Chitosan properties for skin health
Chitosan is our star ingredient, used in every one of our products, thanks to its many biological properties. These include biodegradability, film-forming ability, antioxidant activity and lack of toxicity, among others.
A brief introduction to chitosan
Chitosan is a multifunctional, natural polymer that is derived from chitin, the second-most abundant polymer found in nature after cellulose. Chitosan is biocompatible, making it excellently suited for skin use, as it contributes to the skin's natural maintenance and its related processes. It is commonly used in skin care applications, both in the medical and beauty industries, thanks to its many biological properties. These include biodegradability, antimicrobial effects, film-forming ability, antioxidant activity and lack of toxicity, among others.
By replacing undesirable chemicals, chitosan has also contributed to the creation of more eco-friendly personal care products, making it an ideal component for skin care solutions aiming to focus on natural ingredients.
Summary of chitosan properties that benefit the skin
Chitosan has many properties that are beneficial for the skin. However, the concentration of chitosan varies between products, meaning its properties and benefits differ from product to product. These are general qualities, and not all apply universally.
It has film-forming properties, adding highly effective protection with moisture control, simultaneously preventing dehydration while keeping undesirable skin aggressors out. This makes the skin feel smoother and less dry. In addition, it acts as a hydrating agent, absorbing water from the atmosphere or the skin and holding it in place on the skin.
In medical products, chitosan may also infer beneficial skin microbiota modulating effects, making it effective for the treatment of acne, eczema and other skin conditions that require a healthy microbial equilibrium on the skin.
Chitosan is a natural stimulating agent in the process of skin regeneration and wound healing, promoting proper histoarchitectural tissue organization with optimal collagen structure, making it an ideal ingredient for anti-aging skin care products, scar healing products and wound healing products.
Furthermore, chitosan's antioxidant properties support a healthy skin barrier function by scavenging free radicals that cause oxidative stress and skin aging.
Chitosan's binding nature makes it an ideal delivery system for skincare products that wish to provide a steady delivery of active ingredients to tackle a specific issue, such as anti-aging skin serums or eczema treatments.
Let's take a closer look at each of the beneficial properties of chitosan for the skin.
Moisture retention
Our skin is constantly working on retaining moisture. Thanks to its film-forming properties, when applied to the skin, chitosan forms a breathable film, covering the epidermis. This film operates as a protective barrier, strengthening our natural skin barrier and keeping moisture in while keeping irritants out. This extra layer of protection allows the skin to retain moisture and take on a plumper, healthier appearance.
A sufficient moisture level is necessary for our skin to function properly, keep our normal skin microbiota intact, and promote skin cell regeneration. The outer layer of our skin, called the epidermis, is responsible for preventing moisture from evaporating into the air, among its many other functions. Many things can contribute to moisture loss: natural aging, skin conditions such as eczema, harsh soaps or chemicals, extreme weather conditions, even certain types of medication can cause the skin to lose moisture and disturb its natural equilibrium.
Skin microbiota modulation
A major component of healthy skin is its ability to keep out harmful microorganisms. Part of this is achieved thanks to our skin's immune system and natural microbiome: the community of microbes that live within our skin.
Chitosan has antimicrobial properties. This means it has the ability to interfere with harmful microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi or mold, that can cause inflammation or infection of the skin. Such microbes can also exacerbate skin conditions such as acne or eczema.
Chitosan can modulate our skin microbiota, resulting in a more favourable symbiosis and healthier skin.
Cell regeneration
One of our body's natural processes is cell regeneration and chitosan can assist. Our skin is constantly regenerating. Its outermost layer, the epidermis, produces new skin cells, pushing mature cells up towards the top of the skin, where they fall away. This cell regeneration cycle takes roughly 28 days to complete itself. As we age, this process slows down significantly, requiring between 45 to 60 days to complete its cycle.
Chitosan can help in restoring problematic skin thanks to its protective, soothing, moisturising and skin renewal stimulating properties. Chitosan is known to stimulate cell regeneration when applied to wounded skin, facilitating wound healing. and integrity and, when combined with other ingredients like hyaluronic acid, it helps skin become firmer and plumper, as it is better moisturised.
Simply put, skin density is the combination of elements that create the matrix of the dermis (the middle layer of the skin). Such elements include collagen, elastin, amino acids, lipids and more. Ultrasound technology can be used to assess the density of the skin, visualised by the presence of more white spots in denser skin. The pictures show the obvious tightening of the skin after a 12-week clinical trial using ChitoCare beauty Hair, Skin & Nails, containing chitosan, collagen Type II complex, Vitamin C, algal minerals, selenium, Icelandic silica and zinc.
Supports normal collagen production
One of our skin's most important processes is collagen production and chitosan can contribute to its normal maintenance. Collagen is one of the main structural fibres of the dermis, the middle layer of the skin. Collagen acts as a matrix of supportive protein for new cell growth and provides support throughout the body. Together with elastin, collagen gives the skin its structure, strength and elasticity.
As we grow older, our skin’s biological mechanisms start to slow down, and so does our natural production of elastin and collagen. This is one of the reasons why mature skin develops wrinkles, fine lines, crow's feet, jowls and other creases and folds. Boosting normal collagen production, or preventing its decline, can help keep skin strong, elastic and firm.
Chitosan can support this process when applied topically to protect the skin, maintain adequate moisture and antioxidant defence, resulting in natural and aesthetic skin renewal.
Chitosan's ability to positively affect skin renewal with an aesthetic rearrangement of collagen fibers when applied topically, also contributes to scar treatment and the wound healing process.
Antioxidant activity
Chitosan is a natural antioxidant, exhibiting antioxidant activity that can be greatly beneficial to human health. Antioxidants play a key role in maintaining a healthy body and chitosan's antioxidant and film-forming properties make it excellently suited for skin care products. Antioxidants protect skin cells against the damaging effects of free radicals that cause oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress affects the skin in several ways, including compromising the skin's barrier function; this increases sensitivity, causes moisture loss and affects collagen and elastin production, leading to skin aging, inflammation and photodamage.
In skin care products, chitosan's antioxidant properties can help protect the skin, preventing irritation, soreness, redness and itching thanks to its soothing effect. Its antioxidant activity helps skin remain protected against environmental aggressors, such as UV radiation, cigarette smoke, air pollution, extreme temperatures, and harsh chemicals or allergens.
Wound healing
Another of chitosan's functions is its ability to support wound healing by its film-forming ability, reinforcing against aggressors. Wound healing is typically divided into four stages. Chitosan can assist this process at multiple stages.
In the haemostatic stage, chitosan's haemostatic properties help to prevent further blood loss by triggering clot formation, which provides a matrix for invading cells needed in the later phases of healing.
In the inflammation stage, chitosan stimulates the cell and factor-releasing activity, thus leading to an appropriate inflammatory microenvironment conducive for healing. Chitosan's antimicrobial properties may help minimise infections known to retard healing, while its analgesic properties help reduce pain caused by inflammation.
In the proliferation stage, chitosan's ability to stimulate cell regeneration helps to repair or replace damaged skin tissue, reducing healing time.
In the remodelling stage, chitosan's ability to promote regular deposition of thin collagen fibres and correct repair of dermo-epidermal lesions results in the development of normal epithelium (body tissue covering external surfaces of the body) and maturation of the scar tissue.
Chitosan's film-forming nature allows it to cover the surface of the skin and wound in a thin, flexible, breathable film. This provides an extra protective layer that locks in moisture and keeps out microbes and undesirable aggressors, while its antipruritic properties help to reduce itching.
By contributing a network structure to the skin's extracellular matrix, chitosan film contributes to wound tissue healing, while allowing good air permeation. When dealing with skin conditions such as acne, correct wound healing helps reduce the appearance of acne scars, resulting in smoother, more even skin.
Allows the delivery of other ingredients, increasing efficacy
Chitosan can facilitate the steady transport of nutrients, oxygen, antioxidants and other therapeutic compounds and substances to the skin. This makes chitosan a dynamic delivery agent for products that wish to tackle a specific skin issue, such as acne or eczema.
When antioxidants are combined with chitosan into a skin care formula, these ingredients are slowly and steadily delivered to the skin and their therapeutic efficacy is enhanced, thanks to chitosan's binding and film-forming properties.
Summary
Chitosan is a versatile natural polymer derived from chitin, widely used in skincare for its many beneficial properties, including biodegradability, antimicrobial effects, moisture retention, and antioxidant activity. It forms a protective film on the skin, helping to lock in moisture while keeping out irritants, promoting hydration, cell regeneration, and collagen production. Chitosan's antimicrobial and wound-healing abilities make it useful in treating conditions like acne and eczema.
