By CM Tay
A new lipidomics study of 151 healthy Chinese women has reported clear, age-linked shifts in facial stratum corneum lipids between ages of 19 and 33 years.
The research tied specific ceramides and neutral lipids to skin ageing in women, in the form of changes to skin barrier, elasticity, brightness, and oil levels.
The study – conducted by researchers at Shin Biotechnology, the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine, Fudan University, and
the Dermatology Hospital Medical Center of Air Force – focused on an age window where sebum peaks and first signs of ageing typically appear.
The authors noted that measurable chemical remodelling in the outermost skin layer already occurred in early adulthood.
The team from the Cosmetic Technology Center of the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine recruited five balanced age bands (19 to 21, 22 to 24, 25 to 27, 28 to 30, and 31 to 33) during July and August 2023.
They mapped the lipids that changed with age, and how those changes
related to barrier function, elasticity, and appearance.
How skin lipids change in women aged 19 to 33
The researchers studied 1,535 types of skin lipids and found that 350 of them changed noticeably with age. Some lipids increased, while others decreased. In total, 40 lipid types rose with age, while 51 declined.
