Now scientists from St Andrews have found that the molecules made by bacteria living in the guts of fish such as sticklebacks could be used to develop thousands of skincare products, including skin-brightening or anti-aging treatments.
Uncovering the Unexpected
There are a lot of new products, and every cosmetics industry has something to help you become beautiful. And while some of the trends happening now, like snail slime, can leave a person raising their eyebrows in disbelief, a new surprising type of skin care product could be coming to light thanks to researchers turning to fish guts for products.
Published in ACS Omega, the research examined the gut microbiomes of two kinds of fish found in the western Pacific Ocean: blackhead seabream and red seabream. Discovered mostly in the 1990s and 2010s, these microbes have been sitting quietly to be studied. We are interested to observe whether these bacteria synthesizes any kind of cosmetic bioactives.
Discovering Compounds that Revitalize the Skin
Researchers who published a study in ACS Omega wanted to explore the kinds of metabolites, or products that result from metabolic processes in the gut bacteria of these two fish species. By the time the researchers got around to analyzing their database of compounds, they had zeroed in on 22 promising cosmetic molecules.
The scientists tested these molecules for their ability to block two enzymes that play an important role in skin health — tyrosinase and collagenase. Tyrosinase increases the production of melanin, which may result in age-related pigmentation and spotty skin. It only sucks because instead of breaking down lipids, the enzyme breaks down collagen (the protein responsible for keeping our skin tight and young), other wise known as a shit ton of collagenase.
The best three of the 22 compounds all turned out to be from the bacteria that had come from red seabream and these were those most effective inhibitors on both enzymes, with no toxic effects against cells. These could be good candidates for use in cosmeceutical skin-lightening and anti-wrinkle formulations in the future.
Conclusion
The identification of these skin-enhancing compounds from fish gut bacteria opens a fascinating new chapter in the cosmetics industry. Using fish guts as the basis for skincare ingredients sounds like an unlikely ace, but it speaks to the endless possibilities of nature. The more that scientists explore these microecosystems, the greater number of surprise and potentially groundbreaking skin-care solutions could be in store. Fishy Skincare is not the future of skincare.
