TAGS: Skin Care
Shiseido Company, Limited (Shiseido), in collaboration with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, has developed an innovative measurement system that realizes a comprehensive non-invasive approach to visually and numerically measuring and analyzing the three-dimensional facial shape as well as optical properties of facial skin, such as subsurface scattering light, which has been difficult to analyze until now.
Focus on Skin Appearances – Radiance & Translucency
With this system, they measured the facial skin of more than 1,000 people, analyzing subsurface scattering light, which is an important factor for skin translucency, and as a result, it was revealed that the subsurface scattering light decreases with age and is associated with five factors, including melanin level and the condition of the stratum corneum.
Among these research results, the research paper titled “Development of a System to Measure the Optical Properties of Facial Skin” was published in the Journal of Imaging Science and Technology and received the Charles E. Ives Journal Award. In addition, some of these results were presented at the Optics ＆ Photonics Japan 2022 held from November 13 to 16, 2022.
This research is being conducted under the Science/Creativity approach of Shiseido’s R＆D philosophy “DYNAMIC HARMONY”. While the skin appearance, which strongly influences our impression of the skin, tends to be judged subjectively, they will further pursue research to elucidate the visual quality of the skin objectively and quantitatively through cutting-edge science to help realize the ideal skin for each individual.
Shiseido was one of the first to focus on skin appearances, such as the perception of the skin’s radiance and translucency, which strongly influence the facial impression given, and has been conducting research using optical and psychophysical methods.
However, since it was technically difficult to divide the light that follows various paths inside and outside of human skin and non-invasively measure optical properties and three-dimensional facial shape simultaneously, research was unsuccessful. In order to understand the changes in skin appearance and the factors involved, the development of a system that can measure optical information inside and outside of the skin in detail has long been desired.
Discovery of Age-induced Reduction of Subsurface Scattering Light
When light from an external source hit the skin, part of the light is reflected by the skin’s surface (surface reflection light), and the remainder penetrates the skin (diffuse reflection light). Because the skin is translucent, light spreads inside the skin, and then the light exits the skin from other points than the initial point of contact (subsurface scattering light).
The surface reflection light, diffuse reflection light, and subsurface scattering light play an important role in skin appearance, and their previous research has shown that subsurface scattering light is particularly important for “translucent skin”.
In joint research with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, a world leader in the field of imaging science, they successfully developed the world’s first optical analysis system that both measures surface reflection light and diffuse reflection light along with the three-dimensional facial shape and separate the light penetrating into the skin: subsurface scattering light in greater detail.
In this study, they expanded the measurement area from a limited area to the entire face, which they tested in their previous study, and measured the facial skin of more than 1,000 women ranging from their 20s to 70s. As a result, they found that the subsurface scattering light decreases with age, suggesting that subsurface scattering light is involved in age-induced changes in skin appearance, especially in skin translucency.
Along with subsurface scattering light, they measured various components of the skin. After analyzing their relationships, they found that there are five factors that affect subsurface scattering light:
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Melanin level
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Stratum corneum status
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Skin moisture level
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Collagen status
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Skin texture
In this study, they have developed an optical measurement system that non-invasively separates light that follows various paths inside and outside of human skin. It will continue to vigorously pursue the development of cutting-edge technologies so that each and every person can achieve their ideal skin, and feel confident and happy in their lives.
Source: Shiseido
