2 August 2006
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| Professor Barrie Finnin checks the moisture levels in his skin to determine whether the anti-ageing claims made by cosmetics companies are correct. |
A Monash University researcher is testing the anti-ageing claims attributed to cosmetic products by analysing the penetration levels and effects of moisturisers.
Applying similar technologies to those used to determine the impact of drugs on the body, Professor Barrie Finnin from the Victorian College of Pharmacy is looking at the chemical make-up of cosmetic creams and their impact on the skin.
The studies have stemmed from Professor Finnin's work in transdermal drug delivery. In the 1990s Professor Finnin and his colleague Professor Barry Reed developed technology that enables pharmaceuticals to be delivered through the skin using a hand-held spray device.
Professor Finnin is now working with cosmetic companies in Australia and overseas to determine if the active ingredients in anti-ageing creams, such as anti-oxidants and collagen, actually penetrate the skin and, if so, whether they are effective in reducing water loss from the skin.
The tests are being undertaken on human skin -- donated after surgery or post mortem.
They include sticking adhesive tape to the skin after cream has been applied, removing the tape and analysing it to determine how many layers of skin the cream has penetrated. The process is repeated until the skin layers removed with the tape no longer show evidence of cream penetration.
In separate tests, scientists are measuring the time it takes for the ingredients in the creams to penetrate the skin, making a cast of the skin surface that can then be used to accurately determine the number and depth of wrinkles, and magnifying images of the skin to measure the number and depth of wrinkles before and after cream has been applied.
Professor Finnin said that because people were becoming more concerned about ageing and their appearance it was important to know what effect cosmetic creams had on the skin.
"While it may be dismissed as vanity, ageing and changes to the skin can have a significant psychological impact on some people," he said.
Professor Finnin said companies often made claims about their products that had never been scientifically tested.
"For instance some companies claim that their product will deliver collagen to the skin, but there haven't been any studies to show whether collagen actually penetrates the skin," he said.
"We need to apply scientific measures to determine whether these claims are correct. This may help give some credibility to the cosmetic industry where in the past it has been all smoke and mirrors."
For information contact Professor Finnin on +613 9903 9520, or Ms Diane Squires, Media Communications on 0417 603 400.
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