Sang Gyu Lee 1 , Ngoc Ha Nguyen 2 , Young In Lee 1,3 , Inhee Jung 4 , In Ah Kim 4 , Hyunsook Jang 5 , Hoyeon Shin 5 and Ju Hee Lee 1,3,*

1 Department of Dermatology & Cutaneous Biology Research Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea; 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 (S.G.L.); 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 (Y.I.L.)

2 Department of Dermatology, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City 17000, Vietnam; 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。

3 Scar Laser and Plastic Surgery Center, Yonsei Cancer Hospital, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea

4 Global Medical Research Center Co., Ltd., Seoul 06526, Republic of Korea; 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 (I.J.); 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 (I.A.K.)

5 Lotte R&D Center, Seoul 07594, Republic of Korea; 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 (H.J.); 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。 (H.S.)

* Correspondence: 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。; Tel.: +82-2-2228-2080; Fax: +82-2-393-6947

Abstract: Skin aging is driven by a combination of internal and external mechanisms, with ultraviolet (UV) radiation being a prominent external factor contributing to photoaging. Photoaging manifests through several signs, including decreased skin hydration, diminished elasticity, coarse wrinkles, and dyspigmentation. Cacao beans, known for their flavonoids and polyphenols, offer potential anti-aging benefits. To explore this, we conducted a study using both in vitro experiments and clinical trials. Our results demonstrated that cacao powder significantly improved skin hydration and moisture retention in both experimental settings. Specifically, in UVB-damaged human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) and H2O2 -treated keratinocytes (KCs), cacao powder displayed notable antioxidant properties. Furthermore, cacao powder enhanced the activity of antioxidant enzymes and promoted the production of hyaluronic acid in KCs, contributing to better skin hydration. It also effectively inhibited the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1, an enzyme associated with wrinkle formation, and stimulated collagen synthesis in HDFs. Clinical trials conducted on participants with aged skin revealed a significant improvement in skin hydration and a reduction in skin wrinkles after 12 weeks of cacao powder consumption, supporting the in vitro findings. These results suggest that cacao powder holds promise as a natural ingredient for improving skin hydration and reducing wrinkles, underscoring its potential in anti-aging skincare.

Keywords: cacao powder; skin moisture; skin senescence; wrinkles

Citation: Lee, S.G.; Nguyen, N.H.; Lee, Y.I.; Jung, I.; Kim, I.A.; Jang, H.; Shin, H.; Lee, J.H. The Role of Cacao Powder in Enhancing Skin Moisture and Reducing Wrinkles: A 12-Week Clinical Trial and In Vitro Study. Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46, 12574–12587.

https://doi.org/10.3390/ cimb46110746

Academic Editor: Madhav Bhatia

Received: 29 September 2024

Revised: 2 November 2024

Accepted: 4 November 2024

Published: 6 November 2024

Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).