How Spicules Improve Skin

Author: SHINEMIIN

➤Physical Micro-Stimulation: The core mechanism of action of spicules is that when applied to the skin, the micro-needle structures physically penetrate the stratum corneum and epidermis, creating numerous micro-channels or “micro-damages.”This is similar to micro-needling therapy, but with the difference that it uses biological structures.

➤Inducing a Natural Healing Response: The skin recognizes these micro-channels as minor damage and activates its natural wound healing mechanism. This process activates fibroblasts, which promote the synthesis of new collagen and elastin, accelerating the skin cell regeneration cycle (turnover).

➤ Enhancing the absorption pathway of active ingredients: Crucially, these micro-channels act as temporary passages through the skin barrier (stratum corneum),

significantly increasing the skin penetration and absorption of active ingredients that are mixed together or applied later. Studies have shown that spicule-containing formulations can increase the skin penetration of active ingredients such as niacinamide by approximately 216–275% after 6–12 hours compared to conventional formulations. Considering that the skin absorption rate of general cosmetic active ingredients is only 0.3%, spicules could be an effective means of solving this barrier problem.

➤Key point: Spicules simultaneously provide two functions: promoting intrinsic regeneration through microdamage and enhancing extrinsic effects through enhanced delivery of active ingredients. These two functions are likely to be complementary. That is, microdamage creates the need for skin repair, and enhanced delivery of active ingredients can produce a synergistic effect by more effectively supplying the components needed for that repair process (e.g., peptides, vitamins). This dual-action mechanism is a unique feature that distinguishes spicules from other methods that primarily focus on damage induction (MTS, Fraxel) or enhanced delivery.