Permanent youth preparations have become a huge buzzword in the skincare world; these are products promoted as containing stem cells stored in a tube or small bottle, sold at a shocking price, and marketed by celebrities and influencers on various social media platforms.
Is this a fact? Is it backed up by scientific evidence?
Human skin is one of the body's largest stem cell repositories. These cells are located in the basal layer of the skin and remain dormant until activated by injury. Thus, the normal cell balance in tissue can be maintained, while it is simple to generate new cells for tissue repair whenever needed. Various factors, such as UV radiation and inflammation, have a negative impact on skin health, resulting in disturbance of this balance, deterioration and damage to skin tissue, and accelerated ageing (1,2,3).
Manufacturers of these products and creams claim they contain stem cells, supporting skin regeneration and promising consumers eternal youth; However, it appears that they are aimed at convincing an audience with no scientific background. In fact, it is impossible to incorporate living materials or cells into a skincare product sold on store shelves; live cells must be stored in a certain specialized biological environment and controlled by specific conditions and constantly maintained to preserve their vitality which is challenging to provide in bottles of creams and topical formulations.
Other products may contain growth factors; which are proteins produced by stem cells to accelerate wound healing; Normally, these factors spread in the wound layer and contribute to the repair of the tissue by stimulating cell proliferation and inducing the production of collagen as well as promoting the formation of blood vessels, to build the new tissue, and despite the success of growth factors in numerous laboratory studies, they are still under investigation, and their safety is not yet confirmed. These growth factors may induce uncontrolled cell proliferation, mutations, and cancer-related pathways, posing a risk of tumours (4,5).
Cosmetic products containing cellular substances are deemed high-risk compounds, and the FDA has issued several warnings to a large number of stem cell cream manufacturers due to their claims that resulted in safety issues, even classifying them as an unapproved medicinal product. The FDA approves a new therapeutic substance based on scientific data and research that has conclusively proven safe and effective (6).
The vast majority of these creams have nothing to do with human stem cells and are simply plant extracts derived from various plants such as apples, grapes, and aloe vera. Some of these products may claim to contain a "Stem cell conditioning medium," which contains the by-products of these cells. Other combinations may contain specific enzymes and growth factors that are claimed to stimulate human skin stem cells and help protect the skin from damage, but can plant cells communicate with human stem cells to direct the repair and regeneration process of skin? This is quite doubtful or, at the very least, still in the early stages of scientific research (7,8). What is confirmed is that any improvement that users may observe is primarily attributable to known natural additives that are commonly found in any other product.
On the other hand, stem cells have enormous potential for treating skin problems. Therefore, in addition, to stem cell research studying ways to treat severe skin conditions such as burns and deep wounds, researchers are now investigating how these cells can be utilized to maintain the skin's youth. However, due to the difficulties associated with their use, human stem cells are not yet used in topical skincare; these cells must be extracted and preserved under highly complex and precisely controlled laboratory conditions.
While many cosmetics claim to use stem cells, they actually use plant extracts. The term "Stem cells" is used to label their products because it is highly marketable; they aim to increase sales regardless of the science. However, simply putting this term on a product does not make it effective or safe, especially given the limited clinical research confirming these treatments' efficacy and safety.
References:
- Garcia D, Filipová A, Veloz I, Fierro M. A Beginner’s Introduction to Skin Stem Cells and Wound Healing. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021, 22 (20):11030
- Taub AF, Pham K. Stem cells in Dermatology and Antiaging care of the skin. Facial plastic surgery Clinics of North America. 2018 Nov;26(4):425-37
- Panich U, Sittithumcharee G, Rathviboon N, et al. Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Skin Aging: The Role of DNA Damage and Oxidative Stress in Epidermal Stem Cell Damage Mediated Skin Aging. Stem Cells Int. 2016:7370642.
- Mehta RC, Fitzpatrick RE. Endogenous growth factors as cosmeceuticals. Dermatologic Therapy. 2007 Nov 28;20(5):350–9.
- Neuzillet C, Tijeras-Raballand A, Cohen R, Cros J, Faivre S, Raymond E, et al. Targeting the TGFβ pathway for cancer therapy. Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2015 Mar; 147:22–31.
- Nutrition C for FS and A. Warning Letters Address Drug Claims Made for Products Marketed as Cosmetics. FDA [Internet]. 2022 Apr 1; Available from: https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/warning-letters-related-cosmetics/warning-letters-address-drug-claims-made-products-marketed-cosmetics
- Trehan S, Michniak-Kohn B, Beri K. Plant stem cells in cosmetics: current trends and future directions. Future Science OA. 2017 Nov;3(4): FSO226.
- Beri K, Milgraum SS. Neocollagenesis in deep and superficial dermis by combining fractionated Q-switched ND: YAG 1,064-nm with topical plant stem cell extract and N -acetyl glucosamine: open case series. J. Drugs Dermatol. 2015;14(11):1342.
