YE HYANG KIM, HYE RIM PARK, SO YOON CHA, SO HUN LEE, JUNG WUNG JO, JUNG NAM GO, KANG HYUK LEE, SU YEON LEE, *SONG SEOK SHIN*
*Corresponding author
Life Science R&D Center, SK bioland, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea

Abstract

In aged skin, degradation of collagen fibers, which occupy the majority of the extracellular matrix in the dermis, and changes of skin constituents, such as hyaluronic acid and ceramide, cause wrinkles and decrease skin moisturization to contribute to dryness and lower elasticity skin. Red ginseng (RG) is used as a cosmetic and food material and is known to protect from UVB-induced cell death, increase skin hydration, prevent wrinkles, and have an anti-oxidative effect. But, in general, RG used as a material is the soluble liquid portion in the solvent, and the part that is not soluble in the solvent is discarded. Thus, we made the whole RG into microgranulation and dispersed in water to produce gel form for using entire RG, and it was named Red Ginseng NaturalGEL (RG NGEL). This paper will discuss RG NGEL as an effective ingredient for anti-aging cosmetics.

INTRODUCTION

Skin aging is a complex process that is caused by several factors. There are two main processes of cutaneous aging: intrinsic (or innate) and extrinsic aging. Intrinsic aging occurs by random cell damage during metabolic processes and depends on time. Extrinsic aging is caused by environmental stimuli, UV, air pollution, temperature, smoking, etc. (1). 

In the aged skin, the number of dermis and epidermis cells may reduce, and the cells become less functional, resulting in wrinkle formation, pigmentation, dryness, thick skin, and decreased elasticity (2). The exposure to UV light induces the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in human skin. MMPs are responsible for the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins such as collagen, elastin, and proteoglycans (2, 3). Among them, MMP-1, as a collagenase, degrades Type I collagen (Col-I), the main form in human skin, and Type III collagen (3-5). It was reported that collagen synthesis is reduced in naturally aged skin and photoaged skin. Also, this reduction in collagen synthesis with increasing age was caused by the increased MMPs ...