ELMT 101: Let's Talk About the Science Behind "Brightening" Skincare

by Gina Myung on Feb 10, 2022

Class is back in session for ELMT 101! Today, we’re talking about the science behind our Skin Illuminating Solution - a fan favorite for bright, glowy skin. You might be wondering what it means when a product claims to be “brightening” or “illuminating”, and how its effectiveness in doing so is quantified. For this study sesh, we’re going to be diving into the study elmt researchers conducted to clinically test the Skin Illuminating Solution's ability to inhibit melanin production - spoiler alert, it does great!  

What is "Brightening" Skincare?

At its core, human skin color is determined by a number of natural factors, melanin being the most important. Depending on the increased or decreased presence of melanin in our skin, we’re able to see visible changes in our complexion. In short, decreased melanin production leads to a brighter complexion. When it comes to "brightening" and "illuminating" skincare products, we can expect them to help create a more healthy looking, even toned complexion rather than creating a drastic change in skin tone. Think of MLBB but for your skin. If you're struggling with post acne hyperpigmentation or dullness due to stress, lack of sleep or environmental stressors, brightening products may be your missing element.  

Test Protocol

Now getting into testing protocol, the test was conducted at P&K Research Center in Seoul, according to Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) standards. The elmt Skin Illuminating Solution was diluted with a culture medium to a concentration of 15%, and used to study the intracellular and extracellular melanin production in B16-F1 melanoma cells. What are B16-F1 cells you ask? A mouse-derived melanoma cell, a type of cell that gives the skin its tan or brown color. This particular cell culture was selected based on the effective test data from the MFDS “Guidelines for Validation of Functional Cosmetics Helping Whitening of Skin”. The B16-F1 cell culture was incubated at 37℃ in a 24-well plate, and used to measure and quantify intracellular and extracellular melanin production after every 3-4 days of subculture. 

Measurement of Results

Melanin images were taken with a HYPERISON2000 IR-Microscope (Bruker Corp, Germany) in seven randomly selected areas and compared to a positive control group, the same culture of cells that were treated with an α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), and a negative control group, the same culture of cells that were treated with 500uM Niacinamide. It was confirmed that the melanin amount was increased by an α-MSH treatment in the B16-F1 melanoma cell (see “Positive Control Group”), and it was confirmed that melanin production decreased inside and outside of the cell when treated with the elmt Skin Illuminating Solution (see “Test Group”).   As a result of evaluating melanin improvement rates for each group of seven randomly selected areas, the intracellular and extracellular melanin inhibition rates were 48.69% when cells were treated with the elmt Skin Illuminating Solutions. * The displayed experimental results are the results of more than 3 independent experiments.* The lines displayed in green are the melanin inhibition rate (%), while the grey lines running through the green bars are error bars, which represent the standard deviation of the data set.  

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can see that the elmt Skin Illuminating Solution is clinically proven to inhibit skin melanin production. Illuminate your healthiest skin with the Skin Illuminating Solution today!