What Are Topical Adaptogens? A Systematic Review and Proposed System to Identify and Categorize Skin Adaptogens in...

Skin adaptogens are a class of active ingredients that can enhance human adaptation by reducing the deleterious effects of intrinsic and extrinsic stressors. Adaptogens' homeostatic actions enhance the skin's resilience, improving skin health and quality. Most of the investigated and identified adaptogens are botanicals and have relevant applications in dermatology, but their precise mechanism of action (MOA) and classification are yet to be determined.

Articles related to botanical adaptogens published within the last 20 years were obtained from the Ovid, Cochrane, and PubMed databases. Studies had to include botanicals studied topically on the skin and classified as adaptogens in the paper. The systematic search resulted in 643 articles, and after the selection process, 12 studies were chosen for the systematic review.

Twelve scientific papers identified 29 topical adaptogens with capabilities of promoting skin health and cosmesis via homeostatic mechanisms. These papers reviewed the effects of topical adaptogens on photodamage, photoaging, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, inflammation, metabolic activity, hormones, and regenerative effects. We propose an identification and classification system of topical adaptogens. We also list currently identified topical adaptogens in the literature and propose other potential cutaneous adaptogens.

We have identified 29 skin adaptogens and categorized them based on their MOA: safe, homeostatic, and multitargeted. We propose this classification system as a guide to identify and catalog topical adaptogens in dermatology.