Lipids are important constituents of the human epidermis. Either free and organized into broad
lipid bilayers in the intercorneocytes spaces, or covalently bound to the corneocyte envelope, they play a crucial role in permeability barrier function and are major contributors to cutaneous anti-microbial defense. Free sphingoid bases are a recent addition to this family of active
lipids, which emerged from studies of breakdown products from
ceramides.
Phytosphingosine (PS) is a
lipid occurring naturally in the stratum corneum, both in its free form and as a part of the major fraction of
ceramides. The biotechnological production of PS patented by Degussa yields to PS with the correct configuration present in the skin. So, application of a PS containing formulation leads to its integration into the natural
lipid structures of the skin. In
acne, different pathogenetic factors contribute to the
inflammation process, defect in keratinization, increased sebaceous gland activity and increased colonization of Propionibacterium acnes. The results of in vitro and in vivo studies confirm the previous reports on strong anti-microbial effectiveness of skin-identical PS produced by Degussa in vitro and in vivo. In addition, PS shows excellent clinical results in the context of
skin care in
acne, based on both anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activity. These results demonstrate the potential of PS to enhance or
complement existing
acne therapies acting as an active cosmetic ingredient.