Science Hub
August 2025 Science Wrap Up
25 August 2025
Dr Ginni Mansberg
August has been a bit of a blur. Since the story about our collaboration with Selma Blair on Sunrise aired, we have been peddling like crazy to keep up with demand. The feedback has been extraordinary. Thanks for all of your calls, emails, DMs and texts. They mean so much to all of us. We aren’t sitting still. Selma and I have been working with Daniel on a new product. It’s IN-CRED-IBLE!! I’m so excited to share it with you….. next month.
But meanwhile, the science nerd in me hasn’t gone to sleep. Here is a selection of the latest scientific studies in the skin world!
Sensitive Skin: What We Know Now
Sensitive skin affects nearly half the population, and a new review published in the Annals of Dermatology, helps explain why. Long dismissed as “just in your head,” sensitive skin is now recognised as a real, complex condition with roots in the nervous system, skin barrier, inflammation, and even genetics.
The authors dive into what actually causes the burning, stinging, and itching that defines sensitive skin. Sensitive skin generally always has low levels of inflammation going on along with an impaired skin barrier. Overactive nerve endings in your skin, especially via TRPV1 (a type of receptor in the nerve endings) respond over-enthusiastically to heat, acid, and irritants.
Environmental stressors (like pollution and UV) and psychological factors (like stress) only add fuel to the fire. Diagnosis is tricky because there are often no visible signs, but tools like the Sensitive Scale-10 questionnaire and tests that measure water loss or stinging can help.
Treatment starts with avoiding triggers (especially nasty skincare and makeup) and repairing the skin barrier. But for more severe cases, anti-inflammatory creams, nerve-calming medications (like pregabalin or even botulinum toxin) are showing promise. Interested in learning more? Check out our Sensitive Skin eBook.
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Anti-Aging Sensitive Skincare Kit
Why Our Lips Age—And What We Can Do About It
Anyone who knows me, teases me about my obsessive use of lip balms. So my eyes are open wide for a good lip study. Well, a new review published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology focuses on aging lips. You know the signs- lips that used to be full and defined now start to fade, wrinkle, and thin. This review digs into why lip aging happens and how it’s very different from aging elsewhere on the face.
Unlike the rest of our skin, the lip vermilion (the red part) is thin, hairless, has no sweat or oil glands, and contains far less melanin and less collagen than the rest of our skin. That makes our lips more vulnerable to UV damage, dryness, and wrinkling. The authors explain how aging leads to loss of volume, deeper vertical lines, fading lip colour, and flatter Cupid’s bows. Bone loss, fat redistribution, and muscle atrophy all play a role, too. Especially in women, who tend to show more pronounced wrinkles around the lips, particularly after menopause.
At a molecular level, breakdown of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid, along with reduced blood flow and increased oxidative stress, all contribute to visible changes. And because lips move constantly (from talking, eating, and smiling), those repetitive movements create creases that deepen with time.
The authors call for gentler, lip-specific anti-aging strategies including lip specific barrier repair, antioxidants like vitamins C and E and sun protection. Lip products should steer clear of harsh skincare ingredients (they single out retinol) and instead focus on hydrating, soothing, and strengthening ingredients. Before you ask, yes, we’re looking into lip products!
Crow’s Feet – Their Impact On How Old We Look
I’ve always found crow’s feet and under-eye wrinkles quite charming. I think of them as laughter lines. It turns out, I’m completely alone in that view! So says a new Austrian multi-country study of 180 women published in The International Journal of Cosmetic Science. The study confirms what many women already know: the skin around our eyes can make or break how old, healthy, or attractive we appear. And that’s true across all ethnicities.
Researchers analysed facial images of women from five ethnic groups (Chinese, Japanese, Indian, French, and South African) and measured skin features like tone, gloss, and wrinkles under the eyes and in the crow’s feet region. They then asked people from the same ethnic groups to rate these images for perceived age, health, and attractiveness.
The findings? Wrinkles- and especially crow’s feet, were the strongest predictors of how old and healthy someone appeared. More wrinkles meant higher perceived age, and lower perceived health and attractiveness. Interestingly, while skin tone and brightness mattered, especially for health ratings, it was the wrinkles that did most of the talking. This held true across all ethnicities, even though the actual appearance and severity of wrinkles varied by group.
Check out our Crow’s Feet eBook for ways to combat the issue!
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Crow's Feet Bundle