Research has found that the skin operates on an internal 24-hour clock that controls its functions, from DNA repair to permeability and collagen production. The research opens opportunities for cosmetics formulators to develop more targeted morning and evening products that work with the skin’s natural rhythms.
Dr. Diala Haykal, a specialist in aesthetic and anti-aging morphology medicine in France, led the research.
She found that every major skin cell type (keratinocytes, melanocytes, and fibroblasts) contains an autonomous molecular clock, referred to as the circadian clock. These clocks drive the skin’s natural rhythms in epidermal renewal, UV damage responses, and immune activity.
Due to this local clock, the skin knows when to carry out what functions. For example, according to Haykal, the skin’s barrier is most permeable in the evening, and its repair mechanisms peak at night.
