Ginko Biloba in Cosmetics

• The use of ginkgo biloba extract in the manufacturing of cosmeceuticals, or cosmetics with medicinal properties, is a relatively recent phenomenon. Ginkgo has been studied for a number of different applications as an oral supplement, but as yet there is not much information on how it affects various skin conditions and signs of aging when applied topically in lotions, creams and ointments. However, ginkgo biloba is antioxidant rich and does have a long history of use in Asia as an regenerative herb.
  
  

Studies on Ginkgo Biloba

• Ginkgo has been used in Chinese medicine for a least a thousand years to improve circulation, memory and general rejuvenation. According to a recent study at the Comenius University in Bratislava, ginkgo biloba's high antioxidant ability shows antimutagenic effects, which means it prevents some mutations. Ginkgo biloba extract was also given orally to sufferers of the skin condition vitiligo in a study at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India. Vitiligo is a progressive condition in which the skin loses its pigmentation, and researchers found that ginkgo was significantly effective in arresting the loss of pigmentation; several of the study participants actually regained their pigment. Another study, this time at the Chonnam University Medical School in Kwangju, Korea, showed that ginkgo biloba extract taken orally three times a day enhances the skin's ability to produce fibroblasts, which are responsible for collagen production. Ginkgo biloba is also well known for its neuroprotective effects, and a recent study at the Oregon Health Sciences University found that ginkgo benefits sufferers of multiple sclerosis.
  
  

Ginkgo as a Cosmeceutical

• To determine whether and how ginkgo biloba extract works as a cosmeceutiful to improve the skin, we should look at how antioxidants such as the powerful polyphenols in ginkgo affect the skin when applied topically in studies. According to a study done by Rutgers University in New Jersey, the polyphenols in green tea were able to inhibit inflammation and tumor growth on the skin of mice when applied topically. In a study done at the Kobe University School of Medicine in Japan, polyphenol-rich extra virgin olive oil was able to protect the skin from damage caused by UV rays. Since ginkgo biloba and ginkgo extracts are also polyphenol rich, there is strong reason to believe that they will also provide skin protection and other benefits when applied topically as a cosmeceutical.