A Topical Formulation Containing Macrocystis Pyrifera Ferment for Managing Barrier Damage After Mild-Moderate Skin Disruption from Cosmetic Dermatologic Procedures

Uma Santhanam; Jaime Emmetsberger; Gregory Nole; Arisa Ortiz; Michael Gold; Claude Saliou

A Topical Formulation Containing Macrocystis Pyrifera Ferment for Managing Barrier Damage After Mild-Moderate Skin Disruption from Cosmetic Dermatologic Procedures

J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2025 Jan;18(1):40-45.

Authors

Uma Santhanam¹, Jaime Emmetsberger¹, Gregory Nole², Arisa Ortiz³, Michael Gold⁴, Claude Saliou⁵

Affiliations

¹ Drs. Santhanam and Emmetsberger are with La Mer, Max Huber Research Labs in Melville, New York and The Estée Lauder Companies in Melville, New York.
² Mr. Nole is with Greg Nole Consulting and Technical Service LCC in Cheshire, Connecticut.
³ Dr. Ortiz is with the Department of Dermatology at the University of California in San Diego, California.
⁴ Dr. Gold is with Gold Skin Care Center, Tennessee Clinical Research Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
⁵ Dr. Saliou is with The Estée Lauder Companies in Melville, New York.

PMID: 39830829
PMCID: PMC11741175

Abstract

Objective: The primary objective of these studies was to evaluate the potential of a serum containing Macrocystis pyrifera ferment (MPF-Serum) to both strengthen the barrier of intact skin and enhance barrier recovery after a non-ablative laser procedure or glycolic acid chemical peel.

Methods: Two whole-face clinical trials and three split-face, randomized, controlled clinical trials were conducted in women aged 31 to 65 years. The effect of MPF-Serum on barrier integrity and strength was assessed by transepidermal water loss measurement before and after controlled tape-stripping experiments and in-clinic 70% glycolic acid peel and non-ablative laser procedures.

Results: Application of MPF-Serum twice daily for eight weeks on intact skin significantly increased mean moisturization by 16 percent and improved barrier integrity by 11 percent (p≤0.05 for both). Likewise, barrier strength across 8x tape-stripped skin showed a 30-percent improvement after eight weeks of treatment. In studies involving non-ablative laser procedures, MPF-Serum pre-treatment or post-treatment improved post-procedure barrier recovery to a greater extent than standard moisturizer. Likewise, in a study involving 70% glycolic peel, MPF-Serum pre-treatment improved post-procedure barrier recovery to a greater extent than no pre-treatment.

Limitations: These clinical studies were conducted at a limited number of sites, with limited sample sizes and populations.

Conclusion: This topical MPF-Serum effectively improves barrier integrity and strength and helps to reduce recovery time from dermatologic procedures such as glycolic acid peel and laser treatments.

Keywords: transepidermal water loss; Macrocystis pyrifera; Macrocystis pyrifera ferment; Skin barrier; glycolic acid; non-ablative laser; topical serum.