Efficacy and Safety of a Body Skincare Product Containing Levan

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cream - based skincare products have emollient properties; when applied to a person’s skin, they fill the spaces between skin cells to make the skin smoother. Levan has humectant properties, enabling it to moisturize the skin by absorbing moisture from the environment. When we use Levan as one of the ingredients in skincare products, it enhances the products’ efficacy in moisturizing skin and reducing transepidermal water loss (TEWL), which demonstrates occlusive properties.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of body skincare product containing Levan.

METHODS: This study was randomized, double - blind, and self - controlled. The study included 28 healthy Thai volunteers, aged 20 years old and over, both male and female, and living in Chonburi Province. The volunteers were randomly assigned into two groups. They were provided with the same skincare products, both the Levan formula and the cream - based formula to apply to their forearms, but each group had different application methods. The results showed the products’ skin hydration properties, TEWL reduction, adverse reactions, and user satisfaction between the pre - trial and post - trial periods for 7 days. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used for analysis of the study outcomes. A p - value of < 0.05 was considered to be significant.

RESULTS: The body skincare product formulated with Levan improved skin hydration better than the cream - based formula after application for 7 days (p < 0.05). The Levan formula and cream - based formula increased skin hydration to 42.6 A.U. and 31.8 A.U., respectively. The Levan formula reduced TEWL immediately after application, and continued to gradually reduce it over time. After application of these products for 7 days, the Levan formula reduced TEWL to 7.8 g/hm², while the cream - based formula only reduced TEWL to 10.7 g/hm² (p < 0.05). No adverse effects were observed from using either skincare product.

CONCLUSION: A body skincare product containing Levan is effective in moisturizing the skin and reducing TEWL in both short - and long - term use, and is safe to use. The Levan formula works well with both dry and very dry skin conditions, thus using Levan as an ingredient in a body skincare product can enhance the product's effectiveness.