Exploratory study to evaluate two clinical methods for assessing moisturizing effect on skin barrier repair

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Cosmetic Science
• Skin Physiology

Background:

• Assessing moisturizer efficacy on stratum corneum (SC) barrier repair is crucial for dry skin treatments.
• Two clinical methods were evaluated in female subjects with dry skin.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify an effective assessment method for future studies on SC barrier repair.
• To compare two distinct clinical approaches for evaluating moisturizer impact on skin barrier function.

Main Methods:

• A single-centre, split-body study involved women with dry skin.
• Moisturizer was applied before (Method A) or after (Method B) SC barrier perturbation using D-Squame® discs.
• Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and residual protein on D-Squame discs were measured over 14 days.

Main Results:

• Method A indicated a trend toward improved SC barrier quality in moisturizer-treated areas by Day 14 (P=0.082).
• Method B showed no significant differences or trends between treated and untreated areas for TEWL changes.
• TEWL values in Method B returned to pre-stripping levels by Day 3 for both treated and untreated areas.

Conclusions:

• Method A showed potential for assessing moisturizer-induced SC barrier improvements, though further investigation is needed.
• Method B did not demonstrate significant efficacy in detecting moisturizer effects on skin barrier repair.
• Additional research with varied methodologies is required to establish optimal clinical protocols for evaluating accelerated skin barrier repair.