In a Preliminary Study on Human Subjects, a Cosmetic Cream Containing a Harungana madagascariensis Plant Extract Induces Similar Anti-Aging Effects to a Retinol-Containing Cream

Retinoids are the most effective anti-aging ingredients. Yet, their use can result in adverse reactions. Even bakuchiol, a natural functional analog, can lead to contact dermatitis. We previously showed that a Harungana madagascariensis (Lam. ex Poir.) plant extract (HME) presents retinol-like properties in vitro. Therefore, we performed a preliminary analysis of the anti-aging potential of a cream containing HME on 46 subjects. The participants applied a HME cream on half of their face and one forearm. The effects induced were compared to those produced by a retinol cream applied to the contralateral side. Clinical evaluations indicate that the two creams rapidly (28 days) improve wrinkles underneath the eyes, ptosis, color homogeneity, smoothness, plumpness, firmness, and elasticity of the facial skin. The improvement of crow’s feet is only significant after 56 days. For all clinical signs, the effects of both creams are indistinguishable. Instrumental measurements of silicon replica from the eye contour region indicate that the wrinkle surface reduction is already noticeable after 28 days with the HME and retinol cream, while it takes 56 days to have a significant depth decrease. Only the retinol cream improves wrinkle length after 56 days. Ultrasound assessment of forearm skin revealed that the HME cream improves superficial dermis density as early as 28 days with further improvement at day 56, timepoint at which improvement is at the limit of significance with the retinol cream. These preliminary results indicate that HME has similar in vivo functional properties to retinol for reducing the severity of aging signs. Future works, including a bona fide clinical study, are needed to confirm these findings.