Combining Topical and Oral Botanicals for Skin Redness, Pigmentation, Sleep, and Mood: A Randomized Controlled Study
External and internal stressors have been found to adversely affect skin health and overall wellness. There is growing interest in the use of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant plant-derived ingredients, such as ashwagandha, saffron, l-theanine, and tocopherol, to mitigate the impact of these stresso...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/22/6690 |
| _version_ | 1797464976899702784 |
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| author | Jessica Maloh Mincy Chakkalakal Fatima Sulaiman Waqas Burney Cindy J. Chambers Raja K. Sivamani |
| author_facet | Jessica Maloh Mincy Chakkalakal Fatima Sulaiman Waqas Burney Cindy J. Chambers Raja K. Sivamani |
| author_sort | Jessica Maloh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | External and internal stressors have been found to adversely affect skin health and overall wellness. There is growing interest in the use of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant plant-derived ingredients, such as ashwagandha, saffron, l-theanine, and tocopherol, to mitigate the impact of these stressors. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of oral and topical products (InnerCalm and SuperCalm, respectively) that contain naturally derived ingredients on skin redness, skin pigmentation, sleep, and mood in healthy females with Fitzpatrick skin type 1–4 and self-perceived sensitive skin. Subjects were randomized to an oral (oral group), a topical (topical group), or a combination of both the oral and topical interventions (combined group). Standardized photography-based image analysis was used to assess skin redness and pigment. Self-assessments of mood and sleep were measured with the abbreviated profile of mood states (POMS) questionnaire, and the Pittsburgh sleep-quality index (PSQI), respectively. Assessments were made at the baseline, 1-week, 4-weeks, and 8-weeks of the intervention. The average facial redness decreased in the topical group at 8-weeks (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and in the combined group at 4-weeks (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and 8-weeks (<i>p</i> < 0.001), relative to the baseline. The average facial pigmentation decreased in the oral (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and combined (<i>p</i> < 0.05) cohorts at 8-weeks, relative to the baseline. The oral group exhibited an improvement in sleep quality at 1-week relative to the baseline (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and at 8-weeks relative to the baseline (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Finally, the combined group demonstrated improvement in fatigue (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and confusion (<i>p</i> < 0.05) at 8-weeks relative to the baseline, though total mood disturbance increased in all 3 groups over the course of the study. Measured outcomes relating to mood may be confounded with the timing of the study, which ran during the COVID pandemic. Overall, we demonstrate the role of oral and topical herbs and of nutraceuticals for skin health and wellness. Further research will be needed to elucidate synergistic effects in oral and topical combination regimens. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:14:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8f0befaa494849a7b5adb42615ad34ad |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0383 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:14:51Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Clinical Medicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-8f0befaa494849a7b5adb42615ad34ad2023-11-24T08:48:30ZengMDPI AGJournal of Clinical Medicine2077-03832022-11-011122669010.3390/jcm11226690Combining Topical and Oral Botanicals for Skin Redness, Pigmentation, Sleep, and Mood: A Randomized Controlled StudyJessica Maloh0Mincy Chakkalakal1Fatima Sulaiman2Waqas Burney3Cindy J. Chambers4Raja K. Sivamani5Integrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95819, USAIntegrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95819, USAIntegrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95819, USAIntegrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95819, USAIntegrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95819, USAIntegrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95819, USAExternal and internal stressors have been found to adversely affect skin health and overall wellness. There is growing interest in the use of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant plant-derived ingredients, such as ashwagandha, saffron, l-theanine, and tocopherol, to mitigate the impact of these stressors. In this study, we evaluate the effectiveness of oral and topical products (InnerCalm and SuperCalm, respectively) that contain naturally derived ingredients on skin redness, skin pigmentation, sleep, and mood in healthy females with Fitzpatrick skin type 1–4 and self-perceived sensitive skin. Subjects were randomized to an oral (oral group), a topical (topical group), or a combination of both the oral and topical interventions (combined group). Standardized photography-based image analysis was used to assess skin redness and pigment. Self-assessments of mood and sleep were measured with the abbreviated profile of mood states (POMS) questionnaire, and the Pittsburgh sleep-quality index (PSQI), respectively. Assessments were made at the baseline, 1-week, 4-weeks, and 8-weeks of the intervention. The average facial redness decreased in the topical group at 8-weeks (<i>p</i> < 0.001) and in the combined group at 4-weeks (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and 8-weeks (<i>p</i> < 0.001), relative to the baseline. The average facial pigmentation decreased in the oral (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and combined (<i>p</i> < 0.05) cohorts at 8-weeks, relative to the baseline. The oral group exhibited an improvement in sleep quality at 1-week relative to the baseline (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and at 8-weeks relative to the baseline (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Finally, the combined group demonstrated improvement in fatigue (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and confusion (<i>p</i> < 0.05) at 8-weeks relative to the baseline, though total mood disturbance increased in all 3 groups over the course of the study. Measured outcomes relating to mood may be confounded with the timing of the study, which ran during the COVID pandemic. Overall, we demonstrate the role of oral and topical herbs and of nutraceuticals for skin health and wellness. Further research will be needed to elucidate synergistic effects in oral and topical combination regimens.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/22/6690botanicalscombined oral and topical skin careskin rednessskin pigmentationsleepmood |
| spellingShingle | Jessica Maloh Mincy Chakkalakal Fatima Sulaiman Waqas Burney Cindy J. Chambers Raja K. Sivamani Combining Topical and Oral Botanicals for Skin Redness, Pigmentation, Sleep, and Mood: A Randomized Controlled Study Journal of Clinical Medicine botanicals combined oral and topical skin care skin redness skin pigmentation sleep mood |
| title | Combining Topical and Oral Botanicals for Skin Redness, Pigmentation, Sleep, and Mood: A Randomized Controlled Study |
| title_full | Combining Topical and Oral Botanicals for Skin Redness, Pigmentation, Sleep, and Mood: A Randomized Controlled Study |
| title_fullStr | Combining Topical and Oral Botanicals for Skin Redness, Pigmentation, Sleep, and Mood: A Randomized Controlled Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Combining Topical and Oral Botanicals for Skin Redness, Pigmentation, Sleep, and Mood: A Randomized Controlled Study |
| title_short | Combining Topical and Oral Botanicals for Skin Redness, Pigmentation, Sleep, and Mood: A Randomized Controlled Study |
| title_sort | combining topical and oral botanicals for skin redness pigmentation sleep and mood a randomized controlled study |
| topic | botanicals combined oral and topical skin care skin redness skin pigmentation sleep mood |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/11/22/6690 |
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