What are the skin benefits of jasmine cells?

Native to the warm regions of Asia and the Mediterranean basin, notably India and Egypt, jasmine is a climbing plant belonging to the Oleaceae family, just like the olive or lilac. Its growth is accompanied by a characteristic flowering period, during which small, delicate flowers appear—typically white but sometimes pink or yellow depending on the species. These flowers emit a distinctive and intense fragrance, which has significantly contributed to jasmine’s prominent role in the history of perfumery. It was, in fact, cultivated as early as antiquity for its olfactory qualities.

Beyond its strong symbolic significance in the Orient, where the jasmine flower is associated with love, this plant stands out for its wide diversity of botanical species. Among these are winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), summer jasmine and especially common jasmine (Jasminum officinale), which is the most widely used variety in cosmetics. The latter is particularly valued for its highly fragrant white flowers, but also for the biochemical richness of its plant tissues. Today, advances in plant biotechnology make it possible to harness not only jasmine’s aromatic extracts, but also its plant cells cultured in vitro, studied for their protective and regenerative properties for the skin.

In cosmetics, jasmine cells are primarily studied for their ability to support skin through aging and to preserve its integrity against environmental stressors.

They indeed demonstrate pronounced antioxidant activity, capable of neutralizing free radicals, chelating certain pro-oxidant metals, and thereby limiting the oxidative stress that contributes to wrinkle formation and loss of firmness. These mechanisms are accompanied by a stimulation of type I collagen synthesis, which helps to maintain dermal structure. Moreover, certain fermented jasmine flower extracts have shown the ability to protect dermal fibroblasts from damage induced by UVB or hydrogen peroxide, particularly via the activation of the Nrf2/ARE antioxidant pathway, recognized for supporting cellular defenses. Finally, experimental data suggest that botanical compounds derived from jasmine may stimulate keratinocyte proliferation and promote epidermal thickening, thus contributing to improved skin quality.

Several studies have explored the antioxidant and antiglycation potential of jasmine cell extracts. Monti and his team specifically subjected keratinocytes to oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide. The extract was able to reduce intracellular reactive oxygen species production by about 30%, an effect comparable to that of ascorbic acid. It also decreased the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) by about 20% in dermal fibroblasts exposed to glyoxal, while protecting fibrillin-1, a critical protein in the skin’s elastic network, whose glycation would otherwise have been reduced by 30%. At the same time, a significant stimulation of the synthesis of collagen of type I was observed, measured via increased levels of the C-terminal propeptide of procollagen.

Following these observations, another study examined the effects of a jasmine flower extract fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosuson dermal fibroblasts subjected to oxidative stress induced by UVB radiation and hydrogen peroxide. The results show that this ferment (F-FEJS) improves cell viability while reducing excessive reactive oxygen species production, collagen degradation, and activation of signaling pathways associated with premature aging, notably the MAP kinases (p38, ERK, JNK). Concurrently, the extract restores mechanisms favorable to collagen synthesis, such as Smad2/3 activation, and strengthens antioxidant defenses via stimulation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway and upregulation of protective genes such as HO-1. Together, these data suggest that jasmine fermentation could potentiate its protective properties against photoaging and support the functional integrity of fibroblasts exposed to environmental stress.

In line with these studies, a third investigation examined the role of factors secreted by dermal stem cells after exposure to a botanical jasmine extract. The results indicate that these factors stimulate keratinocyte growth in vitro and promote, in a reconstructed human epidermis model cultured for 17 days, a significant increase in thickness as well as a honeycomb-like morphological organization characteristic of healthy skin. In light of these findings, the scientists hypothesized that the jasmine extract could modulate cellular communication between the dermal and epidermal compartments and support tissue renewal.

All of these data are encouraging regarding the potential of jasmine cells to address skin aging, although clinical studies are still needed to confirm these effects.

• DOMLOGE N. & al. Study of the impact of SKPs’ secreted factors and of a botanical extract derived from jasmine on keratinocytes growth and reconstructed human epidermis thickness. Journal of Investigative Dermatology (2016).

• KUO W.-W. & al. Extracts of Jasminum sambac flowers fermented by Lactobacillus rhamnosus inhibit H2O2- and UVB-induced aging in human dermal fibroblasts. Experimental Toxicology (2020).

• MONTI M. C. & al. Jasminum sambac cell extract as antioxidant booster against skin aging. Antioxidants (2022).