Future-Proofing the Skin: How transcriptomics is changing cosmetic science
At in-cosmetics Global 2026, our PhD researcher Reza Jahangiri presented Future-Proofing the Skin and explored how transcriptomics can help cosmetic science move beyond visible outcomes and into active skin biology.
Traditionally, product testing has focused on endpoints such as hydration, redness, and firmness. These measures remain important, but they do not fully explain how skin is responding at a biological level. Transcriptomics offers a deeper view by reading RNA, the signal of what cells are doing in real time. If DNA is the blueprint, RNA reveals the activity.
This opens a more powerful way to study skincare. Instead of asking only whether a product moisturizes or soothes, we can begin asking whether it supports antioxidant defenses, helps skin adapt to stress, strengthens barrier-related biology, or moves skin toward a more resilient state.
The presentation highlighted a two-route strategy for applying this science in cosmetics. The first route focuses on ingredients, using controlled stress models such as UV to understand how an active changes cellular response. The second focuses on finished products, bringing the same biological depth into volunteer-based studies.
A key part of this future-facing approach is non-invasive sampling, especially oil blotting, which offers a practical way to access meaningful skin biology in real-world studies. It also creates the possibility of generating multiple layers of insight from the same sample, including transcriptomics, meta-transcriptomics, and microbiome profiling.
Combined with enabling technologies such as Nanopore sequencing and ddPCR validation, this creates a flexible platform for ingredient screening, biological substantiation, and stronger scientific storytelling.
The message is clear: the future of cosmetic science is not only about showing that a product works. It is about explaining how it works, with biology that is deeper, smarter, and more defensible.
