Science shows pine bark has 3 extraordinary skin benefits
Please find summary of the text in Finnish at the end of this blog post/ Suomenkielinen tiivistelmä blogin lopussa.
Ever wondered how ingredients from nature can actually work on your skin? It’s simple, they consist of some of the same building blocks as our skin does. The more good active ingredients there are, the more potent the natural ingredient is in our skincare regimen. While some ingredients have one clear purpose in our serums and creams, others are miracle workers that bring a multitude of benefits with them. Pine bark is one of them.
Like with many other natural skincare ingredients, pine bark too was used already hundreds of years ago for its healing properties. It helps our bodies absorb vitamin C better, so no wonder it seemed to help promote health.
In more recent years, research has shown that pine bark has also powerful anti-aging properties from promoting skin elasticity to delivering antioxidants to skin and even helping with hyperpigmentation. All this, and it is also a hydrating agent that helps our skin produce more hyaluronic acid. What’s not to love?
1. The anti aging effect
In a 2012 study it was concluded that pine bark significantly improved hydration and elasticity of skin. While the benefits of the extract have been studied for years, this was the first time that on a molecular level it was scientifically shown, that pine bark benefits skin elasticity.
The way it works is that the extract helps to bind amino acids which are key in the production of collagen and elastin. It helps to protect our skin from the breaking down of these two proteins. It also has powerful antioxidants, that help fight the effects of free radicals on skin. Both of these help keep the skin looking young and feel more firm and supple.
All the while pine bark helps to keep and retain what our skin already has, it also boosts our skin functions to help regenerate collagen. The restorative effects of the ingredient actually help improve the overall natural skin barrier we have, helping it to stay healthy and looking fresh.
2. Fighting hyperpigmentation
Studies have shown pine bark extract to fight the damaging effects of UV radiation on our skin in many different ways. It actually even helps to reduce the effect of UV radiation while we are exposed to the sun. But it also repairs damage that has already happened.
In the last decade there have been more and more interest to study also the visible skin benefits of pine bark extract. Clinical studies have suggested that pine bark can help in the reduction of pigmented skin to promote a more even complexion. In one study in 2002, a very hands-on experiment was conducted where 30 women actually used color charts to evaluate the skin effects of using pine bark extract for 30 days. Needless to say, the effect was positive, with hyperpigmentation on skin visibly reduced.
In addition, pine bark has anti-inflammatory properties, so also other skin conditions that might cause discoloration, redness or uneven skin, are reduced.
3. Retaining moisture
We have already dropped all the skin buzzwords you can think of from anti aging and antioxidants to collagen and elastin, we can leave out the hero benefit that pine bark has in promoting moisture on our skin: hyaluronic acid. A study in 2012 showed that using pine bark extract for 12 weeks helped improve the hyaluronic acid production by 44%.
The study showed that using pine bark extract to help retain moisture is most effective on women with dry skin. However, moisture is a key ingredient in all skin types’ regimes as moisturised skin is able to better absorb other active ingredients.
All of these benefits combined, make pine bark extract the perfect ingredient for anyone who is looking for multiple efficiencies at once. Combining the immediate and visible benefits to the long-term preventative measures - not to mention the fact that pine trees are a staple in our native Finland - make pine bark one of the hero ingredients that we proudly boast in our products.
Lyhyesti suomeksi
Monet ihonhoidossa käytettävät luonnon tehoaineet toimivat yksinkertaisesti niin, että ne sisältävät samoja vaikuttavia aineita, kuin iho itsessään. Jotkut tehoavat yhdellä tietyllä tavalla kun taas toisilla ainesosilla on monia hyviä vaikutuksia. Männynkaarnauute on todellinen moniottelija.
Tutkimukset ovat osoittaneet, että männynkaarnauute auttaa lisäämään ihon elastisuutta selvästi. Se auttaa vähentämään kollageenin ja elastaanin luontaista hajoamista ihossa. Se myös auttaa pitämään ihon omaan suojamuurin vahvana.
Uutetta on tutkittu myös ihon pigmentaatiota vähentävissä testeissä. Vuonna 2002 tehdyssä tutkimuksessa 30 naista totesi ihon värivirheiden vähentyneen selvästi.
Lisäksi männynkaarnauute auttaa parantamaan ihon omaa hyaluronihappotuotantoa. Vuonna 2012 tehdyssä tutkimuksessa hyaluronihapon määrä kasvoi jopa 44% 12 viikon aikana. Lisäksi uute auttaa säilyttämään kosteuden ihossa pidempään.
Lähteet:
https://www.healthline.com/health/pycnogenol
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/335261
https://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/view/pycnogenol-boosts-hyaluronic-acid-44-skin-study
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/mg-pm012412.php