Maple Leaf Extract – Is It the TRUE Fountain of Youth?

Aging changes the skin. That’s a fact. However, science has found several things that can slow that process and sometimes even reverse it a bit. One of those things is maple leaf extract. No, it’s not the sticky syrup you pour on pancakes. It comes from the leaves of the tree and just might be the fountain of youth!

Wrinkles, fine lines and age spots are dreaded signs of aging on our skin. Not to mention dryness and sagging skin caused by loss of collagen and loss of facial fat.

Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid

There are two skin-care ingredients experts often mention and recommend when it comes to fighting the signs of aging—retinol and hyaluronic acid.

Retinol – It is a vitamin A derivative (a.k.a. Vitamin A1) often promoted as the “gold standard” because of its ability to stimulate the production of new cells. It also helps fade dark spots caused by sun damage.

Hyaluronic acid – Known as a humectant, meaning it preserves moisture in the skin cells, it hydrates and plumps the skin from the inside out.

But if you’re looking for a more natural, plant-based ingredient that works wonders for your skin, then read on.

Maple Leaf Extract

Last month, a new research presented at the 256th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society found that maple leaf extract can be used to combat wrinkles and fine lines.

The red maple leaf extract, according to the researchers, contains anti-aging properties that protect elastin — a protein that helps the skin return to its shape making it looking bouncy and full. Elastin prevents the skin from sagging and drooping.

Hang Ma, PhD, of the University of Rhode Island, presented the findings at the annual meeting.

“We wanted to see whether leaf extracts from red maple trees could block the activity of elastase,” says Hang Ma.

The team discovered how this ingredient works wonders on wrinkles. The researchers “zeroed in on phenolic (aka resinous) compounds in the leaves known as glucitol-core-containing gallotannins (GCGs),” according to the report.

“You could imagine that these extracts might tighten up human skin like a plant-based Botox,” said Navindra P. Seeram, PhD, the project’s principal investigator. But she also mentioned that maple leaf extract would be a topical application, “not an injected toxin.”

A bonus: The researchers also found that the GCGs in maple leaves are anti-inflammatory and can lighten dark spots and pigmentation.

Reports say that these researchers are now acting fast into getting maple leaf extract into skin care products, after having patented their formulation as Maplifa.

Since the team has not recommended any skin care product that has maple leaf extract in it, there are products available on the market that are already infused with maple extract.

Jacqueline Kilikita, a beauty feature contributor from Refinery29, recommends Dr. Brandt Skincare’s brand-new Radiance Resurfacing Foam which uses alpha-hydroxy acids derived from sugar maple, and Tata Harper’s Crème Riche that uses an extract derived from the bark of the red maple tree as a main source of antioxidants.

Source: Refinery29