Cosmeceutical Critique

Piceatannol: The other potent antioxidant in grapes and wine

Publish date: November 15, 2019

With use of cultured normal human epidermal keratinocytes, Shiratake et al. in 2015 screened more than 50 plant extracts for ingredients that hinder UVB-induced damage. They identified the fruit R. tomentosa as the strongest inhibitor, with its primary component, piceatannol, demonstrating protective activities against UVB. Piceatannol decreased UVB-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer synthesis, diminished prostaglandin E2 secretion, and promoted the cellular enzyme activity of DNA polymerases. The investigators concluded that rose myrtle extracts and piceatannol are potential photoprotective agents.¹⁰

Dry skin

In a 2018 randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial Maruki-Uchida et al. assessed the effects of passion fruit seed extract on the skin of 32 healthy Japanese women (aged 35-54 years). Over an 8-week period, the subjects, all with dry skin, received either 5 mg of piceatannol (derived from passion fruit seed extract) or a dextrin placebo. Significant increases in cutaneous moisture content were noted in the subjects who consumed passion fruit after 4 and 8 weeks, compared with baseline and with the placebo group. Questionnaire results also indicated that perspiration and fatigue significantly decreased in the passion fruit group as compared with the placebo group. The researchers concluded that consumption of piceatannol-rich passion fruit seed extract can ameliorate dry skin and diminish fatigue.⁵

Conclusion

Dr. Leslie S. Baumann

Although it gets much less attention than the related antioxidant resveratrol, piceatannol is hardly an insignificant bioactive compound. There is increasing evidence that suggests its potency as an antioxidant, as well as a potentially useful ingredient in skincare, particularly in addressing photoaging and dry skin. Much more research is necessary, of course, to determine how substantial a role this stilbene can play in providing skin protection and treatment.

Dr. Baumann is a private practice dermatologist, researcher, author, and entrepreneur who practices in Miami. She founded the Cosmetic Dermatology Center at the University of Miami in 1997. Dr. Baumann wrote two textbooks, “Cosmetic Dermatology: Principles and Practice” (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002) and “Cosmeceuticals and Cosmetic Ingredients” (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2014), as well as a New York Times Best Sellers book for consumers, “The Skin Type Solution” (New York: Bantam Dell, 2006). Dr. Baumann has received funding for advisory boards and/or clinical research trials from Allergan, Evolus, Galderma, and Revance. She is the founder and CEO of Skin Type Solutions Franchise Systems LLC. Write to her at dermnews@mdedge.com.