Abstract
5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a natural amino acid that is used as a raw material for the biosynthesis of red-blood-cell hemoglobin in humans and animals. ALA is the subject of research in a wide range of human health care fields, including skin care and medicine. This study investigated whether and to what extent cosmetics containing ALA (skin lotions and creams) improved facial-skin condition in women. As such, a double-blind controlled experiment was conducted among 45 women aged 47.0 ± 1.72 years. Participants were divided into two intervention groups, including those who used cosmetics containing ALA (C-ALA, n = 22) and those who used cosmetics without ALA (W-ALA, n = 23). Specifically, participants were instructed to use their assigned cosmetics twice per day (morning and evening) after washing their faces before each application. Inner skin condition and skin-water content were evaluated via VISIA-Evolution and Multi Display Devices at baseline and after four and eight weeks of use. The experiment lasted for a total of eight weeks. A baseline comparison at week four showed that skin moisture content increased significantly for the C-ALA group (p = 0.021). Further, wrinkling significantly decreased at week four among participants in the C-ALA group who were evaluated as having many wrinkles at baseline (p = 0.034). These findings suggest that cosmetics containing ALA have moisturizing effects and reduce wrinkling caused by dryness.
Highlights
It has been clarified that oral intake of Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) improved the activity of the complex of the mitochondrial electron transport system in the liver and the production of ATP in mice
Participants were divided into two intervention groups, including those who used cosmetics containing ALA (C-ALA, n = 22) and those who used cosmetics without ALA (W-ALA, n = 23)
These findings suggest that cosmetics containing ALA have moisturizing effects and reduce wrinkling caused by dryness
Summary
It has been clarified that oral intake of ALA improved the activity of the complex of the mitochondrial electron transport system in the liver and the production of ATP in mice. Rodriguez and colleagues found that ALA has the effect of reducing fasting blood glucose in prediabetic patients and improving glucose metabolism during the glucose tolerance test [7]. ALA is expected to be effective in preventing lifestyle-related diseases caused by an abnormal metabolic endocrine system. Several previous studies have suggested that topical photodynamic therapy mediated by ALA is effective for repairing photoaging tissues [10] [11] [12] [13]. There are some promising new cosmetic applications for ALA beyond treatments designed to improve skin dryness and wrinkling. ALA has not been studied as a cosmetic product, these effects are not yet fully understood. This study examined whether and to what extent cosmetics containing ALA improved wrinkling and helped retain moisture in the facial skin
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