I assisted on February 26th-27th to the 9th International Conference on Skin Challenge in the beautiful Porto, where around 60 oral & poster communications were presented.
There were some high-quality presentations given by internationally renowned researchers of the skin, such as Prof. Dr. Jean Krutmann, director of IUF – Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine at Düsseldorf; Prof. Jean-François Doré, International Prevention Research Institute, France; or Dr. Peter Abadir from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, USA. Also, young scientists and companies presented their work and achievements in the field of skin health.
During the Conference four main topics were addressed:
- The microbiota and its strategic role to maintain skin integrity. How to modulate the quality and diversity of skin microbiota and the challenges that cosmetics face in this field.
- Effects of different pollutants on skin health and beauty and the cellular signaling pathways implicated in the skin’s response. Also, the latest investigations in the relation between UV radiation and pollution were presented.
- Uses and applications of algae and its interest in the cosmetic industry, and the challenges in the cultivation methods that the industry finds.
- The skin olfactory receptors and their strategic roles in skin and other organs.
As a side note, the Scientific Committee awarded Dr. Krutmann for all his scientific achievements in the field of skin. He also gave a presentation about what’s new in extrinsic skin aging research, highlighting the mechanisms through which air pollutants cause skin hyperpigmentation and how to prove anti-pollution claims for cosmetics product.
Likewise, Dr. Katharina Bitschar from the University of Tübingen, Germany was awarded for her scientific contribution related to the skin microbiota and epithelial barrier.
In my next blogs, I will explain in more detail some of the talks that I liked the most.
Núria Caturla, PhD
New Product Development Manager
