What is KOSMET?
The effective way of keeping up with Cosmetic Science & Industry Information

KOSMET is a unique online database specializing in Cosmetic Science and Industry information. Produced and fully owned by the IFSCC, KOSMET concentrates on cosmetic science and technology, dermatological, toxicological literature subjects and other cosmetic related scientific publications.

Updated monthly, KOSMET covers scientific articles & papers, news, remarks about regulations, product introductions from the suppliers industry, special company news, a.o. from periodicals, congresses, conferences, seminars on all matters related to cosmetics & fragrances, in particular the scientific and technical areas.
We gather worldwide information on many different topics, some of which are:

• Research & Development, basic research, specialized research, development reports in various cosmetic related fields, reviews of research data, a.o.
• Product development, end products and ingredients related
• The trading of perfumes and cosmetics
• The knowledge of healthy skin and its annexes (hair, nails, teeth)
• The research and development of raw materials
• Active ingredients, i.e. actives, botanicals, marine extracts etc.
• Formulations, practical & fundamental references, application remarks, physicochemical properties, etc.
• Manufacture, process technology and production
• Analysis, basic research as well as efficacy testing, product control, stability etc. and regulations, guidelines, directives.
• Dermatology and toxicology, incl. panel testing and clinical studies
• Packaging and much more!

KOSMET FORMAT
KOSMET is a bibliographic database, some 80% of the >28,500 literature references contain a text abstract, which is always in English and which gives the databank user a direct information on the subject discussed.
KOSMET enables you to carry out simple or complex searches. Users can search many of the different fields within a record or limit their search by date or language of the original paper. For example you can search by subject in the whole record or by subject in the abstract only, by keyword/descriptors, or by authors or publications.

Kosmet search results
What information do you get from kosmet ? See example below.

Author: HIRAO T, TAKAHASHI M, KIKUCHI K, TERUI T, TAGAMI H Titel: A NOVEL NON-INVASIVE EVALUATION METHOD OF CORNIFIED ENVELOPE MATURATION IN THE STRATUM CORNEUM PROVIDES A NEW INSIGHT FOR SKIN CARE COSMETICS Keywords: SKIN CARE, SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, CREATIVITY, COMPANIES, SHISEIDO, COUNTRIES, JAPAN, EDUCATION, KERATOSIS, SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE, STRATUM CORNEUM, CORNIFIED ENVELOPES, ENVELOPES, MEMBRANES, SKIN STRUCTURE, CORNEOCYTES Publication: 2003 Journal/Event: IFSCC MAGAZINE 2003, 6, 2 (APR-JUN), 103-109, 32 REFS Language: .en Author´s address: HIRAO T (1), TAKAHASHI M (1), KIKUCHI K (2), TERUI T (2), TAGAMI H (2)=SHISEIDO LIFE SCIENCE RESEARCH CENTER, 2-2-1 HAYABUCHI, TSUZUKI-KU, YOKOHAMA 224-8558, JAPAN, EMAIL: tetsuji.hirao@to.shiseido.co.jp (1); DEPARTMENT OF DERMATOLOGY, TOHOKU UNIVERSITY, SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, 1-1 SEIRYO-MACHI, AOBA-KU, SENDAI 980-8574, JAPAN (2)

Cornified envelopes, which are rigid and insoluble structures surrounding the corneocytes, are assembled by cross-linking of several precursor proteins by transglutaminases and provide the basis for barrier function of the stratum corneum. We have recently established a novel double staining method to evaluate the level of cornified envelope maturity in stratum corneum samples collected by non-invasive tape stripping, in order to examine the relationship between cornified envelope maturation and barrier function. This method is based on both loss of involucrin antigenicity and acquisition of hydrophobicity during cornified envelope maturation. We applied it to various kinds of skin and found that immature cornified envelopes were abundant not only in involved areas of inflammatory dermatoses, such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, but also in the face of healthy subjects, and were associated with impaired barrier function of the stratum corneum. The appearance of immature cornified envelope in the face was heterogeneous and was not dependent on the race or age of the subjects. Ex-vivo incubation of the outermost stratum corneum of the face in a humidified environment resulted in conversion of immature cornified envelopes to mature cornified envelopes, mediated by transglutaminases. This maturation process was inhibited under low humidity conditions and recovered on application of moisturizers to stratum corneum samples prior to the incubation. These results suggest that immature cornified envelopes in the face retain the potential ability to mature and that moisturization helps the maturation. These ex-vivo results were consistent with in-vivo findings that immature cornified envelopes in the face were increased in winter season, and that cornified envelope maturation was promoted by daily skin care treatment with a moisturizing cream. Although many studies on the stratum corneum barrier function have been carried out mainly focusing on the role of the intercellular lipids, our present studies may provide the basis for a new approach to skin care cosmetics that will promote proper assembly of the stratum corneum through promoting the maturation of cornified envelopes. It is well established that the stratum corneum plays a principal role in maintaining the barrier function of the skin, regulating the evaporation of endogenous water from the body and entry of potentially harmful exogenous stimuli. The structure of the stratum corneum can be illustrated as a brick wall consisting of the bricks, representing corneocytes, and the mortar, representing intercellular lipids, which also contribute to the barrier function of the stratum corneum. The cornified envelope is a thin insoluble structure surrounding the corneocytes and is formed via a complex, but well-organized process during terminal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes, as illustrated in Figure 1. One of the initial events is the expression of cornified envelope precursor proteins, including involucrin, loricrin, small proline-rich proteins (cornifin) and others, in the differentiating keratinocytes. These precursors are cross-linked via the formation of gamma-glutamyl-epsilon-lysine isopeptide bonds mediated by calcium-dependent transglutaminases (EC 2.3.2.13). Among four isozymes, transglutaminases 1, 2, 3 and 5 (formerly named X ), expressed in the epidermis, membrane-bound transglutaminase 1 and cytosolic transglutaminase 3 have been proven to play important roles in the formation of cornified envelope assembly during terminal differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes. Another important event is the acquisition of hydrophobicity by covalent attachment of lipids, mainly omega-hydroxyceramides, to the extracellular surface of cornified envelope components. It is assumed that intercellular lamellar lipids mainly consisting of cholesterol, ceramides, and free fatty acids are organized onto this hydrophobic assembly, making a major contribution to the barrier function of the stratum corneum. The importance of the cornified envelope assembly is also suggested by the fact that genetic deficiency of transglutaminase 1, e.g., in some cases of lamellar ichthyosis or in transglutaminase 1 knockout mice, results in a severe defect in barrier development. However, the relationship between impairment of cornified envelope formation and barrier dysfunction, especially in cases without any genetic defect in transglutaminase, is poorly understood. Most of the morphological studies on cornified envelopes have been carried out in excised skin samples by either morphological observation of isolated cornified envelopes or ultrastructural observation using electron microscopy. Michel et al. reported the existence of distinct classes of cornified envelopes: polygonal rigid cornified envelopes and irregularly shaped fragile cornified envelopes. Recently, we have established a simple staining method to evaluate the maturity of cornified envelopes using samples collected by non-invasive tape stripping of the outermost stratum corneum. The principle of this staining method is based on the changes in the properties of cornified envelope during maturation, i.e., the loss of involucrin antigenicity and acquisition of hydrophobicity. This evaluation method enables us to distinguish immature cornified envelopes from mature cornified envelopes easily in terms of their fluorescence images. The objectives of the present study are, by application of this novel method for evaluation of the level of cornified envelope maturity, to examine further the defect of cornified envelope maturation in barrier-impaired stratum corneum, to identify the factors that inhibit the maturation, and to demonstrate the efficacy of skin care products in promoting the maturation. In addition, it was examined whether the appearance of immature cornified envelopes is associated with parakeratosis, since parakeratosis, defined as the retention of nuclei in the stratum corneum, has been widely used as a marker for defective keratinization. A defect of cornified envelope maturation in the stratum corneum of barrier-impaired face was demonstrated for the first time by utilizing a newly established non-invasive method to evaluate cornified envelope maturity. A dry environment is one of the inhibitory factors leading to the appearance of immature cornified envelopes in the stratum corneum of the face. Appropriate moisturizing skin care could activate the reduced transglutaminase activity in the stratum corneum and promote cornified envelope maturation and, as a consequence, improve the barrier function of the skin. Our findings using our novel evaluation method of cornified envelope maturity suggest that the cornified envelope should be a target of future skin care cosmetics.