Probe-Based Measurement of Skin Translucency and Relevant Factors Analysis Among Chinese Young Females

The general way about the cosmetic efficacy evaluation of skin translucency is scored by experienced specialists. Although this approach is convenient, it is subjective, non-quantitative, and lacks uniform evaluation criteria across distinct groups.

To investigate the potential use of a probe-derived parameter (alpha value) as an index of skin translucency and to evaluate its association with physiological parameters related to skin tone and appearance in young Chinese females.

A total of 155 healthy female participants aged 18-25 years were included. The participants were classified into different groups based on skin sensitivity, sebum level, and hydration level. Non-invasive instruments were used to measure skin conditions.

The results showed that alpha value has no significant difference between sensitive and non-sensitive skin in this cohort. Based on the device-specific interpretation used in this study, a higher alpha value corresponded to lower translucency. When participants were divided into three skin type groups (dry, oily and normal skin), the oily skin group showed significantly higher alpha value than the dry skin group. The correlation analysis results revealed that the alpha value was significantly positively correlated with sebum level, hydration, MI, EI and a* values, and significantly negatively correlated with L* and ITA° values. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that EI, hydration, MI and sebum level significantly predicted the alpha value.

In young Chinese females, the probe-derived alpha value has a strong association with EI, hydration, MI, and sebum level. Lower alpha, which indicates higher translucency within the device framework, corresponded to lower MI, EI, sebum and hydration. These findings are exploratory and warrant further validation in broader populations and with independent optical methods.