Pomegranate Extract Shown to Offer Skin Health Benefits

An unpublished clinical study found that Pomanox, Euromed’s standardised pomegranate extract, supported measures of skin health. The randomized, placebo-controlled trial found that the ingredient supported improvements in measures of facial pigmentation, hydration, and elasticity, Euromed reported.

Previous randomized human trials investigated the benefits of Pomanox for exercise, cognitive performance, cardiovascular health, and inflammatory markers. The present study builds on earlier in vitro findings suggesting potential in skin cells, which showed that the ingredient supports collagen and hyaluronic acid metabolism, reduces reactive oxygen species in UV-exposed human fibroblasts, and inhibits tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in melanin production.

According to Euromed, the present study enrolled 66 women aged 30-65 with hyperpigmented facial spots. Participants received either 367mg or 700mg of Pomanox or a daily placebo for 12 weeks. Of these, 64 were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. Exploratory analyses of the 367mg/day group showed favorable results compared with placebo across two pigmentation measures: the selected facial spot and the melanin index of surrounding skin. Clinically significant differences were already apparent after four weeks, including a reduction in spot pigmentation. The favorable effect on the melanin index outside the spot persisted through week twelve. At the end of the study, the selected-spot melanin index had also decreased more in the 367mg/day group than in the placebo group.

Euromed reported that at 12 weeks, both doses also resulted in improved hydration over placebo. As hydration declined in the placebo group, the findings suggest that Pomanox may help maintain skin hydration under conditions that would reduce it. Skin elasticity also showed encouraging developments, with significant improvements from baseline observed with 700mg/day at both 4 and 12 weeks, and 367mg/day at 12 weeks. In the full study population, the comparison between 700 mg/day and placebo showed a trend towards improved elasticity.

The researchers also investigated antioxidant-related parameters and polyphenol metabolism to better understand the biological context of the skin findings. At 12 weeks, the 367mg/day group showed non-significant trends towards higher glutathione levels compared with placebo, and higher superoxide dismutase levels compared with baseline. Levels of urinary polyphenol metabolites, including urolithin A glucuronide, also increased in both Pomanox groups, providing evidence of the absorption and metabolism of pomegranate compounds.

The researchers also analyzed skin and gut microbiota. In the skin microbiota, increases in Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were observed with Pomanox. Enterococcaceae increased across all study groups, including placebo, while changes were also observed in gut microbiota. Both Pomanox groups showed nominal increases in Prevotella, a genus associated with fiber-rich diets and, at 367mg/day, gut-friendly Akkermansia also increased nominally compared with placebo. This genus is being investigated for its potential role in mucosal and epithelial barrier regulation.

The study “adds an exciting clinical dimension to the Pomanox research program. The findings highlight the extract’s potential for beauty-from-within applications and provide a valuable basis for formulation development, as well as further clinical investigation,” said Andrea Zangara, scientific communication advisor at Euromed.