Nutrition Edit

Ingredient Spotlight: Pine Bark Extract

With the winter season behind us, are you ready to reveal more radiant, youthful skin for the summer months ahead? Well, let us introduce you to pine bark extract, an underrated efficacious ingredient to add to your skin supplement regime today. Our skin experts highlight the facts, the research, and the multitude of benefits pine bark extract has to the skin.

Five Facts You Need To Know:

  • Helps reduce discolouration and pigmentation.
  • It improves skin elasticity and hydration in menopausal women.
  • Also referred to as Pinus pinaster and is from pine trees along the Mediterranean coast.
  • It can’t be found in any food sources.
  • Its absorbed quickly in the body. Many of the beneficial substances are absorbed within 24-48 hours. 

What is pine bark extract? 

French maritime pine bark is a fascinating anti-ageing ingredient with many antioxidant, properties. It is made from the bark of maritime pine trees – many of which are harvested along the Mediterranean coast. The scientific name is Pinus pinaster. The bark of maritime pines is thick and grows in different shades of brown, orange, and red. Our Pine bark ingredient is extracted without using any harsh chemicals and only by washing and soaking in water.

Anti-ageing benefits 

An important skin benefit of pine bark extract is its anti-ageing affects. A 12-week study was conducted with 112 women under 60 years old with mild to moderate skin discolouration. The participants took 100 mg pine bark extract supplementation or 40g of pine bark extract a day. The results showed both groups experienced a significant decrease in photoaging and pigmentation spots.

In another study, 20 women aged between 55-68 years took pine bark extract for 12 weeks. The results showed improvement of 25% in skin elasticity, 8% in skin hydration and 6% skin smoothness [3]. 

The researchers in an additional study conducted on postmenopausal woman found that pine bark extract improved hydration and elasticity of the skin. They suggested the mechanism behind these results was an increase in the production of hyaluronic acid [2].

Skin Ultimate smart supplement system features pine bark extract, as well as Skin Omegas+Skin Vit A+, Skin Asta-Boost, Skin Co-Q10+ and Skin Antioxidant for beautiful glowing skin^, hair* and nails* and head to toe radiance.

^Vitamin A contributes to the maintenance of normal skin

**Selenium contributes to maintenance of normal hair and normal nails.


Sources

  1. Oral administration of French maritime pine bark extract (Flavangenol®) improves clinical symptoms in photoaged facial skin. Minao Furumura, Noriko Sato, Nobutaka Kusaba, Kinya Takagaki, and Juichiro Nakayama.
  2. Pycnogenol effects on skin elasticity and hydration coincide with increased gene expressions of collagen type 1 and hyaluronic acid synthase in women. Karger. Marini A. Grether-Beck S, Jaenicke T. Weber M. Burki C, FormannP, Brenden H, Schonlau F, Krutmann I. 2012. 
  3. Pycnogenol: A Miracle Component in Reducing Ageing and Skin Disorders. Journal of clinical & Experimental Dermatology Research. May 2017. Wahida Khan Chowdhury, Shahida Arbee, Sujan Debnath,Taposi Alija Amrin Khan, Kazi Afnan, Ahmed Shohrawar Mahadi, Md Mohabbulla Mohib, Abida Tisha, Md Abu Taher Sagor4, and Sarif Mohiuddin.