Fibroblasts, modulators of pigmentation

For a number of decades, L'Oréal's researchers have been interested in the complex biological processes that control skin pigmentation. Today, they have succeeded in mastering the aging of the pigmentation function. Their intuition: melanogenesis (the production of melanin, a pigment that is responsible for skin and hair color) should not be the only target for treating pigmentation disorders. Certain components of the dermis, the fibroblasts in particular, could also play a role in regulating pigmentation. A daring hypothesis, confirmed by tests performed on models of reconstructed pigmented skin.

Concrete, effective results

The demonstration of the major role played by the fibroblast in the way pigmentation works revolutionized the strategies for skin lightening, by adding the dermal component to that of the epidermis, which was previously the only thing being looked at. This led to the development, for all the group brands, of a quartet of active ingredients that act on the epidermis, the melanocyte, oxidative stress and the dermis. These active ingredients are now in most of the daily care products, in particular involving the correction of dark spots.