Resveratrol for Healthy Aging: Insights & Benefits

Environmental factors like pollution, UV irradiation, lifestyle disorders, and overall stress encountered in daily life have piqued interest in Antioxidants to counter the challenges of aging. Consequently, right from the food, and beverage industries, nutraceuticals, and cosmeceuticals to pharmaceuticals are harnessing potent antioxidants which can sequester free radical reactions and prevent cellular damage. Plants, being a natural phytochemical hub, are generally the first choice for extracting antioxidants or other bioactive molecules.

Resveratrol: Therapeutic effects beyond Trailing French Paradox

Resveratrol (3,4', 5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene), one such phytoalexin was first isolated in 1940 from roots of Veratrum grandiflorum and characterized as a polyphenolic compound. However, it became the center of attention with the popularity of “French Paradox”, a study published in Lancet in 1992 which favored red wine consumption for protection against coronary heart diseases and resveratrol was identified as the antioxidant molecule of red wine. Nevertheless, going by the principle of toxicology that dose determines the poison it will be quite foolish to consume liters of wine to get a few milligrams of resveratrol.

Topical Application: The preferred route for skin health benefits

So, moving on from cheers to other dietary sources like grapes, peanuts, mulberries, pines, and various berries (raspberry, strawberry, blackberry, cranberry) the benefits of direct consumption of resveratrol remain limited due to its low natural content, negligible water solubility, instability and low oral availability due to quick hepatic elimination after metabolism by phase I and II enzymes. Hence, topical application of resveratrol directly to the skin is an attractive administration route to receive the multiple benefits of this potent antioxidant. Nevertheless, the global market of resveratrol shows an escalating trend with a 7.9% CAGR and reach a worth of 115.7 million USD by 2028. However, formulating an efficient topical delivery system for resveratrol remains challenging due to its instability, insolubility, and other peculiar attributes.

Why choose Resveratrol for your skin care formulations?

The anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects of Resveratrol

Oxidative damage due to both endogenous as well as exogenous factors accelerates skin aging. The excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation leads to many adverse effects like melanocytes degradation, aberrant alterations in cell membrane phospholipids, remodeling of extracellular matrix, depolymerization of hyaluronic acid, damage to elastin fibers, collagen, discoloration or uneven pigmentation. These may also contribute to the etiology of various dermatological diseases like atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, psoriasis, alopecia areata, lichen planus, vitiligo, etc. In vitro studies have demonstrated that resveratrol has greater antioxidant activity (95%) than vitamins E (65%) and C (37%), and can restrict the oxidation of proteins and lipids. A clinical trial on 55 women (age 40-60 years) reported statistically significant smoothening of wrinkles, reduction in discoloration as well as enhancement in skin elasticity and firmness after 12 weeks of usage of a night cream containing 1% resveratrol. The polyphenol activity also exhibits anti-inflammatory properties as it inhibits activation of the NF-κβ pathway, in turn restricting the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Thus, its anti-inflammatory attributes make it a rational choice for dermatitis treatment.

Protection against Photoaging/Resveratrol for Suncare

Its protective properties against sun damage make it a highly desirable accessory constituent in sunscreen formulations. It protects photo-aging by combating the deleterious effects of both UVA and UVB radiation. Previous studies have validated that applying a single coat of resveratrol before UVB exposure considerably decreased skin edema, H2O2 production, and leukocyte infiltration as well as restricted lipid peroxidation. Similarly, it exhibited protective action for keratinocytes against UV A and also aided in the protection of intrinsic antioxidant cellular enzymes like glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD).

Fighting Hyperpigmentation with Resveratrol

Resveratrol or its analogs can significantly reduce hyperpigmentation by modulating the activity of tyrosinase, the key enzyme involved in melanogenesis. Various studies have backed the melanin attenuation by resveratrol along with added advantages of being non-irritant or non-allergenic to the skin. Apart from the above conspicuous attributes, it is also known for its estrogenic-like activity and exhibiting mixed agonist/antagonist properties to estrogen receptors which again has implications in protecting cells against ROS damage as well as in cancer.

Challenges in making topical formulation of this Bioactive

Though there are many challenges in formulating any antioxidant-based product, the following factors require critical consideration in case of Resveratrol.

Maintaining solubility

Uniform dissolution or easy aqueous solubility of any bioactive makes its delivery and usage easy and effective. However, the solubility of resveratrol in water is very low (30 mg/L). Hence, most of the conventional delivery systems including creams, lotions, and ointments contain very low concentrations of solubilized resveratrol, generally less than 1%.

Maintaining stability and active-Trans form

Resveratrol exhibits strong photosensitivity which triggers the easy conversion of its active trans form to cis-form (less active and undesired). It also degrades on exposure to heat or oxygen. Therefore, formulations must be crafted and packaged cautiously to offer protection from external factors and preserve potency.

Limited penetration through stratum corneum

The highly organized and tightly packaged structure of stratum corneum is not receptive for easy permeation of resveratrol. Though use of penetration enhancers can be an easy fix but it might raise issues of allergenicity or toxicity. The use of other delivery systems or chemical modification of resveratrol might not be suitable for scale-up operations or for all types of formulations.

Maintaining high-quality of Resveratrol without trailing impurities

The extraction of resveratrol from plant sources or engineered systems is generally accompanied by leaching of other molecules as impurities. This necessitates purity evaluation by expensive analytical techniques viz. nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or mass spectrometry. Further, microbial or other contaminants might be introduced in case of non-adherence to good manufacturing practices (GMPs). Additionally, improper packaging or storage conditions can deteriorate the functional efficacy of prepared formulation. Therefore, for potent efficacy along with cosmetic acceptability of pleasant and non-irritating easy acceptability, the dermatological formulation of resveratrol must meet the following targets:

-Retained solubility of resveratrol which doesn’t undergo phase partitioning or recrystallization with application in dilute or concentrated forms as well as in storage.

-Stable shelf life in active Trans isomeric form without functional deformities induced by any stimuli.

-Enhanced diffusion through the stratum corneum and underneath dermal layers.

-Compatibility with skin pH range.

What do we offer?

To derive the optimal benefit from this natural superactive, we offer formulations that conform to high-quality standards after multi-step regulatory and validatory evaluations. Novel delivery mechanisms in indigenously developed Resveratrol formulations offer heightened potency, preserved efficacy and denaturation protection from external stimuli. The non-allergenic product range, free from microbial contaminants or other impurities exhibits improved absorption and long shelf life. All these science-backed innovations curated by our experts enable us to deliver a pleasant aesthetic experience along with visibly reflected therapeutic effects of Resveratrol.