Benefit of a topical slimming cream in conjunction with dietary advice.

The aim of this study was to determine how worthwhile it would be to combine a newly developed topical slimming product with customized dietary habits not based on calorie restriction, so as to improve the cellulite appearance of the skin. At the beginning of the study, a nutritionist recorded the dietary habits of each participant and gave recommendations to each of them according to their food consumption. The chosen methodology was a right/left comparison, one thigh and hip being treated with the new topical slimming product and the other one left untreated to serve as a random control. Objective evaluations were performed by blind assessors. Control of food intake improved the cellulite score after 4 weeks when compared with the base value, but this reduction was significantly greater and earlier on the treated side than on the untreated side, indicating an objective additional benefit derived from the new slimming cream. This result corroborated the slimming effect assessed by measurement in centimetres of the circumference of the upper thighs and the reconstructed volume of the thigh between two fixed horizontal slices. Furthermore, skin tonicity, a major component of cellulite visibility, was also significantly improved on the treated side after only 2 weeks. This new topical cream thus enhances the benefit of a dietetic control for the treatment of the visible aspect of cellulite on the skin.

Psychological and physiological evaluation of emotional effects of a perfume in menopausal women.

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.

Equivalence of face and volar forearm for the testing of moisturizing and firming effect of cosmetics in hydration and biomechanical studies.

The objective of the study was to compare measurements of skin hydration and of biomechanical properties performed on different zones of face and volar forearm. Two short-term (1 h) and two long-term (3 weeks) studies were conducted with a moisturizing and a firming product, respectively, on groups of female volunteers with dry skin. Measurements (Corneometer) and Dermal Torque Meter or DTM were performed on different zones of the face and of the volar forearm, 1 h after product application, and after 1, 2 and 3 weeks of repeated twice daily application. While the sebaceous-gland rich T-zone behaves differently, probably due to sebum/skin, sebum/product and/or sebum/measuring device interactions, there are no statistically significant differences between measurements made on temple, cheek, maxilla and volar forearm. The volar forearm is representative of the face for measuring skin hydration and biomechanical properties, and relevant for the assessment of the efficacy of cosmetic products destined for facial use.