Fermented blackberry shows promise as ingestible anti-wrinkle product

The team, Lee et al, recently published an article in Cosmetics further exploring the anti-wrinkle power of an ingestible made with blackberry fermented with a lactic acid bacteria, intended to fight UV-caused wrinkling, increase the dermal thickness and increase collagen accumulation.

This paper was a follow-up clinical study after the same ingestible formulation, known as BB-1000, showed positive anti-wrinkle effects in hairless mice.

Lee et al said blackberry contains promising cosmetic compounds like flavonoids, phenols and anthocyanins, and lactic acid has shown antibacterial, immune, and antioxidant activity in previous studies.

“As the lifespan of the population and incomes increase, interest in anti-aging products is growing,” ​Lee et al said. “With the spread of this trend, the demand for skin health functional foods is also increasing.”​

The ingestible was tested on a population of Korean adults between 35 and 60 years of age.

Over a test period of 12 weeks, Lee et al said photographic evidence showed a significant improvement in wrinkles around the eyes. 

Lactic acid bacterias have a significant impact on intestinal microflora and are broadly commercialized as probiotics and recent studies have linked gut health to skin health, Lee et al said. The results of the study would support the benefits of oral ingestion of probiotics on skin health, they said.

“The significance of this study is that the anti-wrinkle efficacy of a fermented blackberry product was confirmed not only in previous animal experiments but also in this clinical trial,”​ Lee et al said. “As a result of clinical trials on skin wrinkle improvement and safety, BB-1000 is expected to be used with confidence as a health functional food that can improve skin wrinkles.”​

The research team added, while there was improved antioxidant activity and a reduction of wrinkles in the study, there was not an improvement in skin moisturization. 

The fermented blackberry ingestible appeared to aid in fighting oxidative stress in the skin, but further research is needed to understand by what mechanisms it improves skin health and what mechanisms are not present in order to improve moisture.

Source: Cosmetics​

Author: Sang-Wang Lee et al​

Title: Anti-Wrinkle Effect of BB-1000: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Study​

Cosmetics 2022, 9(3), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics9030050​​