What skin benefits do jasmine cells provide?

Native to the warm regions of Asia and the Mediterranean basin, notably India and Egypt, jasmine is a climbing plant in the Oleaceae family, alongside the olive and lilac. Its growth is accompanied by a characteristic flowering, during which small, delicate flowers appear, generally white but sometimes pink or yellow, depending on the species. These flowers emit a intense and recognisable fragrance, which has largely contributed to jasmine’s prominence in the history of perfumery. Indeed, it was cultivated as early as Antiquity for its olfactory qualities.

Beyond its strong symbolic significance in the Orient, where the jasmine flower is associated with love, this plant is distinguished by a great diversity of botanical species. Among them are the winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), the summer jasmine and, above all, the common jasmine (Jasminum officinale), which constitutes the variety most used in cosmetics. This latter is particularly valued for its highly fragrant white flowers, as well as for the biochemical richness of its plant tissues. Today, advances in plant biotechnology make it possible to exploit not only the aromatic extracts of jasmine but also its plant cells cultivated in vitro, studied for their protective and regenerative properties for the skin.

In cosmetics, jasmine cells are primarily studied for their capacity to modulate skin ageing and to maintain the skin’s integrity in the face of environmental stressors.

They exhibit a pronounced antioxidant activity, capable of neutralising the free radicals, chelating certain pro-oxidant metals and thus limiting the oxidative stress that contributes to wrinkle formation and loss of firmness. These mechanisms are accompanied by stimulation of type I collagen synthesis, which helps to maintain dermal structure. Furthermore, certain fermented jasmine flower extracts have demonstrated an ability to protect dermal fibroblasts from damage induced by UVB or hydrogen peroxide, notably via activation of the Nrf2/ARE antioxidant pathway, known to support cellular defences. Finally, experimental data suggest that botanical compounds derived from jasmine may stimulate keratinocyte proliferation and promote epidermal thickening, thereby contributing to improved skin quality.

Several studies have investigated the antioxidant and antiglycation potential of jasmine cells. Notably, Monti and colleagues subjected keratinocytes to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide. The extract enabled to reduce intracellular reactive oxygen species production by approximately 30%, an effect comparable to that of ascorbic acid. It also reduced the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) by approximately 20% in dermal fibroblasts exposed to glyoxal, while protecting fibrillin-1, a crucial protein of the dermal elastic network, whose glycation would otherwise have been reduced by 30%. At the same time, a significant stimulation of synthesis of collagen of type I was observed, measured via the increase in the C-terminal propeptide of procollagen.

Building on these findings, another study investigated the effects of a jasmine flower extract fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus on dermal fibroblasts subjected to oxidative stress induced by UVB and hydrogen peroxide. The results demonstrate that this ferment (F-FEJS) enhances cell viability while reducing excessive reactive oxygen species production, collagen degradation, and the activation of signalling pathways associated with premature ageing, notably the MAP kinases (p38, ERK, JNK). Concurrently, the extract restores mechanisms favourable to collagen synthesis, such as the activation of Smad2/3, and fortifies antioxidant defences via the stimulation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway and the upregulation of protective genes such as HO-1. Taken together, these data suggest that jasmine fermentation could potentiate its protective properties against photo-ageing and support the functional integrity of fibroblasts exposed to environmental stress.

Building on this research, a third study investigated the role of factors secreted by dermal stem cells following exposure to a botanical jasmine extract. The results show that these factors stimulate keratinocyte growth in vitro and promote, in a reconstructed human epidermis model cultured for 17 days, a significant increase in its thickness and a ‘honeycomb’ morphological organisation characteristic of healthy skin. In light of these findings, the scientists hypothesised that the jasmine extract could modulate cellular communication between the dermal and epidermal compartments and support tissue renewal.

The overall data are encouraging regarding the potential of jasmine cells to address skin ageing, although clinical studies are still needed to confirm these effects.

• DOMLOGE N. & al. Study of the impact of SKPs’ secreted factors and of a botanical extract derived from jasmine on keratinocytes growth and reconstructed human epidermis thickness. Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2016).

• KUO W.-W. & al. Extracts of Jasminum sambac flowers fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus inhibit H2O2- and UVB-induced aging in human dermal fibroblasts. Experimental Toxicology (2020).

• MONTI M. C. & al. Jasminum sambac cell extract as antioxidant booster against skin aging. Antioxidants (2022).