ABSTRACTS 75 emulsion free from lactic acid but with pH adjusted to 3 using hydrochloric acid induced significantly less stinging than the corresponding lactic acid formulation at pH 3. In conclusion, the present study gives new insights into the influence of vehicle on the stinging capacity of lactic acid, which may be related to its possible penetration via appendages. Hence, encapsulation of the stinging substances in the inner water phase of an emulsion may be a possible option to reduce adverse skin reactions and to increase compliance to water-soluble substances. Perfluoropolyether phosphate: skin exfoliation after a topical pre-treatment, TEWL and skin elasticity, by in-vivo non-invasive methods C. Osta 'f to•, A. Sacchi t ' A. Bernardi*, S. Laneri•, A. Brunetta and G. Pantini *Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, {,acuity of Pharmacy, �niversity Federico II, Naples Kalis Sri, Treviso and Solvay Solexis SpA, Personal Care Products, Milan, Italy Carmine Ostacolo, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University Federico II, Naples, Italy. Tel.: +39 081678609 fax: +39 081 678609 e-mail: ostacolo@unina.it Glycolic acid (GA) and other alpha-hydroxyacids (AHAs) are common ingredients of products designed to accelerate exfoliation of the skin. It is known that acidic pHs are essential in order to increase the efficacy of AHA-based products. The formulator is, therefore, obliged to achieve a difficult balance between performance (skin exfoliation) and risks (skin irritation). In order to overcome this problem, many common organic acids, and combinations of them, have been proposed, with marginal improvements. The need for a new chemistry, in order to achieve better results, was evident, particularly from the point of view of safety. We decided, therefore, to investigate the efficacy of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) phosphate, a new acidic material, already proposed for lowering the pH without increasing skin irritation. Two gels containing PFPE phosphate at different pH values (3 and 7), an acidic gel containing GA at pH 3, and a neutral gel, without an active compound, were applied on 20 healthy volunteers and evaluated with regard to effects on the skin: Exfolidation after a topical pre-treatment with these gels Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and elasticity The main conclusion of the investigation was that PFPE phosphate has effects, particularly skin exfoliation rate, quite independent of the pH, and comparable to the gel containing GA at pH 3, apparently without the typical drawbacks of AHAs. Psychological and physiological evaluation of emotional effects of a perfume in menopausal women A. Abriat*, S. Barkatf , M. Bensafi f, C. Rouby t J and C. Fanchon§ *Lanc0me International, Paris, 1Neurosciences et Systemes Sensoriels * CNRS UMR 5020, Universite Claude Bernard Lyon I, Flaveur, Vision, Comportement du consommateur, UMR FLA VIC, INRA, Dijon and §L'Oreal Recherche, Chevilly-Larue, France Anne Abriat, Lanc0me International, 40, rue Kleber, 92691 Levallois-Perret, France. Tel.: +01 49 64 63 98 fax: +01 49 64 77 49 e-mail:aabriat@luxe.loreal.com Presented at 24th IFSCC Congress Osaka Japan 2006. In the present study, we familiarized menopausal women with a pleasant smell in the skin care products, they used for 1 week and assessed whether their mood and emotions improved using behavioural and physiological tools. Eventually, we studied the effects of inhaling the familiar fragrance on physiological response of the subjects. An anhedonia questionnaire was used to distinguish the effects of the test products according to low vs. high score of anhedonia. Familiarization with the fragrance induced a modification of some physiological parameters, reflecting a relaxing effect, and these unconscious effects paralleled the conscious positive effects on mood recorded during the familiarization phase it appeared that the effects were more prominent in subjects with higher scores of anhedonia. These results suggest that the pleasant smell of a skin care product contributes to the quality of life in a population of menopausal women with low easiness to experience pleasure.

J. Cosmet. Sci., 59, 77-78 Qanuary/February 2008) Abstracts IFSCC Magazine Vol. 10, No. 3, 2007* Evidence for the Existence of a Body-Brain Connection for Skin Moisturization Johann W. Wiechers 1 .4, Anthony V. Rawlings 2, and Wei G. Hansen 3 1 Applied Research, Uniqema, P.O. Box 2, 2800 AA Gouda, The Netherlands 2 A VR Consulting, 26 Shavington Way, Kingsmead, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 8FH, United Kingdom 3 Corporate Analytical Development, Uniqema, P.O. Box 2, 2800 AA Gouda, The Netherlands 4 Current address: JW Solutions, Gasthuispolderweg 30, 2807 LL Gouda, The Netherlands :Maintenance of the right water levels in the skin is of crucial importance to maintain healthy, young-looking skin. Moisturizing products have therefore aimed to influence the constitutive levels of natural moisturizer factor (NMF) and/or the formation of the skin lipid banier. In humans, keratinocyte differentiation is influenced by sex hormones, in particular positively by estrogen and negatively by testosterone. It has been noted that postmenopausal women experience a decline in estrogen levels and a concomitant drop in skin moisturiz.ation. In our previous near-infrared reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy work on human skin, we noted that skin moisturization was influenced by gender, age, psychological stress and lifestyle habits such as alcohol consumption and smoking. Many of these also affect the level of sex hormones. We therefore re-evaluated NIR spectra from which we had already assessed the levels of skin moisturization in human volunteers to determine their levels of estrogen and testosterone non-invasively. We subsequently built mathematical models to link skin moisture content to the levels of these sex hormones. In this way, we were able to establish the importance of sex hormones in skin moisturization. In men, skin moisturization levels are linked to their estrogen levels, whereas in females, skin moisturimtion levels are linked to both estrogen and testosterone concentrations. From the medical literature, it is known that smoking is associated with increased testosterone and reduced estrogen levels, which suggests that people that smoke are characterized by less hydrated skin as well as by increased testosterone levels. On the other hand, pregnant females that have significantly elevated estrogen to progesterone ratios, i.e. their increase in estrogen level exceeds their increase in testosterone levels, also often remark that their skin is well hydrated, confirming the link between sex hormone levels and skin moisturization. For them, we found a good correlation coefficient for skin moisturii.ation levels and their estrogen to testosterone ratio. This work does not, however, answer question of a cause-and-effect relationship between the two. Increased levels of estrogen can either directly increase skin moisture levels or do so via a positive effect on skin barrier formation. It does, however, reveal once again the existence of a connection between our body (the skin) and our brain. Synthesis of sex hormones is regulated via the pituitary gland in our brain and it can therefore be argued that skin moisturiz.ation is directly or indirectly regulated via our brain. As many other factors like smoking and alcohol consumption actually influence estrogen levels in our blood, the influence of our brain on maintaining a skin moisture homeostasis may actually be much more pronounced than hitherto assumed. A poster of this work was presented at the 24th IFSCC Congress 2006, Osaka, Japan Revolutionary Trends in the Advancement and Integration of Cosmetic Science: Combinatorial Formulation Robert Y. Lochhead and Lisa R Huisinga The Institute for Formulation Science, The University of Southern Mississippi, 118 College Drive # 10076, Hattiesburg, MS 39401, USA The creation of modern cosmetic products is underpinned by an enormous and diversified array of sophisticated science, regulatory requirements and commercial knowledge. The marketplace is demanding an increasing rate of innovation * These abstracts appear as they were originally published. They have not been edited by the Journal of Cosmetic Science. 77