Imaging technology claims to provide first ever non-evasive view of the skin

According to the creators of VivaScope, cosmetic professionals in Europe, the US, Asia and Australia are using the confocal cellular imaging to perform scientific studies and claim validation in areas like ageing, whitening, pigmentation and implementory reaction.

Giuseppe Solomita, MAVIG director of international sales told CosmeticsDesign-Europe.com that for the first time the device has given the industry the possibility to see how a product affects the skin without taking a biopsy.

How it works​

The company describes the confocal laser scanning microscopy as “a window into the skin” ​ making it possible to image the same location over the course of a therapeutic regimen – offering insights into the mechanisms of action and other dynamic processes at work during the course of therapy.

"This technique is ideal for assessing the effectiveness of topical formulations in the different layers of the epidermis and superficial dermis. Skin and hair care products in development can be non-invasively validated and have their compatibility tested – without the need for a skin biopsy​."

Beneficial to the industry​

According to Solomita, three groups within the cosmetics industry benefit from this technology, from finished goods manufacturers, Beiersdorf, Estee Lauder and L’Oreal to active ingredient companies like Silab and independent study firms like Proderm providing research to the industry.

"Many researchers have documented the results of utilizing confocal cellular imaging to assess pigmentation and skin whitening, characterize skin aging, measure epidermal thickness, assess sun damage, and determine the penetration of a formulation​."

Laser imaging ​

Elsewhere, scientists in Switzerland and Australia have developed a way to optically test the concentration of zinc oxide at different skin depths using laser imaging in an attempt to answer safety questions over nanoparticles used in sunscreen. ZnO particles have dimensions less than one-ten-millionth of a metre and are among the ingredients list of some commercially available sunscreen products, which has previously raised concerns about whether the particles may be absorbed beneath the outer layer of skin.

The scientists found that the nanoparticles did not penetrate beneath the outermost layer of cells when applied to patches of excised skin and say that by characterizing the optical properties of ZnO nanoparticles, they were able to find a way to quantitatively assess how far the nanoparticles might migrate into skin.