A molecule, discovered in 2006, would activate the production of melanin without exposure to UV rays.
Research is looking at everything, even our tanning problems. After 10 years of hard work, a team of scientists from Boston (United States) is indeed on track in the development of a new kind of self-tanner. A research work that emerged following a publication in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, in 2006.
Penetrate human skin
At the time, a study had shown the capacities of a molecule, forskolin, to brown the skin of red mice, by acting directly on the cells producing pigments, the melanocytes. This chemically induced pigmentation seemed as protective as a natural tan, induced by exposure to UV rays. Problem, researchers explain, forskolin effective in mice did not penetrate human skin.
“Ten later, we found a solution with a different class of molecules … smaller and able to pass through lipids to target another enzyme acting on the same genetic mechanism of skin pigmentation,” says David Fisher. , author of these works, published in Cell.
Safety to be confirmed
Currently, most products on the market contain dihydroxyacetone (DHA), which interacts with amino acids in the skin to make it tan. But, despite notable progress, some products still have a scent that is not always pleasant, and unless you have the expert gesture, traces may appear.
These concerns could be partly resolved if forskolin products were marketed. But the road will be long. The researchers, if they seem very enthusiastic, have not yet verified the safety of the molecule in humans.
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