What do you believe is more impactful on the appearance of the skin: 1) diet, 2) optimal hydration, or 3) anti-aging skin care products? According to a study by Mintel, 36 percent of consumers responded that they believe diet has a visible effect on the skin, with 44 percent believing the same for hydration, but only 26 percent responded this way for anti-aging products.1 With this in mind, consider one of the ways that skin hydration can be addressed is with the use of beauty from within nutraceuticals—especially ceramides.

The Role of Ceramides in the Skin Barrier

The skin is composed of three layers: hypodermis, dermis and epidermis. The stratum corneum, aka., the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin) provides a barrier to protect against moisture loss due to evaporation.2 This barrier is like a brick wall, with the corneocytes (the cells of the stratum corneum) acting as the bricks and the lipids as the mortar. The lipids consist of ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids.3,4 This barrier permits the skin to retain moisture within the corneocytes, preventing the formation of cracks.

Where these lipids are concerned, the body is generally able to obtain sufficient amounts of the cholesterol and fatty acids it needs from the diet. However, unfortunately, with aging there is a decline in ceramides level in the epidermis.5,6 This can have a profound effect on the outward appearance of the skin, including dryness, loss of elasticity and increased roughness—aka, visual signs of aging. The good news is that it is possible to supplement with ceramides to help offset this decline, and subsequently improve skin appearance. Research in mice and rats have shown that orally administered ceramides are metabolized, absorbed and distributed to many tissues, including the skin.7,8

Ceramides As a Nutraceutical

There are various nutraceutical sources of ceramides on the market, some of which have clinical research supporting their use, and some of which do not. For the purpose of this article, I’ve chosen to focus on one specific ceramides nutraceutical since it has good quality human studies demonstrating efficacy when used orally. Ceramosides (distributed exclusively by Seppic), the trade name for that nutraceutical, is a patented lipidic extract of wheat9 (gluten-free), containing a complex of ceramides and digalactosyl diglycerides (DGDG). DGDG is a self-emulsifying compound naturally found in wheat, which improving the metabolism and absorption of ceramide.

Ceramides Research

In the pilot study, 20 female volunteers between the ages of 30 and 50 years old in good general health, with dry skin and micro-wrinkles were selected to take one capsule containing 20 mg of Ceramosides powder per day. Skin elasticity, moisturization index, and skin profilometry were measured before taking ceramides, and again after 15, 30 and 60 days of supplementation. Over the course of 60 days, the subjects’ moisturization index increased by 40.9 percent (p<0.001), skin elasticity increased by 33.2 percent (p<0.001), skin smoothness increased by 34.7 percent (p<0.001), skin micro-wrinkles decreased by 15.6 percent (p<0.001), and skin roughness decreased by 74.9 percent (p<0.05).10

In a 60-day, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical study,11 60 healthy female volunteers with dry skin (ages 30-60) were treated to evaluate the effectiveness of oral ceramides (70 mg/day Ceramosides oil or 30 mg/day Ceramosides powder) in improving dry skin and micro-wrinkles. Scientifically and internationally recognized measurements were taken at the beginning of the study, and then again after 15, 30 and 60 days.

The study was performed during wintertime to provide the harshest conditions for skin lipids. To eliminate variations caused by topical treatments, the subjects were all provided with the same topical cream to apply throughout the study with no application of other creams allowed. Volunteers were not allowed any other skin care treatment, changes in washing habits or diet, or extended sun exposure during the course of the study.

The results were quite impressive for both ceramides groups:

In addition, after 60 days of supplementation with ceramides the volunteers’ perceptions were as follows: 80 percent felt less pulling sensations, 85 percent noticed a reduction of scales, 80 percent felt an improved skin appearance, and 85 percent felt their skin was smoother and softer.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the positive effect of oral supplementation with ceramides on skin parameters. In the double-blind trial, as little as 30 mg/day of Ceramosides distributed exclusively by Seppic demonstrated statistically significant efficacy. These results were consistent with research on rats and mice showing that ceramides can be absorbed via oral supplementation and subsequently reach the skin.

References:

1 Interest In Natural Formulations Drives Struggling US Facial Skincare and Anti-Aging Market – June 2016. Available at: www.mintel.com/press-centre/beauty-and-personal-care/interest-in-natural-formulations-drives-struggling-us-facial-skincare-andanti-aging-market (accessed: May 19 2017).

2 Cork M. The importance of skin barrier function. Journal of Dermatological Treatment. 1997;8(sup1):S7-S13.

3 Hill JR, Wertz PW. Structures of the ceramides from porcine palatal stratum corneum. Lipids. 2009; 44 (3): 291–295.

4 Garidel P, Fölting B, Schaller I, Kerth A. The microstructure of the stratum corneum lipid barrier: mid-infrared spectroscopic studies of hydrated ceramide:palmitic acid:cholesterol model systems. Biophysical Chemistry. 2010; 150(1–3): 144–156.

5 Garidel P, Fölting B, Schaller I, Kerth A. The microstructure of the stratum corneum lipid barrier: mid-infrared spectroscopic studies of hydrated ceramide:palmitic acid:cholesterol model systems. Biophysical Chemistry. 2010;150 (1-3):144–156.

6 Popa I, Abdul-Malak N, Portoukalian J. The weak rate of sphingolipid biosynthesis shown by basal keratinocytes isolated from aged vs. young donors is fully rejuvenated after treatment with peptides of a potato hydrolysate. Int J Cosmetic Sci. 2010; 32(3):225–232.

7 Ueda O, Hasegawa M, Kitamura S. Distribution in skin of ceramide after oral administration to rats. Drug Metab. Pharmacokinet. 2009; 24:180–184.

8 Fukami H, Tachimoto H, Kishi M, Kaga T, Waki H, Iwamoto M, Tanaka Y. Preparation of (13) C-labeled ceramide by acetic acid bacteria and its incorporation in mice. J. Lipid Res. 2010; 51: 3389–3395.

9 Extrait Végétal De Céréales A Base De Lipides Polaires Et Composition Cosmétique Comprenant Un Tel Extrait Végétal. EPI France, assignee. Patent FR2779646. 01 Sept. 2000.

10 EPI, France. (2006) Clinical Evaluation of Skin Moisturization and Skin Micro-Relief Improvement of a Product by Oral Route. Farcoderm SRL – Clinical Trial Report (unpublished). 2006: 17 pg.

11 Bizot V, Cestone E, Michelotti A, Nobile V. Improving Skin Hydration and Age-related Symptoms by Oral Administration of Wheat Glucosylceramides and Digalactosyl Diglycerides: A Human Clinical Study. Cosmetics. 2017; 4(4):37. VR

Gene Bruno, MS, MHS, the dean of academics for Huntington University of Health Sciences, is a nutritionist, herbalist, writer and educator. For more than 30 years he has educated and trained natural product retailers and health care professionals, has researched and formulated natural products for dozens of dietary supplement companies, and has written articles on nutrition, herbal medicine, nutraceuticals and integrative health issues for trade, consumer magazines and peer-reviewed publications. He can be reached at [email protected].