Beiersdorf has been researching epigenetics since 2008, exploring how external factors influence our gene expression, specifically the function of skin cells and the mechanisms of skin ageing.
A major milestone came when the German beauty giant patented its Skin Age Clock technology in 2021, which identifies the biological age of skin by analysing epigenetic patterns.
This led to the development of Epicelline, an epigenetically active ingredient that turns back skin cells’ age clock and which can now be found in Nivea and Eucerin products on shop shelves.
But the clock does not stop there.
Cosmetics Business spoke to Beiersdorf's R&D epigenetics expert and principal researcher behind Epicelline Dr Elke Grönniger about what comes next.
Are you still learning new things through the Skin Age Clock?
Grönniger: “Absolutely. When we are talking about the Skin Age Clock, it seems so easy.
People who do not have much knowledge about the biological processes behind it, and what epigenetic patterns are, often think it is a clock that you can use as a kind of a device on your skin, and then it reads your biological age.
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But this is not the case.
It is really a complex tool, which we are still improving. It is an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven algorithm. It is not a device, it is a computer programme.
When it is driven by AI, you need a lot of data, and this is where we invested a lot of resources.
Because we wanted to build a skin-specific one, we needed first to obtain a lot of skin samples. We did several clinical studies to get them.
In one, for example, [participants] were asked not only about their skin status, but also about their general health status, questionnaires, measurements, so that we really have a full picture about how the person is biologically and health-wise.
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