(1) Background: The pomegranate fruit (Punica granatum L.) has been widely used in traditional medicine and has increasingly gained popularity among consumers in order to manage different facets of health. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the fruit extract of P. granatum L. on different parameters of skin health. (2) Methods: A prospective, double-blind placebo-controlled study was conducted on both healthy males and females aged 25–55 years. Subjects were supplemented with a standardized punicalagin enriched oral pomegranate extract [Pomella® (Verdure Science, Noblesville, IN, USA), PE group] or a placebo (control group) daily for four weeks. Changes in wrinkle severity, facial biophysical properties, skin microbiome, and the gut microbiome were assessed. (3) Results: The PE group had significant reductions in wrinkle severity (p < 0.01) and a decreasing trend in the forehead sebum excretion rate (p = 0.14). The participants in the PE group with a higher relative abundance of Eggerthellaceae in the gut had a decrease in their facial TEWL (p < 0.05) and wrinkle severity (p = 0.058). PE supplementation led to an increase in the Staphylococcus epidermidis species and the Bacillus genus on the skin. (4) Conclusions: Overall, the study demonstrated improvements in several biophysical properties, wrinkles, and shifts in the skin microbiome with oral PE supplementation in healthy subjects.
Keywords: punicalagin, functional food, polyphenols, antioxidants, skin health, pomegranate, wrinkles, pomella, gut-skin axis, microbiome
Author Biographies
Mincy Chakkalakal, Integrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
Data curation, Formal analysis, Project administration, Writing – original draft
Dawnica Nadora, College of Medicine, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, CA 95757, USA
Writing – original draft
Nimrit Gahoonia, Integrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
Writing – original draft
Ashley Dumont, Coastal Thyme Skin, Portsmouth, NH 03801, USA
Project administration
Waqas Burney, Integrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
Formal analysis
Adrianne Pan, College of Medicine, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, CA 95757, USA
Formal analysis
Cindy Chambers, Integrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
Writing – review & editing
Raja Sivamani, Integrative Skin Science and Research, Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
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