Behind the science – Of Eucerin DermoPURIFYER

Acne is not simply a skin condition. As it mainly affects the face, it can affect sufferers’ self-confidence and self-esteem, particularly during puberty when acne is most prevalent. Medical treatments can have side effects, such as drying out skin, and may not be necessary for everyone with blemish-prone skin. Eucerin has developed a range of dermo-cosmetic care products for oily and blemish-prone skin that can be used alongside standard medication, or on their own.

In developing optimum skin care suitable for oily and blemish-prone skin, Eucerin researchers needed to address the four key factors: hyperkeratosis (disrupted skin cell shedding), seborrhea (increased sebum production), microbial colonisation (increased bacteria proliferation) and irritated skin.

Our objective was to identify active ingredients that could be combined to address all four factors,
said Frank Rippke, MD, Head of Scientific Management Eucerin.

“The body’s own amino acid, L-carnitine, was known to support the metabolism of fatty acids and reduce their availability for sebum formation. Twenty-one female volunteers (aged 22 to 56 years) with oily and shiny facial skin were enrolled in a controlled, randomised study. Volunteers applied a cosmetic formulation containing 2% L-carnitine, or the respective vehicle, in a split-face design twice daily (morning and evening). The results show that after three weeks of treatment, L-carnitine significantly decreased the sebum secretion score compared to the vehicle control.”

We also conducted in vitro and in vivo tests to verify the clinical efficacy of Licochalcone A on irritated skin.
“To combat microbial colonisation, we tested the anti-bacterial effects of Decandiol in vitro. In this test, human skin cells were treated either with vehicle or verum for 20, 60 or 180 minutes. After treating, these were plated on agarplates and cultivated for five days before colonies were counted.

“We put these active ingredients to the test and the results were outstanding,” said Frank Rippke, “Decandiol was found to be extremely effective in reducing bacteria.”

At the University Hospital in Lübeck, Germany, we recruited 60 volunteers, aged 14-40 (40 female, 20 male) with mild to moderately blemished skin. Each had 10-25 inflammatory lesions - papules, pustules, noduli - in the facial area.

In an 8-week double-blind, randomised, vehicle-controlled study, participants applied test products (verum or vehicle) twice daily on their faces. No other skin care products, topical or systemic medications were applied and the only skin cleansing products used were Eucerin DermoPURIFYER Oil Control Cleansing Gel and Eucerin DermoPURIFYER Oil Control Toner.

The clinical results were extremely encouraging for the slin care of oily and blemish-prone skin, with a significant visible reduction of inflammatory lesions and sebum and, equally important, a pronounced improvement in quality of life in the verum sample
Summarising the findings, Frank Rippke said: “Our goal was to find and prove the effect of our active ingredients. We were delighted with the results produced by our unique combination of anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and sebum-regulating ingredients.”