2 Letter from Incoming Editor-in-Chief TREFOR EVANS, PhD 2022–2024 Journal of Cosmetic Science Editor-in-Chief In 1665, The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society became the first scientific journal—being a monthly publication of the Royal Society’s meetings—where such legendary scientific names as Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke met under a common mission to “acquire knowledge through experimental investigation.” It is a pleasant thought to consider that our own society and journal are part of the resulting lineage. In the scientific community, the reputation of the journal and the society often go hand in hand. The reputation of a journal is largely judged by what is termed an “impact factor.” As incoming Editor-in-Chief, my goal is to carry on the work of my predecessors by trying to grow this metric. Still, achieving this target requires the help of all our members and readers. At the simplest level, the impact factor reflects the interest level of a journal’s published material and is largely quantified by the frequency such articles are cited by others. In principle, achieving the goal involves attracting and publishing papers that are of paramount interest to other researchers in the field. Conversely, those of minor interest provide a diluting effect. Accordingly, this criterion is an overriding consideration when assessing the suitability of submissions. We, therefore, respectfully ask all members and all readers to consider submitting your own novel scientific research to the Journal of Cosmetic Science for consideration to publish. Currently, our society consists of approximately 5,400 members, yet a highly disproportionate number of submissions come from outside our ranks. We are happy to consider all submissions and relish the international reach of our journal but, at the same time, we would like to attract more domestic interest. All submissions will be evaluated by reviewers who are active researchers in that specific scientific area. Additional acceptance gauges include: (1) Is the content relevant to a cosmetic scientist? (2) Does the manuscript describe an original body of work previously unreported in open literature? (3) Are the results reported in such a way that an expert in the field could repeat the work? Please use the following link to submit an abstract - https://jcs.scholasticahq.com/for-authors In advance, I would like to thank our expanding list of highly experienced Assistant Editors and technical reviewers whose efforts will make this goal a realization. I look forward to my next three years as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cosmetic Science and hope we can further advance our impact factor, electronic presence, and the turnaround time for peer review. J. Cosmet. Sci., 73, 2 (January/February 2022) Address all correspondence to Trefor Evans, tevans@triprinceton.org

3 Address all correspondence to Aurachorn Inkanuwat, aurachorn@citu.tu.ac.th Comparative Clinical Evaluation of Centotheca lappacea Extract Cream for Skin Lightening and Tightening Effects in Asian Women: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Study ORAYA KWANGSUKSTID, WALAIORN PRATCHAYAPRUIT, THAVATCHAI KAMOLTHAM, MONTHAKA TEERACHAISAKUL AND AURACHORN INKANUWAT Department of Medical Services, Institute of Dermatology, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand (O.K., W.P.) College of Allied Health Sciences, Suan Sunundha Rajabaht University, Thailand (T.K.) College of Innovation, Thammasat University, Thailand (A.I.) Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, Thai Traditional Medicine Research Institute, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand (M.T.) Accepted for publication November 22, 2021. Synopsis This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of a topical cream containing Centotheca lappacea extract for improving skin color, firmness, and elasticity. Forty-four Asian women aged 30 to 55 with facial melasma were randomly assigned to apply either C lappacea extract cream or a placebo to their face twice daily for 4 weeks. A Mexameter® (Courage + Khazaka Electronic GMBH, Köln, Germany) and Cutometer® (Courage + Khazaka Electronic GMBH, Köln, Germany) were used to measure the melanin index, skin firmness, and skin elasticity at baseline and after 2, 4, and 5 weeks. Clinical side effects and VISIA® (Canfield Scientific, Inc., Parsippany Troy Hills, New Jersey, USA) photographs were evaluated at each clinic visit, and subject satisfaction was evaluated at the end of the study. By week 4, C lappacea extract cream had a significantly stronger melanin reduction effect than the control (12% reduction versus 4.68%, p 0.05). This effect persisted to week 5. Skin firmness and hydration improved significantly in both groups, with no significant differences between groups. The C lappacea extract cream also significantly improved skin resilience (R1) and elasticity (R2 and R5). Both products were well tolerated with no serious adverse effects. INTRODUCTION Skin characteristically loses both structural and functional stability as it ages (1). Structural changes appear in all skin layers and include decreased epidermal thickness, loss of dermal connective tissue, and loss of fat volume. The aging process changes skin’s J. Cosmet. Sci., 73, 3–16 (January/February 2022)