Pycnogenol Boosts Hyaluronic Acid (44%) in Skin Study

In a clinical trial on 20 elderly women, supplementation with the French maritime pine bark extract Pycnogenol improved a number of key skin health markers. The study is published in the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology.

In the open trial, researchers at the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (Düsseldorf, Germany) assigned women to 75 mg of Pycnogenol for 12 weeks. Researchers measured skin hydration, elasticity and fatigue at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. Productin of hyaluronic acid and expression of two collagen-forming genes (Col1A1 and Col1A2) were also measured over the same periods.

Compared to baseline, 12 weeks of supplementation with Pycnogenol resulted in improvements in skin hydration (8%) and skin elasticity (25%), as well as slightly reduced skin fatigue. Collagen-related gene expression also benefited from Pycnogenol, but it was an average increase in hyaluronic acid production by 44% that may be most significant.

“Hyaluronic acid binds large quantities of water in the skin and in other tissues, such as cartilage,” said Pycnogenol supplier Horphag Research (Hoboken, NJ). “An increased amount of hyaluronic acid explains the increased skin hydration, higher elasticity, and overall smoother skin appearance found in women taking Pycnogenol.”

The company claims that Pycnogenol is the only natural supplement to demonstrate this stimulation of hyaluronic acid. The new skin health study adds to what Horphag says is an already extensive collection of positive skin health studies on Pycnogenol.