A New Code for Skin Care, Part III: RNA Activation via Cosmetics & Toiletries

Editor’s note: Per the U.​S. Food and Drug Administ­ration, cosmetics are articles intended to beautify appearance and should not alter the structure or function of the human body; those that do are considered drugs. The concepts presented here blur this line, although they reflect major advances in recent skin care science.

This third and final installment in our three-part series describes RNA activation—the reverse of RNA interference (RNAi). Part I explored the general utility of RNAi technologies; Part II briefly reviewed the delivery of RNAi technologies into skin. Hear more from the authors in our exclusive Author Commentary podcast.

Many biomedical and cosmetic research groups have sought to harness the power of RNA interference (RNAi) to treat a variety of skin diseases and conditions. RNAi involves the utilization of small non-coding RNA (ncRNA) molecules called short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs), which silence the expression of specific genes and, by extension, the synthesis of their encoded protein molecules.

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