Experts, or those who think they are, like to surround themselves with technical terms to distinguish themselves from the clueless. As a result, old familiar terms are presented in new packaging. The almost identical and therefore easily confused terms exosome and exposome are good examples of this. What do they mean in cosmetics?
- In their original meaning, exosomes are transport bodies ("som") on the scale of very small liposomes. They contain cell components and information in the form of proteins and nucleic acids, which are transported out of cells ("exo") to other locations within living organisms. Depending on their composition, they have very different functionalities. Exosomes are found in both animal and plant organisms.
More specifically, the plant extracts used in cosmetics have always contained conglomerates, including exosomes, depending on their preparation. This applies above all to natural solvent- and excipient-free extracts and especially to plant-based high-pressure homogenisates. The innovation of exosomes sometimes emphasised in this context therefore relates more to the accompanying marketing for the sale of extracts and their use in cosmetic products. If other active ingredients are added before high-pressure homogenisation of the plant material, they may be incorporated into the exosome material and their availability may be slightly increased. When extracts are processed in liposomes, the effect is considerably enhanced by their increased availability. This is caused by the phosphatidylcholine (PC) it contains. This is because PC, the most important component of plant and animal cell membranes, increases their permeability for plant-based active ingredients by fusing with the lipid bilayers of the skin barrier. This naturally also applies to all other additional active ingredients.
- Exposome: The term results from the combination of "exposure" and, as with the exosome, the syllable "som" (body).
The exposome is also nothing new; in principle, it refers to everything that affects us humans from the outside. In other words, it is the sum of all environmental influences – consisting of material and physical external influences. In cosmetic terms, preparations that act against the exposome are nothing more than applied skin protection – an old hat that has changed over the last two decades. The original philosophy of an occlusive protective shield has given way to a balance between barrier integrity and maximised regenerative capacity. However, it is clear that the associated findings have not yet been implemented in practice in many cases.
Conclusion: Exosome and exposome are more or less old wine in new bottles as far as cosmetic marketing and skin care are concerned.
Dr Hans Lautenschläger |