The research was published recently in the open access Journal of Clinical Medicine. It was the work of researchers associated with two universities in California as well as various research institutes. The research was funded by Verdure Sciences.
The research material was Verdure’s branded Pomella pomegranate extract, which provides 75 mg of punicalagin per 250 mg capsule.
The study was structured as a four-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The researchers recruited 28 participants, with the research cohort heavily skewed toward women. Because of various issues, including COVID-19 complications, only 18 subjects completed the trial, eight in the Pomella group and 10 in the placebo group. The Pomella group took 250 mg of the extract daily for four weeks, with an equivalent placebo provided to the other group.
The principal endpoints were the depth and extent of wrinkles as measured by an optical scanner. Other non invasive devices were used to measure skin hydration and oiliness.
In addition, the study looked at microbiome shifts to try to elucidate a potential gut-skin axis. The makeup of the external skin microbiome was evaluated as well.
Smoothing the wrinkles
The Pomella group showed significant reductions in wrinkle severity (6.2% compared to placebo; p < 0.01) and a decreasing trend in the forehead sebum excretion rate (p = 0.14). The facial skin microbiome was augmented for the Bacillus genus and Staphylococcus epidermidis after Pomella® supplementation. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) shifted in the Pomella® group with a 38% increase (versus 1.8% decrease with placebo) in acetates and 162% increase (versus 0.1% increase with placebo) in propionates. Overall, the study demonstrated improvements in several biophysical properties, wrinkles, and shifts in the skin microbiome with oral Pomella® supplementation in healthy subjects.
The Pomella group as showed Eggerthellaceae in the gut microbiome were correlated with a decrease in both transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and wrinkle severity. This suggests that the extract improved the skin’s barrier function.
“Interestingly, in the Pomella® group subjects with a higher level of Eggerthellaceae in their gut microbiome analysis showed a statistically significant reduction in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) compared to those that did not express Eggerthellaceae,” the researchers noted.
“Gut and digestive heath, skin support and beauty from within have gained a lot of mainstream attention in recent years. What happens in the gut is reflected on the skin – and now we have clinical support showing the same,” said Kristen Marshall, Verdure’s digital marketing manager.
Source: Journal of Clinical Medicine
2022, 11(22), 6724; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11226724
Prospective Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study of Oral Pomegranate Extract on Skin Wrinkles, Biophysical Features, and the Gut-Skin Axis
Authors: Chakkalakal M, et al.