingredient – AnnonaSense CLR – provides skin with a means to establish a sustainable homeostatic balance, improving skin health and wellbeing.
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Harald van der Hoeven
nterestingly, 20 th century Caucasians in Europe have desired to have darker skin. Their perception was that brown or tanned skin looks healthier and is more appealing. Many of these European consumers have gone to great lengths to achieve a desired tan. As a result, tanning studios have always enjoyed a large clientele. Among other ethnicities the trend has been to lighten skin, largely due to cultural reasons. In Europe, Africa and the Americas, this trend is still evident. Yet society is finally changing. Regardless of the colour – everyone’s skin is unique. Skin can be dark or fair, dry or
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oily and acne-prone. It can also be sensitive,
to be less attractive. The same goes for
blotchy and hyperreactive. There is not one person in the world who is 100% satisfied with his or her skin, creating a great challenge for the cosmetic industry to provide all consumers with satisfactory products that help them look and feel better.
skin that shows wrinkles. The scientific research behind these findings considered all ethnicities. The results of this research show how similar we all are.
LOOKING AS ATTRACTIVE AS POSSIBLE The appearance of the skin plays a big role in how people feel about themselves and how they are perceived by others. Attractive people are perceived to have favourable characteristics and might, by some people, even be seen as ‘superior’. With the current changing paradigms, it’s important to go into depth on what ‘attractive skin’ really represents. Contemporary science has shown that skin colour and ethnicity are clearly not determining factors. Caucasian people are not more attractive than Asian or black people, or vice versa. What makes skin attractive is its ‘evenness’. If skin has an even tone and topography, it is perceived as beautiful. Skin that is uneven in colour, blotchy or has areas of hyperpigmentation is perceived
“A daily skin care regime with a focus on skin inflammation would be extremely beneficial for skin of all ethnicities”
SEPTEMBER 2020 // WWW.PHARMACOS.CO.ZA
SEARCHING FOR COMMON GROUND People with dark skin have relatively active and reactive melanocytes. In dark skin, inflammatory processes lead to an increase in melanin production. These processes take place locally and will lead to localised hyperpigmentation, compromising the evenness of skin colour. Inflammatory processes also lead to uneven colour in people with light skin. Melanocytes only play a minor role in this case. The skin does not get darker, instead it reddens and becomes blotchy. Loss of skin firmness and the development of wrinkles are clearly more pronounced in ethnicities with lighter skin. Melanin is an essential part of our body’s selfprotection system against sunlight. Here, too, inflammatory processes stand at the basis of the problem. Sunlight can damage skin cells, their molecules and organelles. This will initiate strong and pronounced inflammatory processes, including the activation of transcription factors that cause the production of enzymes, which break down collagen. A daily skin care regime with a focus on skin inflammation would be extremely beneficial for skin of all ethnicities. Evenness of skin colour is a given. It either stays even, or hyperpigmented areas, where constant inflammatory processes are the driver behind the problem, are evened out. However, a potent anti-inflammatory active ingredient is required. CLR Berlin has
