Promotional Features
How marine omega-3 phospholipids boost skin moisture retention, collagen production and enhance elasticity from within
In the quest for healthier and more youthful skin, many turn to topical products like moisturizers, serums, and special formulas.
But what if the secret to vibrant skin lies in what we nourish our bodies with?
Emerging research increasingly highlights the profound impact that proper nutrition can have on skin health. As the body’s largest organ, the skin often reflects nutritional deficiencies before other parts of the body. While topical treatments play a role, nourishing the skin from within – through a balanced, nutrient-rich diet – proves to be even more effective.1
Leading market research agency Mintel has identified the growing trend of ‘skin nutrition’, which emphasizes nourishing the skin from within by using essential nutrients that target skin issues at a cellular level. According to Mintel, 74% of US personal care buyers see skin health as a reflection of overall wellbeing.
This has sparked advances in dermatology and nutrition, particularly in research focused on natural ingredients that enhance skin health. Compared to synthetic cosmetics, natural substances from plants, herbs, and marine organisms are viewed as purer, more natural, and hypoallergenic.
As consumers increasingly seek natural solutions for maintaining skin health, the demand for ingredients that target at a deeper, cellular level is growing.2 With age, the skin’s natural production of hyaluronic acid and collagen declines, leading to wrinkle formation.
This highlights the potential of ingredients that either supply or stimulate the body’s own collagen production. In fact, 53% of US consumers who use facial skincare products consider preventing or minimizing fine lines/wrinkles a key priority.
Addressing skin concerns with bioactive nutrients
As interest in skin health grows, so too does the interest in maintaining strong skin barrier health and promoting hydration to prevent the visible signs of aging. This has led to innovation in products designed to protect the skin’s natural defenses and minimize issues like wrinkles and dryness.
With 33% of US skincare users aged 18-24 concerned about damaging their skin barrier, and over half of facial skincare users focused on fine line reduction, protecting the skin’s structure and function has become a top priority.2
The skin challenge: Decline of crucial molecules
Our skin is responsible for protecting against environmental stressors, regulating body temperature, and preventing moisture loss. The stratum corneum, the skin’s outermost layer, plays a critical role in water retention and maintaining the barrier function.3,4 Key molecules like ceramides, cholesterol, and free fatty acids are essential to this layer, helping to prevent water loss and protecting the skin from external aggressors.5,6
Additionally, molecules like hyaluronic acid act as a moisture-binding agent, keeping the skin hydrated, while collagen provides structural support and elasticity. As we age, the production of these crucial molecules declines, contributing to dryness, wrinkles, and overall aging skin.7-9
Preventing water loss is key to preventative skincare
Maintaining the delicate balance of key molecules is essential for healthy, youthful skin. One of the most significant challenges of aging is increased water loss, where water escapes from the skin into the atmosphere. As the skin barrier weakens with age, this process leads to dryness, flakiness, and wrinkle formation.
Hydration becomes a key component of preventative skincare, and omega-3 fatty acids play an important role here. These essential fatty acids support the skin’s barrier function, reducing water loss and helping the skin retain moisture.
Nutrients that fortify the epidermal barrier, reduce transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and protect against environmental stressors are essential in addressing these concerns. Superba Boost Skin is a natural krill oil based, nutrient-rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, phospholipids, choline, and potent antioxidants like astaxanthin. It has emerged as one of the most promising natural solutions for inside-out skincare.
The role of phospholipid omega-3s, choline and astaxanthin for skin health
To maintain healthy skin as we age, nutrients that work at a cellular level are crucial. Phospholipid-bound omega-3s, choline, and astaxanthin extracted from krill stand out as highly effective components. These compounds not only support hydration and elasticity but also protect the skin from environmental damage and aging. By working together, they form a comprehensive approach to improving skin health.
Both long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and phospholipids from krill are important for skin health, and their absence can lead to dryness, scaling, and increased water loss.10-12 The omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both of which are essential for cell membranes, support skin barrier function and affect ceramide levels and composition, which are vital for keeping the skin hydrated.13-16 Since EPA and DHA cannot be made by the skin, they must come from external sources.17
Phospholipids, found in all cell membranes, also benefit the skin by increasing skin hydration and ceramide levels.21 Choline, an essential nutrient that the body can convert into betaine, is an osmoregulator that helps maintain the water content and volume of skin cells.18 Additionally, astaxanthin is known for its skin-protective properties, including photoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects.19
This unique combination of EPA and DHA within phospholipids, along with choline and astaxanthin, suggests a synergistic effect on skin function, potentially enhancing skin health and appearance.
The science supporting Superba Boost's benefits on skin health
Recent in vivo and in vitro studies have highlighted the potential of Superba Boost to support skin health through its anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties.20
Photoaging, driven by prolonged UV exposure, leads to deep wrinkles, dryness, and pigmentation due to oxidative stress and elevated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which degrade collagen and elastin. In human skin cells exposed to UVB radiation, Superba Boost was found to significantly reduce MMP-1 activity while increasing collagen production and antioxidant activity.21 Similarly, in in vivo models, oral supplementation reduced wrinkle formation, decreased MMP expression, and increased collagen levels in UV-damaged skin.21
Skin moisture is crucial for maintaining healthy, youthful skin, but aging and UVB exposure can reduce hyaluronic acid levels, important for its strong water-binding ability, by downregulating the genes involved in its production.22 However, in UV-damaged skin, Superba Boost supplementation restored hyaluronic acid content, reduced water loss, and improved skin hydration.21
Further research in in vivo models confirmed that Superba Boost boosts skin hydration by increasing both hyaluronic acid and collagen at the protein and gene levels.23 This study also demonstrated raised ceramide levels in skin tissue. Hence, the improvement in skin moisture is likely due to the enhanced ceramide-mediated skin barrier function, along with upregulation of hyaluronic acid and collagen synthesis.
In addition to its moisturizing benefits, Superba Boost supports skin health by regulating the inflammatory response to UV radiation. UV-induced inflammation leads to sunburn, redness, and immune imbalances, with a shift toward pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, in in vivo models, krill oil reduced UV-induced swelling and helped restore a balanced inflammatory response.21
Aging and conditions such as diabetes can impair wound healing, leading to chronic wounds.24 In diabetic in vivo models, krill oil improved wound healing by reducing inflammation, increasing collagen deposition, and enhancing blood vessel formation.25 It also promoted endothelial cell markers and stimulated factors critical for new blood vessel growth and collagen accumulation, further supporting its role in tissue repair.
The findings from in vitro and preclinical studies suggest a potential mechanism that may explain the benefits observed in human clinical trials.26
Benefits of Superba Boost for skin health
Two recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials evaluated the effects of 1 g and 2 g of Superba Boost per day for 12 weeks on skin TEWL in healthy adults, with secondary outcomes focused on skin hydration, elasticity, and the Omega-3 Index.27
In Study 1, 51 participants received 1 g of Superba Boost krill oil, while in Study 2, 50 participants consumed 2 g. Both Superba Boost krill oil groups showed significant increases in their Omega-3 Index compared to placebo (Fig. 1 below).
Additionally, participants experienced notable reductions in TEWL (Fig. 2, below), along with improvements in skin hydration and elasticity (Fig. 3, below).
These changes were correlated with increases in the Omega-3 Index, underscoring the dose-dependent benefits of krill oil supplementation for skin health. These results are consistent with a study on 2 g/day krill oil supplementation in a Japanese population.
Moreover, in an unpublished open-label trial, 31 volunteers took 3 g of krill oil daily for 13 weeks. Consistent with previous findings, skin measurements on the upper forearm showed significant improvements in hydration, elasticity, and TEWL. New to this study were wrinkle assessments, which, using a digital camera, revealed significant reductions in roughness and increases in smoothness following Superba Boost supplementation.
In summary, the clinical studies suggest that Superba Boost supports skin health by reducing TEWL, enhancing hydration, and increasing elasticity, likely through its ability to boost omega-3 levels, reduce MMP activity, and upregulate collagen and hyaluronic acid production. Additionally, Superba Boost’s anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to restore ceramide levels may contribute to improved skin barrier function, moisture retention, and reduced wrinkle formation.
Skin nutrition: A long-term approach to healthier skin
As our understanding of skin health deepens, the concept of ‘skin nutrition’ – nourishing the skin from within with essential nutrients – continues to gain importance. Superba Boost Skin offers players in the skin health and nutrition industry the perfect opportunity to meet the demand for clean, natural and effective ingredients in skin care formulations with a clinically proven, bioactive ingredient that supports skin hydration and elasticity from within.
Superba Boost Skin, with its unique blend of omega-3 fatty acids, phospholipids, and antioxidants like astaxanthin, targets skin health at a cellular level. This science-backed approach offers long-lasting benefits, helping to support the skin’s natural defenses and maintain hydration and smoothness as we age.
Superba Boost Skin is designed to help formulators stay ahead in the evolving skincare market and provide consumers with the inside-out skincare solution they have been waiting for.
Download Superba Boost Skin whitepaper here.
References
1. Dąbrowska AK.; Spano F.; Derler S.; et al. The relationship between skin function, barrier properties, and body‐dependent factors. Skin Research and Technology, 2018. 24(2): p. 165-174.
2. Fonseca S.; Amaral MN.; Reis CP.; et al. Marine Natural Products as Innovative Cosmetic Ingredients. Mar Drugs. 2023 Mar 8;21(3):170. doi: 10.3390/md21030170. PMID: 36976219; PMCID: PMC10054431.
3. Gilaberte, Y.; et al., Anatomy and Function of the Skin, in Nanoscience in dermatology. 2016, Elsevier. p. 1-14.
4. Proksch, E.; Brandner JM.; Jensen JM. The skin: an indispensable barrier. Experimental dermatology. 2008. 17(12): p. 1063-1072.
5. Uchida, Y.; Park K. Ceramides in skin health and disease: An update. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2021. 22(6): p. 853-866.
6. Van Smeden, J.; Bouwstra JA. Stratum corneum lipids: their role for the skin barrier function in healthy subjects and atopic dermatitis patients. Skin barrier function, 2016. 49: p. 8-26.
7. Juncan AM.; Moisă DG.; Santini A.; et al. Advantages of hyaluronic acid and its combination with other bioactive ingredients in cosmeceuticals. Molecules, 2021. 26(15): p. 4429.
8. Reilly DM.; Lozano J.; Skin collagen through the lifestages: Importance for skin health and beauty. Plast Aesthet Res. 2021;8:2.
9. Weihermann AC.; Lorencini M.; Brohem CA.; et al. Elastin structure and its involvement in skin photoageing. International journal of cosmetic science, 2017. 39(3): p. 241-247.
10. Balić A.; Vlašić D.; Žužul K.; et al. Omega-3 versus omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the prevention and treatment of inflammatory skin diseases. International journal of molecular sciences, 2020. 21(3): p. 741.
11. Das UN. Polyunsaturated fatty acids and atopic dermatitis. Nutrition, 2010. 26(7/8): p. 719.
12. Verardo V.; Gómez-Caravaca AM.; Arráez-Román D.; et al. Recent advances in phospholipids from colostrum, milk and dairy by-products. International journal of molecular sciences, 2017.18(1): p. 173.
13. Lu L.; Okada N.; Nakatani S.; et al. Eicosapentaenoic acid‐induced changes in membrane fluidity and cell adhesion molecules in cultured human keratinocytes. British Journal of Dermatology, 1995. 133(2): p. 217-222.
14. Murphy MG. Dietary fatty acids and membrane protein function. The Journal of nutritional biochemistry, 1990. 1(2): p. 68-79.
15. Kendall AC.; Kiezel-Tsugunova M.; Brownbridge LC.; et al. Lipid functions in skin: Differential effects of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cutaneous ceramides, in a human skin organ culture model. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Biomembranes, 2017. 1859(9): p. 1679-1689.
16. Nicolaou, A.; Kendall AC. Current insights into skin lipids and their roles in cutaneous health and disease. Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care, 2023. 26(2): p. 83-90.
17. Khnykin, D.; Miner JH.; Jahnsen F. Role of fatty acid transporters in epidermis: Implications for health and disease. Dermato-endocrinology, 2011. 3(2): p. 53-61.
18. El-Chami C.; Foster AR.; Johnson C.; et al. Organic osmolytes increase expression of specific tight junction proteins in skin and alter barrier function in keratinocytes. British Journal of Dermatology, 2021. 184(3): p. 482-494.
19. Davinelli, S.; Nielsen ME.; Scapagnini G. Astaxanthin in skin health, repair, and disease: A comprehensive review. Nutrients, 2018. 10(4): p. 522.
20. Duo, L.; Yang J.; Wang X.; et al. Krill oil: nutraceutical potential in skin health and disease. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2024. 11: p. 1388155.
21. Kim J.; Lee N.; Chun YS.; et al. Krill oil’s protective benefits against ultraviolet B-induced skin photoaging in hairless mice and in vitro experiments. Marine Drugs, 2023. 21(9): p. 479.
22. Dai G.; Freudenberger T.; Zipper P.; et al. Chronic ultraviolet B irradiation causes loss of hyaluronic acid from mouse dermis because of down-regulation of hyaluronic acid synthases. The American journal of pathology, 2007. 171(5): p. 1451-1461.
23. Chun YS.; Kim J.; Lim JH.; et al. Effectiveness of Krill Oil in Regulating Skin Moisture. Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry, 2023. 66: p. 359-368.
24. Wilkinson HN.; Hardman MJ. Wound healing: cellular mechanisms and pathological outcomes. Open biology, 2020. 10(9): p. 200223.
25. Hao W.; Meng H.; Li H.; et al. Local Application of Krill Oil accelerates the healing of artificially created wounds in diabetic mice. Nutrients, 2022. 14(19): p. 4139.
26. Handeland KM.; Wakeman L.; Burri L. Krill oil supplementation improves transepidermal water loss, hydration and elasticity of the skin in healthy adults: Results from two randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, dose‐finding pilot studies. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.