by Pauline Rouaud-Tinguely, Raoul Vyumvuhore, Joris Corvo, David Boudier, Maud Le Guillou and Brigitte Closs; SILAB, Brive-la-Gaillarde, France

The age distribution of the world’s population is dramatically shifting; longevity rises while fertility rates remain flat. According to demographic studies, 2020 will be a turning point, wherein individuals 60 years and older will outnumber children younger than five. Today, it is no longer a rarity to live 80 years or more in many parts of the world.¹

This increasing longevity has led to new challenges in the medical field. Today’s population expects to live longer and in good health—i.e., without facing the declines previously associated with aging. This status is referred to as healthy aging, aging gracefully or aging well;² it was defined by Rowe and Kahn as freedom from disease, high cognitive and physical functioning, and a rich social life.³

An added element of aging well is one’s perceived age. In elderly individuals, a perceived age lower than their chronological age is associated with high survival.⁴ Among consumers 50 years and older, there are two main outlooks on the signs of aging. The first is negative, where individuals do not accept their age and seek to erase the signs of time; e.g., the use of anti-aging products, in attempt to look younger.⁵ The second is positive, where individuals assume aging as part of their personal identity. The latter embraces the beauty of maturity; for example, by using skin care that harmonizes their perceived and chronological ages.⁶ From this trend, a new dermo-cosmetic concept emerged, well aging, which focuses on wellness in order to maintain health capital.

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Conclusions

In conclusion, this work has identified a combination of four cutaneous parameters to describe well aging. This discovery will improve the ability to score perceived age and discriminate between aging well and poorly. The described model also could serve as a powerful tool to select relevant panels for the substantiation of innovative skin care products that achieve harmony between perceived and chronological age.²⁵

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