POMASKIN™, a clinical trial evaluating the benefits of Pomanox®, shows promising findings for facial pigmentation, hydration and elasticity
A new clinical study highlights the potential of Pomanox®, Euromed’s standardised pomegranate extract, for beauty-from-within applications. The randomised, placebo-controlled trial found promising results for facial pigmentation, hydration and elasticity, with favourable effects on pigmentation observed as early as four weeks. The findings expand the growing body of clinical research on Pomanox® and opportunities for the creation of new skin health formulations.
Previous randomised human trials investigated the benefits of Pomanox® for exercise, cognitive performance, cardiovascular health and inflammatory markers. This research has now been extended to skin health, with the latest trial building on earlier in vitro findings by Roger Mariné-Casadó and colleagues at the Catalonian research organisation Eurecat.
As laboratory studies have already shown that Pomanox® influences collagen and hyaluronic acid metabolism, reduces reactive oxygen species in UV-exposed human fibroblasts and inhibits tyrosinase, an enzyme involved in melanin production.[6] These observations provided the scientific rationale for investigating the extract in humans.
Conducted at Eurecat’s Nutrition and Health Unit in Reus, Spain, the randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 66 women aged 30-65 with hyperpigmented facial spots. Participants received either 367mg or 700mg of Pomanox®, or a daily placebo for 12 weeks. Of these, 64 were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. Exploratory analyses of the 367mg/day group showed favourable results compared with placebo across two pigmentation measures: the selected facial spot and the melanin index of surrounding skin. Differences were already apparent after four weeks, including a reduction in spot pigmentation. The favourable effect on the melanin index outside the spot persisted through week twelve. At the end of the study, the selected-spot melanin index had also decreased more in the 367mg/day group than in the placebo group.
Potential benefits for hydration and elasticity
At twelve weeks, exploratory analysis showed a significantly more favourable change in hydration with 367mg/day than with placebo. As hydration declined in the placebo group, the findings suggest that Pomanox® may help maintain skin hydration under the study conditions. Skin elasticity also showed encouraging developments, with significant improvements from baseline observed with 700mg/day at both four and twelve weeks, and 367mg/day at twelve weeks. In the full study population, the comparison between 700 mg/day and placebo showed a trend towards improved elasticity.
Exploring biological mechanisms
The researchers also investigated antioxidant-related parameters and polyphenol metabolism to better understand the biological context of the skin findings. At twelve weeks, the 367mg/day group showed non-significant trends towards higher glutathione levels compared with placebo, and higher superoxide dismutase levels compared with baseline. These preliminary signals warrant further investigation. Levels of urinary polyphenol metabolites, including urolithin A glucuronide, also increased in both Pomanox® groups, providing evidence of the absorption and metabolism of pomegranate compounds.
Insights into skin and gut microbiota
Exploratory microbiota analyses offered further avenues for research. In the skin microbiota, nominal increases in Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were observed with Pomanox®. Both genera have been linked, in previous research, to protective skin mechanisms. Enterococcaceae increased across all study groups, including placebo, while changes were also observed in gut microbiota. Both Pomanox® groups showed nominal increases in Prevotella, a genus associated with fibre-rich diets and, at 367mg/day, gut-friendly Akkermansia also increased nominally compared with placebo. This genus is being investigated for its potential role in mucosal and epithelial barrier regulation. While these observations suggest an interesting direction for future research into pomegranate polyphenols and the skin-gut relationship, effects on barrier function or inflammation are yet to be established.
“POMASKIN™ adds an exciting clinical dimension to the Pomanox® research programme. The findings highlight the extract’s potential for beauty-from-within applications and provide a valuable basis for formulation development, as well as further clinical investigation,” says Andrea Zangara, Scientific Communication Advisor at Euromed.
Pomanox® P30 is standardised to contain at least 30% punicalagins and is produced using Euromed’s proprietary water-based Pure-Hydro Process®. The extract combines Mediterranean botanical sourcing, controlled composition and a growing body of scientific research.
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