Japanese beauty giant, Shiseido, has identified a ring-shaped collagen structure that generates tension within the skin, while a new AI-powered technology visualises these forces in 3D.
Founded in Tokyo’s Ginza district in 1872 as Japan’s first private Western-style pharmacy, Shiseido has evolved into a global beauty company operating in approximately 120 countries and regions. The company has built its reputation on the intersection of beauty, science, technology, and Japanese aesthetics, with research and innovation remaining central to its business.
Now, its latest research has identified what it calls ‘Ring Collagen’, a distinctive ring-shaped collagen structure that appears to generate tension within the skin and help maintain facial shape.
What is ‘Ring Collagen’?
According to Shiseido, facial skin contains collagen arranged in ring-shaped structures around areas including vellus hairs and sebaceous glands. These rings contract and pull against one another, generating tension across the skin.
This tension effectively helps the skin stay wrapped around the face, contributing to a firm and defined facial appearance.
The research suggests that the loss of this tension with age could be one of the underlying factors behind facial sagging.
In simple terms:
- Ring Collagen contracts within the skin.
- Individual collagen rings pull against one another.
- This interaction creates tension across the skin.
- The resulting tension helps the skin maintain its shape around the face.
As the structure deteriorates with age, skin tension decreases, potentially contributing to sagging.
Why does Ring Collagen deteriorate with age?
Shiseido found that Ring Collagen is associated with proteoglycans, substances known for their cushioning properties.
The researchers observed that the amount of proteoglycans decreases with age. As this happens, the structure of Ring Collagen becomes disrupted.
According to the research, this deterioration reduces the tension generated within the skin, contributing to the development of sagging.
Interestingly, the researchers also investigated whether the structure could be improved.
Can Ring Collagen be improved?
In experiments involving cultured skin, Shiseido found that moderate physical stimulation, specifically stretching the skin in multiple directions, increased the amount of proteoglycans associated with Ring Collagen.
The stimulation also improved the structure of Ring Collagen and was associated with reduced sagging in the experimental model.
The research additionally identified two botanical extracts that may have a role in supporting the structure:
- Rosehip extract
- Safflower, or benibana, extract
Shiseido found that both extracts promoted the expression of genes associated with proteoglycans. However, these findings should be understood as research observations rather than evidence that applying these ingredients to the skin will independently reverse facial sagging.
AI technology helps make skin tension visible
One of the most intriguing aspects of the research is the technology Shiseido developed alongside the discovery. Called ‘Digital-Skin Reality’, the technology uses AI to visualise the forces generated within the skin.
Researchers placed a high density of observation points within skin samples and tracked how those points moved as the skin contracted. This allowed them to analyse the forces generated within the tissue.
The data was then combined with autostereoscopic technology and high-speed processing to reconstruct the results as a three-dimensional digital representation of skin.
Unlike conventional imaging, which primarily allows researchers to observe physical structures or movement, Digital-Skin Reality is designed to visualise the forces occurring within the skin itself.
A new way of looking at facial ageing
Shiseido has been researching the mechanisms behind skin sagging for years, including ways to define and evaluate sagging and technologies for visualising structures within the skin.
The Ring Collagen discovery shifts the focus towards skin tension as an important factor in maintaining facial shape.
The research was conducted by Shiseido in collaboration with Dr Kyoichi Matsuzaki, Chief of External Plastic Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine, International University of Health and Welfare, alongside researchers at Jichi Medical University and the National Institute for Physiological Sciences.
Part of the research was previously presented at the 32nd IFSCC London Congress in September 2022, where it was selected among the top 10 finalists. The research was also featured in a keynote speech at the congress.
What does this mean for beauty and skincare?
The discovery could add another dimension to how the beauty industry understands visible facial ageing. Rather than focusing solely on individual components such as collagen levels, Shiseido’s findings point towards the importance of how collagen is organised and how forces are generated within the skin.
For professional beauty and skincare, this could make the relationship between skin structure, mechanical stimulation, massage techniques, active ingredients, and ageing an increasingly interesting area of research.
For now, however, the findings remain at the research stage. More work will be needed to establish how these mechanisms translate from laboratory and tissue models into measurable benefits in living human skin.
What the research does demonstrate is a growing shift in beauty science: from simply examining what is present in the skin to understanding how the skin behaves, moves, and generates force.
And with technologies such as Digital-Skin Reality making those invisible forces visible, the science of facial ageing may be entering a new dimension.
