“We found undisclosed harmful chemicals in products claiming to be free of them,” said Jenna Hua, PhD, MPH, senior author of the study and founder of the Million Marker Research Institute. “That means someone can carefully read ingredient lists, choose ‘clean’ products, and still end up exposed to the very chemicals they were trying to avoid. The label can’t protect you when it doesn’t show what’s really in the bottle.”

The researchers tested 113 personal care and cleaning products across 12 categories. On average, each product contained 51 detected chemicals, more than three times the average of 16 ingredients listed on the label. Overall, 98% of products contained at least one unlabeled chemical, and 85% contained at least one unlabeled chemical with known or suspected health hazards. The specific brands and items will be revealed in an upcoming report.

These undisclosed chemicals included endocrine-disrupting compounds such as phthalates and parabens, fragrance chemicals, silicone contaminants, and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Previous research has linked some of these chemicals to infertility, miscarriage, breast cancer, obesity, diabetes, allergies, and other health problems. Others are classified as potential carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, reproductive or developmental toxicants, or skin sensitizers.

Undisclosed harmful chemicals were found across product categories, price points, company sizes, and marketing claims. Products advertised as “natural,” “non-toxic,” or “organic” frequently contained undisclosed chemicals linked to health harm.

More than one-quarter of the products contained chemicals that contradicted claims made on labels or company websites. Researchers found synthetic chemicals in some products marketed as “100% natural,” as well as fragrance, phthalates, parabens, silicones, or oxybenzone in products claiming to be specifically free of those substances. Some products labeled “hypoallergenic” contained known allergens or sensitizers.

The researchers note that this does not necessarily mean manufacturers intentionally added these chemicals. Contaminants can enter products through raw materials, processing equipment, chemical reactions, storage or packaging. Changes in suppliers may also alter a product’s chemical composition without a corresponding change to its label.

The study used nontargeted analysis, an advanced laboratory method that can screen for thousands of chemicals without relying on a predefined list of substances. Researchers detected 3,141 chemical signals and identified 303 compounds with confirmed, probable, or tentative confidence.

Most product safety ratings and certifications programs rely heavily on disclosed ingredient lists. According to the authors, that approach can miss contaminants, impurities, breakdown products, and chemicals introduced during manufacturing or packaging. The researchers recommend making nontargeted analysis of finished, packaged products a standard part of product safety and quality control, alongside existing checks such as stability, microbial, and preservative testing.

The authors also argue that current U.S. oversight remains too dependent on ingredient disclosure and manufacturer reporting. Although the 2022 Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act expanded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s authority over cosmetics, routine testing of finished products for undisclosed chemical contaminants is still generally not required.

“People shouldn’t need a chemistry lab to know what they’re bringing into their homes or putting on their skin,” Hua said. “The next generation of product safety must look beyond the label and test what is actually there.”

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Although the absolute risk is low, awareness of this potential effect may help to inform shared treatment decisions, say the researchers.

Alopecia has been reported as a possible side effect of GLP-1 receptor agonists, particularly semaglutide and tirzepatide. However, studies assessing the risk of alopecia associated with GLP-1 receptor agonists compared with other diabetes drugs are lacking.

To address this, researchers used electronic patient data from the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine) to compare rates of alopecia in adults with type 2 diabetes who started using GLP-1 receptor agonists or other types of diabetes drugs known as SGLT-2 inhibitors, or DPP-4 inhibitors.

In total, 12,004 patients using GLP-1 receptor agonists were compared with 15,221 using SGLT-2 inhibitors and a further 11,964 GLP-1 users were compared with 11,233 DPP-4 inhibitor users between January 2019 and September 2024.

Compared with SGLT-2 inhibitor users, GLP-1 receptor agonist users were younger (mean age 58 v 65), had a higher body mass index (36.2 v 32.3), and lower rates of cardiovascular and chronic kidney diseases. Similarly, GLP-1 users were younger (mean age 58 v 67) and had a higher body mass index (36.2 v 31.3) than DPP-4 inhibitor users.

After adjusting for potentially influential factors including age, sex, ethnicity, pre-existing conditions, other medication use, and body mass index, use of GLP-1 receptor agonists was associated with a 37% higher risk of alopecia than use of SGLT-2 inhibitors (6.91 v 5.04 per 1,000 person years) and a 68% higher risk than use of DPP-4 inhibitors (6.53 v 3.89 per 1,000 person years).

Further analyses indicated that the association was specific to non-scarring alopecia (where hair follicles remain intact, leaving the potential for regrowth) with an increased risk of 53% and 72% compared with SGLT-2 inhibitors and DPP-4 inhibitors, respectively.

The authors point out that rapid weight loss is a well established trigger of hair shedding and can also lead to iron or zinc deficiencies, which disrupt the hair growth cycle. Hormonal changes may also be relevant, they note, although further studies are needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms.

They also acknowledge several study limitations. For example, a lack of clinical information limited their ability to assess details such as severity, extent, duration and reversibility of alopecia after stopping treatment. Nor can they rule out the possibility that other unmeasured factors may have influenced their results.

However, they say this was a rigorous study based on high quality data from a large representative cohort and results were consistent after additional analyses, suggesting they are reliable.

As such, they conclude: “Our findings extend previous anecdotal safety signals and provide more systematic evidence to inform clinical awareness of this potential adverse effect.”

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Skin cancer rates are rising globally, and sunscreen is among the most accessible and effective tools for prevention. However, public health organizations have raised concerns about a trend of sunscreen misinformation on TikTok—one of the world’s most-used social media platforms, especially among young people—including claims that sunscreen is toxic, cancer-causing, or unnecessarily blocks the health benefits of sun exposure.

In the new study, researchers conducted a content analysis of 971 of the most-viewed TikTok videos across the five most popular sunscreen-related hashtags (#sunscreen, #sunscreenviral, #spf, #sunscreenreview, and #sunprotection). Videos were coded for sunscreen promotion, health-related critique, and audience engagement metrics including views, likes, shares, and comments.

The vast majority of videos included in the study promoted sunscreen use (86.8%), with only 6% containing health-related critique such as claims that sunscreen causes harm (1.5%) or prevents health benefits such as vitamin D absorption (1.2%). Despite that small fraction, critique-focused videos generated, on average, significantly higher audience engagement in likes (p=0.0069), shares (p=0.0028), and comments (p=0.0012) compared with promotion-only videos, a pattern the researchers attribute to the outsized viral potential of contrarian and shock-provoking content. Notably, even the promotional majority represented a missed public health opportunity: sunscreen content on TikTok was heavily focused on cosmetic benefits and product promotion, with only 6% of videos explicitly mentioning cancer risk reduction.

“Sunscreen misinformation may attract disproportionate attention,” the authors say. “Sunscreen misinformation on TikTok constitutes an area of concern not for the total sum of overarching influence in terms of content production but rather in how strongly some sunscreen misinformation ideas resonated among particular audiences.”

The authors note, “Our analysis showed TikTok is not necessarily flooded with sunscreen misinformation, but TikToks which dangerously claim that sunscreen is harmful or unnecessary receive comparatively high levels of audience engagement. TikTok content creators commonly promoted sunscreen as part of skincare regimens where sunscreen benefits were more commonly related to beauty rather than health.”

The authors add: “It was surprising to see so many TikToks promoting sunscreen use without specifically mentioning the important role it plays in cancer prevention. Only 6% of the TikToks analyzed explicitly mentioned the benefits of reducing the risk of skin cancer.”

Freely available paper in PLOS Digital Health: https://plos.io/3Smhhan

Citation: Marcon A, Zenone M, Boniface V, Peters CE, Caufield T (2026) Sunscreen is overwhelmingly promoted on TikTok, but content with misinformation exhibits proportionally high levels of audience interaction. PLOS Digit Health 5(6): e0001440. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pdig.0001440

Author countries: Canada

Funding: CEP and TC acknowledge funding support from the Canadian Cancer Society Challenge Grant [#708169]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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About half a million people in the Netherlands suffer from psoriasis, an inflammatory disease affecting the skin, nails, and joints. Although there is still no cure, effective medications have been introduced over the past twenty years. These biologics, inhibitors of interleukin (IL)‑17 or IL‑23, significantly reduce symptoms. ‘These medicines are life-changing’, says Elke de Jong, dermatologist and professor of inflammatory skin diseases. ‘But people have to use them for life, and the costs are high: around €17,000 per patient per year for the newest and most effective biologics.’

Dose reduction

Researchers now show that these biologics also work well in 75% of patients at two-thirds or even just half of the standard dose. Gradual tapering of the medication under medical supervision was found to be safe and equally effective in controlling symptoms compared to a control group that continued the normal dosage. This is shown in a study of 244 patients from 19 Dutch and Belgian hospitals led by Radboudumc and Ghent University Hospital. Patients were followed for 18 months.

Reducing medication has many advantages. ‘We lowered the dosage by increasing the time between injections. As a result, patients need injections less often. Some patients inject only once every six months’, explains physician-epidemiologist Juul van den Reek of Radboudumc. ‘This also reduces the risk of side effects and is more sustainable due to less production and transport of these medicines.’

Adjusting guidelines

According to De Jong, patients often find it exciting to taper their biologics: ‘Patients are afraid that their symptoms will return. They often have a long history with psoriasis; some had symptoms for twenty years before starting biologics. That is why study participants were allowed to return to the standard dose at any time during the study if they wished, maintaining control. This made it a pragmatic study close to clinical practice.’

The researchers still strongly recommend biologics, but they would like to include in the guidelines that the dosage can often be reduced. ‘This first large prospective study involving many hospitals provides sufficient evidence to start adapting the guidelines in both the Netherlands and Belgium’, says professor Jo Lambert of Ghent University Hospital. ‘Efficient use of healthcare resources is very relevant nowadays.’

The following biologics were studied:

• IL-17 inhibitors: secukinumab, ixekizumab, bimekizumab, brodalumab

IL-23 inhibitors: guselkumab, risankizumab, tildrakizumab

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The study, “Associations Between Perceived Costs and Rewards of Sun Protection and Sun Safety Practices Among High School Students,” published April 21 in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and simultaneously presented at the 2026 AACR Annual Meeting, collected epidemiologic survey data from more than 2,100 students enrolled in Utah high schools as part of the Sun-safe Habits Intervention and Education (SHINE) trial conducted between 2021 and 2023.

Researchers found that students who viewed sun protection, such as wearing sunscreen or protective clothing, as inconvenient or uncomfortable were significantly less likely to engage in sun-safe behaviors. Similarly, teens who perceived tanning as enhancing appearance or social appeal were less likely to protect themselves from ultraviolet radiation (UVR), a leading cause of skin cancer.

Even after adjusting for demographics and skin cancer knowledge, higher perceived costs of sun protection and greater perceived rewards of tanning were associated with lower engagement in UVR-protective behaviors.

“These data remind us that knowing about the risks of overexposure to the sun isn’t enough to change teens’ behavior,” said the study’s senior author Kenneth P. Tercyak, PhD, professor of oncology, pediatrics, and psychiatry and co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. “To do that, we have to understand what they think about the pros and cons of staying safe, and help shift that perspective.”

The authors suggest that school-based skin cancer prevention programs should move beyond risk messaging to incorporate appearance-focused and tailored strategies, such as UV photography or photoaging feedback, to reduce motivational barriers and promote lasting behavior change.

“This study drives home the importance of reaching people early in life with more effective skin cancer prevention strategies that resonate, and working with communities to help lower the cancer burden,” said first author, Omar U. Anwar, a biology student at Georgetown University.

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The researchers in the School of Pharmacy have created a customizable wound scaffold that delivers natural, biodegradable antibacterials over time to encourage healing. Researchers Michael Repka, distinguished professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery; Sateesh Vemula, postdoctoral researcher; and doctoral candidate Nouf Alshammari published their results in the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics.

“People with limited mobility or diabetes often have wounds with reduced oxygen supply,” Vemula said. “This can slow the body’s normal repair process and make wounds more likely to become long-lasting, while also increasing the chance that bacteria can grow and lead to infection.”

Chronic wounds, including diabetic ulcers and pressure sores, can linger for months or even years.

Repka and his team are 3D-printing a breathable, patch-like structure that can be placed over the wound. The patch is made using chitosan – a natural material found in crustaceans, insects and fungi – along with plant-derived antimicrobials that help fight germs. Chitosan helps accelerate the growth of skin cells while reducing inflammation and preventing infection.

This structure acts as a scaffold, encouraging growth while also protecting the wound from outside sources of infection or contamination.

“A lot of bandages are made with organic solvents, which actually hurt the wound-healing process, especially when applied intimately on the wound,” Repka said. “With the materials and technique we’re using, you don’t have organic solvents.

“We’re also not using traditional antibiotics over a long period of time, because that can often cause the bacteria to become resistant. That’s the advantage of using natural products.”

Using a 3D printer to create the scaffold means that the patch can be tailored to fit any wound on any part of the body.

“The materials we used are also biodegradable,” Alshammari said. “With time, the scaffold is going to be absorbed into the skin. And it’s an inactive material, so we don’t have to worry about side effects or toxic residuals.”

Being biodegradable also means that if the material is applied to wounds inside the body, health care professionals don’t have to make a second incision to remove it, Vemula said.

The technology can be applied to other types of wounds where a traditional bandage would not be suitable, the Ole Miss researchers said.

“Depending on what kind of wound it is, a regular bandage might work well and this wouldn’t be necessary,” Repka said. “But there are a lot of applications for this technology. These could be printed in the field for, say, military applications.

“If you have a generator that can run these 3D printers, you can print the scaffold you need based on what kind of wound has occurred.”

Before the scaffold can be used clinically, it will need further testing and review by the Food and Drug Administration.

“The goal is translating this from research to patients,” Repka said.

Image: Michael Repka, distinguished professor of pharmaceutics and drug delivery, works with a 3D-printed medical device in his lab in Shoemaker Hall. Repka’s latest research shows that 3D-printed wound scaffolding could aid in healing chronic wounds. 

View more Credit: Photo by Thomas Graning/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services

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He recently earned his PhD in medical science at Lund University and is a senior consultant at the dermatology clinic in Landskrona, Sweden. In one of the studies included in his dissertation, he investigated the links between common blood pressure medications and cases of basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. This cancer type is very common, with 70,000 newly discovered cases per year in Sweden. It often appears on skin that has been exposed to intense sun.

“Basal cell carcinoma is a rather mild form of cancer, with a low risk of spreading and low mortality. Treatment usually involves surgically removing the tumour, but it’s often also possible to freeze or scrape it away,” says Johan Kappelin.

Previous studies, both Swedish and international, have shown a likely increased risk of various skin cancers in connection with antihypertensive medications. When focusing specifically on basal cell carcinoma, Johan Kappelin used several large Swedish registries to identify possible statistical associations between the disease and blood pressure medication.

There are many different blood pressure medications, grouped by their active substances. These types were included in Johan Kappelin’s study:

• Thiazides (diuretics)
• ACE inhibitors (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors)
• Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)
• Calcium channel blockers
• Beta blockers

Among those who used thiazides, ARBs, and calcium channel blockers, the risk of basal cell carcinoma appeared to increase by nine percent. For the thiazide group, however, this only applied to medications containing multiple active substances (so-called combination therapy). For beta blockers, the results showed a seven percent increased risk. For ACE inhibitors, on the other hand, no increased risk was found; according to these study results, the risk even appeared to decrease slightly.

Johan Kappelin is somewhat surprised that such similar risk increases were seen across several medication types.

“It’s also a bit surprising that medications containing only thiazides as the active substance did not appear to increase the risk of basal cell carcinoma. At the same time, an increased occurrence of basal cell carcinoma was seen in people who received thiazides as combination therapy. Is the risk found in the other agent, or is it the combination itself that creates the risk?” he wonders.

Other questions requiring further research include whether factors such as skin type and/or certain lifestyle factors contribute to the risk of basal cell carcinoma during blood pressure treatment.

“The increase in basal cell carcinoma risk with these medications is quite small in our study, and at present we see no reason to change any recommendations regarding the use of these drugs. However, there may be reason to be extra careful with sun protection when undergoing blood pressure treatment,” recommends Johan Kappelin.

How the Registry Study Was Conducted

To determine possible statistical associations, researchers compare people with basal cell carcinoma to people without such a diagnosed disease.

The approximately 130,000 patient cases come from the national Basal Cell Carcinoma Registry. The control group consists of roughly twice as many individuals, drawn from the Swedish Population Register. Data on prescriptions for antihypertensive medications come from the Prescribed Drug Register. Researchers also collected registry data on other ongoing medications and other diseases among the included individuals.

Many other factors were not examined in the study, such as skin type or lifestyle factors. Therefore, the researchers emphasize, it cannot be definitively determined that it is the blood pressure medications that cause the increased risk of basal cell carcinoma.

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The study involved almost 1,900 women, each of whom had their face and back photographed without make-up. Dermatologists assessed the presence and severity of acne on the basis of the images.

Acne was most commonly found on the face, affecting 26 per cent of participants. About 12 per cent had acne on the back, and 6 per cent had both facial and back acne.

Facial symptoms were particularly concentrated in the lower parts of the face, most commonly on the chin and cheeks.

“The results show that acne is not confined to the face, as back acne is surprisingly common. However, it may easily go unnoticed unless the patient is undressed for examination or mentions it themselves. Skin changes on the back may be mistaken for harmless heat spots, even though they are often acne. Both facial and back acne can lead to permanent scarring if left untreated,” says Suvi-Päivikki Sinikumpu, specialist in dermatology and allergology.

Most acne cases in the study were mild, but more than one in ten participants also had a moderate form. Only very few had severe acne.

Many do not recognise their acne

According to the study, participants had poor awareness of their own acne. Only about one-third of the women whose acne was identified by a doctor reported experiencing it themselves. Recognition was even lower in cases of back acne.

This was also reflected in treatment behaviour: both over-the-counter and prescription acne medications were reported to be used only sparingly. Oral antibiotics and isotretinoin were used very rarely even for more severe types of acne, despite being proven effective and safe treatments.

According to the researchers, poor symptom recognition may partly explain why adult acne is often left untreated.

Adult acne is worth treating

Although acne is often thought of as a teenage problem, it is becoming more common among adult women. The researchers note that in adults, acne symptoms typically concentrate around the chin and cheeks. On the other hand, adult acne may not differ greatly in appearance from teenage acne, and in both groups acne can also appear on the back.

“Even mild acne can significantly affect well-being and mood, and adult acne has been shown to have an even greater impact on quality of life than teenage acne. For this reason, its treatment deserves attention. Acne lesions can also be painful,” Sinikumpu notes.

The researchers recommend that healthcare professionals raise the topic of acne more readily with adult patients. “Patients may leave skin symptoms unmentioned, thinking that doctors consider them trivial problems,” Sinikumpu reflects.

The study was published in the international journal Acta Dermato-Venereologica: Telkkälä A, Jokelainen J, Piltonen T, Huilaja L, Sinikumpu SP. The Prevalence and Characteristics of Adult Female Acne: A Cross-sectional Population-based Study
. Acta Derm Venereol. 2025 Oct 29.

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With the unenviable record of the highest melanoma rates in the world – two in three people are diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70 – a new approach is needed to reverse this trend, say University of South Australia (UniSA) researchers in the nursing journal Collegian.

Launched in February 2023, the model utilises primary care nurses trained in dermoscopy and artificial intelligence (AI) software to detect suspicious skin lesions. This has been rolled out across 13 South Australian regional and rural mobile clinics with great impact.

More than 1200 people have been screened and hundreds of suspicious lesions identified, including 96 suspected melanoma cases.

The initiative has demonstrated that primary care nurses can detect suspected skin cancer early and consumers overwhelmingly accept this model of care, according to lead author Dr Kim Gibson, from UniSA’s Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre (RBRC).

“The current reliance on opportunistic, GP-led skin checks leaves significant healthcare gaps for Australians, particularly those living in rural and regional areas who face major barriers in accessing skin cancer screening,” Dr Gibson says.

Each year, more than 2200 Australians lose their lives to skin cancer, with 1400 of these deaths caused by melanoma. The national economic burden is expected to reach $8.7 billion by 2030 if urgent reforms are not introduced.

“In country areas there are serious GP shortages, long waiting times, out-of-pocket costs, and limited access to dermatologists.

“Nurses represent the largest health workforce in regional areas and are ideally placed to bridge this gap. By empowering and equipping them to lead skin cancer detection, we can save lives.”

Since February 2023, the Rosemary Bryant AO Research Centre has trained 51 nurses in dermoscopy (the use of a specialised tool) and AI to identify suspicious lesions and refer for follow-up care. The aim is to educate 600 primary care nurses nationally.

Co-author and RBRC Director, Professor Marion Eckert, says that with additional training, nurse practitioners will also be able to perform biopsies and excisions, further reducing pressure on overstretched medical services.

“This approach is all about reducing inequities. Rural Australians are not only more likely to develop melanoma due to predominately being outdoor workers but are also more likely to die from it. This model tackles that inequity by bringing services to communities and using nurses’ expertise to detect skin cancer earlier,” Prof Eckert says.

The timing of the proposal is significant, given that Australia is currently developing a National Targeted Skin Cancer Screening Program that will focus on high-risk groups, such as those in rural and regional areas.

The UniSA team advocates for nurses to play a central role in this national strategy.

“By embedding nurses into the frontline of melanoma detection, the national program can be more efficient, accessible and cost-effective,” Prof Eckert says.

“Nurse-led models are already improving other areas of healthcare such as breast cancer screening, and skin cancer is a natural next step.”

The research was supported by The Hospital Research Foundation, Preventative Health SA, Skin Check Champions, and Country SA Primary Health Network, with training support from Skin Smart Australia.

‘A nurse-led model of care in response to Australia’s skin cancer crisis: A discussion paper’ is published in Collegian, the official journal of the Australian College of Nursing. DOI: 10.1016/j.colegn.2025.07.002

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The findings were presented on Sept. 17, 2025 at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2025.

Lead author Ralf Ludwig, MD, Professor and Director at the Lübeck Institute of Experimental Dermatology, University of Lübeck, Germany, said, “Our findings suggest that GLP-1 receptor agonists may offer benefits beyond their effects on weight and glucose control, particularly for cardiovascular and psychiatric outcomes in people with psoriasis.”

For this retrospective study, the investigators extracted data from the global TriNetX database. They compared 3,048 adult subjects with psoriasis who were treated for diabetes or obesity with GLP-1RA during a follow-up period of 2 years to 3,049 similar subjects treated with other systemic anti-diabetic or obesity drugs for the same period of time.

In matched cohorts of patients with psoriasis treated with GLP-1RA (60.37% females, mean age 56.94 years) versus other antidiabetic and obesity drugs (61.91% females, mean age 56.42 years), GLP-1RA treatment was associated with significantly decreased all-cause mortality (78% decrease, p<0.0001) and reduced risk for major adverse cardiac events (44% decrease, p<0.0001).

Additionally, the investigators reported lower risks for alcohol and substance abuse among subjects with psoriasis treated with GLP-1RA

Adverse drug events were not more frequent in the GLP-1RA cohort.

The authors concluded, “GLP-1RA treatment was safe and associated with reduced risks of cardiovascular and psychiatric comorbidities, as well as lower mortality in patients with psoriasis, with risk reductions markedly higher than in cohorts without psoriasis. Physicians should consider this drug class for patients with psoriasis and comorbid obesity or type 2 diabetes.”

Ludwig added, “Psoriasis management has traditionally focused on controlling skin symptoms, but these findings emphasise the need to consider the wider health risks faced by patients. GLP-1RAs may offer a valuable dual benefit, improving both metabolic control and long-term health outcomes, representing an important step forward in holistic care for people living with psoriasis.”

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In a study published in the Journal of Dermatologic Science and Cosmetic Technology, a team of researchers from Centre Testing International Group Co., Ltd. And Better Invention (Thailand) Company Limited retrospectively analyzed how skin color, season, and age affect UV protection capability.

“Skin’s UV defense varies significantly with pigmentation, season, and environmental humidity,” explains lead researcher Yu Sun. “Lighter skin showed lower unprotected MED values—indicating higher UV sensitivity—while winter conditions correlated with greater UV tolerance, likely due to stratum corneum hydration changes in cold, dry climates.”

The key finding of the study include:

• Skin color (measured by ITA°) negatively correlated with unprotected MED but not MPPD.
• Age had minimal impact, but seasonal differences were pronounced: higher MED in winter, elevated MPPD in autumn/winter.
• These variations may stem from temperature- and humidity-driven skin barrier adaptations.

“Our study redefines sunscreen testing,” adds co-author Yingge Chen. “Tailoring tests to target demographics’ skin tones and seasonal usage scenarios—like winter sports products tested in winter—ensures real-world efficacy aligns with lab results.”

The team advocates for lab-specific MED/MPPD prediction models to enhance testing precision, accelerating the shift toward precision sunscreens, optimizing UV protection for diverse populations.

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The study employed a double-blind, split-face design, comparing the left and right sides of the face and using advanced instruments along with subject self-assessments. The set of instruments used, together with the findings, is reported in the team’s published article in the Journal of Dermatologic Science and Cosmetic Technology.

“Our results indicated that the pterostilbene emulsion remarkably improved skin elasticity, firmness, and reduced wrinkles, such as forehead, undereye, and Crow’s feet wrinkles, shares co-author Zhiyuan Chen, Founder of Guangzhou Luanying Cosmetics Co., Ltd. “It also increased the thickness of the epidermis layer, enhanced collagen and elastic fibers, and minimized skin pores.”

Compared to the control emulsion, the pterostilbene emulsion brought about statistically significant improvements, and all subjects expressed higher satisfaction with the pterostilbene emulsion. These results collectively demonstrated the superior anti-aging efficacy of the pterostilbene emulsion through multiple mechanisms.

According to corresponding author Xueping Chen, the findings advance our understanding of pterostilbene’s role in skincare by providing evidence of its potent anti-ageing effects and supporting its use as an active ingredient in cosmetics. “It also offers a new perspective on natural compounds’ applications in the skincare industry,” says Chen. “The significant improvements in various skin parameters and the subjects’ positive feedback highlight the effectiveness of pterostilbene, which may change the way we approach anti-ageing skincare formulations.”

The authors propose a longer study period to fully understand the impact of pterostilbene.

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