Clinical and Instrumental Evaluation of a Topical Cream Containing 4% Aliophen® in Women with Facial Skin Aging: A 56-Day Exploratory Open-Label Study

Background: Facial skin aging is a multifactorial process characterized by wrinkles, pigmentary alterations, reduced elasticity, and dermal structural changes, in which oxi-dative stress and low-grade inflammation play key roles. Polyphenols have gained in-terest in cosmetic science due to their antioxidant and skin-protective properties. Objective: We evaluated the antioxidant activity, clinical-instrumental performance, and tolerability of a topical cream containing 4% w/w Aliophen®, a polyphenol-rich malt–hop extract, after 56 days of twice-daily application. Methods: Antioxidant activity was assessed in HaCaT keratinocytes exposed to tert-butyl hydroperoxide (tBHP, 500 μM), with intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) meas-ured by DCFH-DA assay after Aliophen® treatment (4–16 mg/mL). A prospective, sin-gle-center, open-label study included 20 women aged 45–65 years with facial aging signs. Instrumental assessments included wrinkle depth (PrimosCR SF), pigmentation (ITA°), skin biomechanics (Cutometer® R0, R2), and dermal echogenicity (50 MHz ultrasound) at baseline, Day 28, and Day 56. A small subgroup with mild-to-moderate atopic skin (n=5) was descriptively monitored using SCORAD. Results: Aliophen® significantly reduced ROS in a dose-dependent manner. Wrinkle depth decreased at Day 28 (−8.1%; p=0.003) and Day 56 (−15.9%; p<0.001). ITA° increased (+11.5% and +18.2%; p≤0.003). Skin biomechanics improved (R0 −5.3%; R2 +5.5%; p≤0.004). Dermal echogenicity increased at Day 56 (+1.38; p=0.002). SCORAD showed descriptive improvement. No serious adverse events occurred. Conclusions: A topical cream containing 4% Aliophen® improved instrumental markers of facial aging with good tolerability, supporting further randomized, vehicle-controlled studies.