Christine Esposito, Managing Editor10.07.22
Two recent launches from Paula’s Choice—Clinical Phytoestrogen Elasticity Renewal Body Treatment and Clinical Phytoestrogen Elasticity Renewal Serum—rocketed to success, according to this leading skincare brand. To mark Menopause Awareness Month, Founder Paula Begoun shares insight into the development of these two new formulations that tackle menopause-related skin issues with phytoestrogen.
HAPPI: Women have been going through menopause forever, but it is only recently that the conversation about menopause has become public, so to speak. Looking at skincare specifically, what has led to the increased understanding of how menopause impacts skin?
Begoun: First, it’s important to define what menopause is because there are conflicting definitions, and some are woefully inadequate to explain what a woman’s body is going through as her estrogen levels diminish causing her periods to eventually stop.
Menopause is still often described as when a woman's ovaries stop producing hormones (estrogens and progesterone) which causes her menstrual cycle to stop. If a woman doesn’t get her period for 12 consecutive months than she is officially considered to be menopausal. Unfortunately, that definition does not take into consideration the variations billions of women may experience.
It is now well established that menopause is a process that begins when a woman is in her early 40s as her ovaries slowly (though sometimes abruptly) reduce production of ovarian hormones. Then over the next 10 to 25 years ovarian hormones (especially estrogens) continue to decrease until they reach a level when a woman’s period stops altogether. This new distinction is incredibly significant for how a woman can view her overall health and skincare needs.
Dozens of studies over the years have documented how estrogen loss negatively impacts skin including loss of elasticity, collagen depletion, extensive epidermal thinning, impaired wound healing, protruding veins, increased wrinkling especially crepey skin, increased dryness, deficient amounts of hydrating substances such as hyaluronic acid, often undesirable color changes, and prevention of free radical damage.
What has changed in terms of skincare and estrogen loss is the overwhelming proof of efficacy and safety that applying either phytoestrogens or prescription estrogens (specifically estradiol) can have on the significantly improved appearance of skin.
The transformation in public awareness is most likely due to the change in how many scientists and doctors all over the world now view the Women’s Health Initiative study (WHI) that took place from 1991 until 2002 which evaluated the health effects of oral hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for estrogen loss. That study’s conclusions culminated in making almost everyone afraid of HRT. The problem with the WHI study that was eventually recognized was the WHI study didn’t evaluate HRT for women beginning to go through menopause which is when HRT is typically prescribed, but rather the study evaluated the effects of HRT a decade or more after menopause already took place. As it turned out, age at starting HRT is critical in determining the benefit/risk of HRT. In fact, it is now known that many of the problems older women have who didn’t take HRT (such as heart disease, osteoporosis, and dementia) could have been prevented if HRT was started sooner than later. “When initiated within 10 years of menopause, HRT reduces all-cause mortality and risks of coronary disease, osteoporosis, and dementias.” Doctors are now far more likely to prescribe oral or topical HRT when a woman is in her late 40s or early 50s and the immediate improvement these women experience is probably what the new buzz is all about. [Source: Climacteric, 2021 Feb;24(1):3-10]
HAPPI: We know that Paula’s Choice has been researching and working on this product line for a while. How excited are you to bring these products to fruition? And how has the reception been so far?
Begoun: I really have no words to express how excited I am about my Clinical Phytoestrogen Elasticity Renewal Serum and Clinical Phytoestrogen Elasticity Renewal Body Treatment.
It all began about five years ago when I was studying the visible impact of estrogen loss on aging in general including the skin and how skincare could help.
As I mentioned, estrogen loss is a major factor along with sun damage for what we think of as skin aging. The abundant amount of data and facts were so conclusive about how topically applied estrogens or phytoestrogens could improve skin it became an obsession for me to formulate targeted beneficial products for Paula’s Choice Skincare. My only regret is that I didn’t do this 20 years ago because it would have been remarkable for my skin because as is true with any aspect of skincare it is always better to prevent problems than repair damage after it has already taken place! Each of these targeted treatments for estrogen-depleted skin feature non-hormonal plant-derived ingredients specifically formulated to counter the unique signs of skin aging that coincide with decreasing levels of estrogen. It's something we're just not seeing other skincare brands doing right now.
I am proud to say these two products rank among our most successful product launches to date.
HAPPI: How is phytoestrogen different than estrogen? What are the benefits of phytoestrogen in skincare? And can you please explain how phytoestrogens work in topical skincare?
Begoun: Estrogen is a term describing a category of hormones that are primarily responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system as well as secondary sex characteristics. There are three major forms of estrogen produced in the body that have estrogenic hormonal activity, which are estrone, estradiol, and estriol. Estradiol is the hormone that has the most significant impact on the health and appearance of skin. This is because the skin has an abundance of estrogen receptor sites that estradiol binds to.
Phytoestrogen is a term used to describe substances produced by plants that are similar in structure to the estrogens produced by the body The most researched phytoestrogens are those derived from soy which are daidzein, genistein and equol.
Despite its name, phytoestrogens are not hormones or estrogens. Rather they are estrogen-similar compounds found in a wide variety of plants from soy to carrots, flaxseed, oats, garlic, spinach, hops, plums, grapes and many others. One of the major differences between phytoestrogens and estrogens when applied topically is that phytoestrogens don’t absorb into the body and have no systemic impact, estrogens (estradiol) do absorb into the body and have a systemic impact.
Phytoestrogens from plants can provide skin with better smoothness, texture, stability, hydration, collagen support, barrier repair, reduced oxidative stress and balanced oil production. In other words topical phytoestrogens make skin believe it has estrogen levels like it did before estrogen loss started.
HAPPI: What are the differences between the body treatment and the serum formula? Why did you make two separate products for face and body?
Begoun: It is mostly about texture because you can absolutely use the body product on your face and the serum on your body, it’s up to you. We developed a body product and a face product mostly because many women prefer using two separate products with one being specifically labeled for the body and the other for the face. However, the face serum does additionally contain resveratrol which is a potent anti-aging ingredient as well as a phytoestrogen. Resveratrol is also an exceedingly expensive ingredient which is why the face product is more expensive than the body product.
HAPPI: Would the serum product be added to one’s current facial care routine or would it be a substitute for another product like a moisturizer? How would a consumer know when or if this product should be become part of their arsenal? How would Paula’s Choice help educate consumers about the changes in their skin and when these products could help.
Begoun: Both the serum and body treatment products would be in addition to your current skincare routine because these are targeted to a very specific skin condition other products don’t address. For best results, topical phytoestrogens or estrogens should be combined with other anti-aging superheroes such as retinol, bakuchiol, vitamin C, peptides, niacinamide, BHA (beta hydroxy acid) and AHA (alpha hydroxy acid). In terms of when you should start using one or both of my topical phytoestrogen products here are my suggestions. Because estrogen loss begins when a woman is in her early 40s you can start using them in your early to mid-40s to prevent the visible signs of aging estrogen loss will cause skin over time. You can also wait until you are in your 50s when symptoms of menopause have already begun which means you are both preventing and addressing damage that has already taken place.
However, it is also never too late to start using a well-formulated topical phytoestrogen product. For example, I didn’t start using the beta forms of our phytoestrogen products until I was in my 60s when estrogen loss had already taken a toll on my skin but the overall improvement after just three months was so amazing it became one of the many reasons why we made the decision to launch them.
HAPPI: Paula’s Choice does so much great work in skincare R&D but has never been one to rest on its laurels…Is there anything pipeline that you can share with us now?
Begoun: Indeed, we are always working on several new formulations at any given time and the research we do is an ongoing endless process. Even more importantly, because what we are working on is often ground-breaking we don’t share that information until the product is just about ready to be launched. Plus, I’ve learned over the years that one of the worse things any company can do is announce they are working on a product which piques a customers’ interest making them want to know when it will launch but for myriad reasons it never does. That ends up disappointing your customers which is never a good thing.
Here’s a quick list of resources related to her brand’s research into estrogen loss and its impact on skin:
• International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, June 2019 (pages 85–90)
• Nutrients, June 2017 (page 622)
• International Journal of Cosmetic Science, October 2017 (pages 535-542)
• International Journal of Molecular Science, November 2017 (page 2325)
• Demato Endocrinology, April 2013 (pages 264–270)
• International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, June 2019 (pages 85-90)
HAPPI: Women have been going through menopause forever, but it is only recently that the conversation about menopause has become public, so to speak. Looking at skincare specifically, what has led to the increased understanding of how menopause impacts skin?
Begoun: First, it’s important to define what menopause is because there are conflicting definitions, and some are woefully inadequate to explain what a woman’s body is going through as her estrogen levels diminish causing her periods to eventually stop.
Menopause is still often described as when a woman's ovaries stop producing hormones (estrogens and progesterone) which causes her menstrual cycle to stop. If a woman doesn’t get her period for 12 consecutive months than she is officially considered to be menopausal. Unfortunately, that definition does not take into consideration the variations billions of women may experience.
It is now well established that menopause is a process that begins when a woman is in her early 40s as her ovaries slowly (though sometimes abruptly) reduce production of ovarian hormones. Then over the next 10 to 25 years ovarian hormones (especially estrogens) continue to decrease until they reach a level when a woman’s period stops altogether. This new distinction is incredibly significant for how a woman can view her overall health and skincare needs.
Dozens of studies over the years have documented how estrogen loss negatively impacts skin including loss of elasticity, collagen depletion, extensive epidermal thinning, impaired wound healing, protruding veins, increased wrinkling especially crepey skin, increased dryness, deficient amounts of hydrating substances such as hyaluronic acid, often undesirable color changes, and prevention of free radical damage.
What has changed in terms of skincare and estrogen loss is the overwhelming proof of efficacy and safety that applying either phytoestrogens or prescription estrogens (specifically estradiol) can have on the significantly improved appearance of skin.
The transformation in public awareness is most likely due to the change in how many scientists and doctors all over the world now view the Women’s Health Initiative study (WHI) that took place from 1991 until 2002 which evaluated the health effects of oral hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for estrogen loss. That study’s conclusions culminated in making almost everyone afraid of HRT. The problem with the WHI study that was eventually recognized was the WHI study didn’t evaluate HRT for women beginning to go through menopause which is when HRT is typically prescribed, but rather the study evaluated the effects of HRT a decade or more after menopause already took place. As it turned out, age at starting HRT is critical in determining the benefit/risk of HRT. In fact, it is now known that many of the problems older women have who didn’t take HRT (such as heart disease, osteoporosis, and dementia) could have been prevented if HRT was started sooner than later. “When initiated within 10 years of menopause, HRT reduces all-cause mortality and risks of coronary disease, osteoporosis, and dementias.” Doctors are now far more likely to prescribe oral or topical HRT when a woman is in her late 40s or early 50s and the immediate improvement these women experience is probably what the new buzz is all about. [Source: Climacteric, 2021 Feb;24(1):3-10]
HAPPI: We know that Paula’s Choice has been researching and working on this product line for a while. How excited are you to bring these products to fruition? And how has the reception been so far?
Begoun: I really have no words to express how excited I am about my Clinical Phytoestrogen Elasticity Renewal Serum and Clinical Phytoestrogen Elasticity Renewal Body Treatment.
It all began about five years ago when I was studying the visible impact of estrogen loss on aging in general including the skin and how skincare could help.
As I mentioned, estrogen loss is a major factor along with sun damage for what we think of as skin aging. The abundant amount of data and facts were so conclusive about how topically applied estrogens or phytoestrogens could improve skin it became an obsession for me to formulate targeted beneficial products for Paula’s Choice Skincare. My only regret is that I didn’t do this 20 years ago because it would have been remarkable for my skin because as is true with any aspect of skincare it is always better to prevent problems than repair damage after it has already taken place! Each of these targeted treatments for estrogen-depleted skin feature non-hormonal plant-derived ingredients specifically formulated to counter the unique signs of skin aging that coincide with decreasing levels of estrogen. It's something we're just not seeing other skincare brands doing right now.
I am proud to say these two products rank among our most successful product launches to date.
HAPPI: How is phytoestrogen different than estrogen? What are the benefits of phytoestrogen in skincare? And can you please explain how phytoestrogens work in topical skincare?
Begoun: Estrogen is a term describing a category of hormones that are primarily responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system as well as secondary sex characteristics. There are three major forms of estrogen produced in the body that have estrogenic hormonal activity, which are estrone, estradiol, and estriol. Estradiol is the hormone that has the most significant impact on the health and appearance of skin. This is because the skin has an abundance of estrogen receptor sites that estradiol binds to.
Phytoestrogen is a term used to describe substances produced by plants that are similar in structure to the estrogens produced by the body The most researched phytoestrogens are those derived from soy which are daidzein, genistein and equol.
Despite its name, phytoestrogens are not hormones or estrogens. Rather they are estrogen-similar compounds found in a wide variety of plants from soy to carrots, flaxseed, oats, garlic, spinach, hops, plums, grapes and many others. One of the major differences between phytoestrogens and estrogens when applied topically is that phytoestrogens don’t absorb into the body and have no systemic impact, estrogens (estradiol) do absorb into the body and have a systemic impact.
Phytoestrogens from plants can provide skin with better smoothness, texture, stability, hydration, collagen support, barrier repair, reduced oxidative stress and balanced oil production. In other words topical phytoestrogens make skin believe it has estrogen levels like it did before estrogen loss started.
HAPPI: What are the differences between the body treatment and the serum formula? Why did you make two separate products for face and body?
Begoun: It is mostly about texture because you can absolutely use the body product on your face and the serum on your body, it’s up to you. We developed a body product and a face product mostly because many women prefer using two separate products with one being specifically labeled for the body and the other for the face. However, the face serum does additionally contain resveratrol which is a potent anti-aging ingredient as well as a phytoestrogen. Resveratrol is also an exceedingly expensive ingredient which is why the face product is more expensive than the body product.
HAPPI: Would the serum product be added to one’s current facial care routine or would it be a substitute for another product like a moisturizer? How would a consumer know when or if this product should be become part of their arsenal? How would Paula’s Choice help educate consumers about the changes in their skin and when these products could help.
Begoun: Both the serum and body treatment products would be in addition to your current skincare routine because these are targeted to a very specific skin condition other products don’t address. For best results, topical phytoestrogens or estrogens should be combined with other anti-aging superheroes such as retinol, bakuchiol, vitamin C, peptides, niacinamide, BHA (beta hydroxy acid) and AHA (alpha hydroxy acid). In terms of when you should start using one or both of my topical phytoestrogen products here are my suggestions. Because estrogen loss begins when a woman is in her early 40s you can start using them in your early to mid-40s to prevent the visible signs of aging estrogen loss will cause skin over time. You can also wait until you are in your 50s when symptoms of menopause have already begun which means you are both preventing and addressing damage that has already taken place.
However, it is also never too late to start using a well-formulated topical phytoestrogen product. For example, I didn’t start using the beta forms of our phytoestrogen products until I was in my 60s when estrogen loss had already taken a toll on my skin but the overall improvement after just three months was so amazing it became one of the many reasons why we made the decision to launch them.
HAPPI: Paula’s Choice does so much great work in skincare R&D but has never been one to rest on its laurels…Is there anything pipeline that you can share with us now?
Begoun: Indeed, we are always working on several new formulations at any given time and the research we do is an ongoing endless process. Even more importantly, because what we are working on is often ground-breaking we don’t share that information until the product is just about ready to be launched. Plus, I’ve learned over the years that one of the worse things any company can do is announce they are working on a product which piques a customers’ interest making them want to know when it will launch but for myriad reasons it never does. That ends up disappointing your customers which is never a good thing.
Menopausal Skin: Paula’s Begoun’s Reading List
Paula Begoun made a name for herself—and built a wildly successful brand—by taking deep dives into the science behind skin health and the impact of skincare ingredients.Here’s a quick list of resources related to her brand’s research into estrogen loss and its impact on skin:
• International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, June 2019 (pages 85–90)
• Nutrients, June 2017 (page 622)
• International Journal of Cosmetic Science, October 2017 (pages 535-542)
• International Journal of Molecular Science, November 2017 (page 2325)
• Demato Endocrinology, April 2013 (pages 264–270)
• International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, June 2019 (pages 85-90)