I traveled to Japan because a plant was found there that is said to reverse the signs of skin aging

According to a Japanese study, this plant is particularly effective in slowing down skin aging.

"Yamagata is a bit inaka," explains an employee of Shiseido, one of Japan's oldest cosmetics companies. "Inaka" means "remote" in Japanese , he explains as he tries to describe exactly where we are. It's only an hour's ride from Tokyo by Shinkansen bullet train.

I traveled here to learn more about a particular flower. No, not the cherry blossom, as you might assume on a trip to Japan, but the safflower. If you've never heard of it before, you're like me. Everyone in Japan knows it. Because they're sold as cut flowers in every supermarket—but also because they've been used in natural medicine and cosmetics for centuries.

The name says it all: safflower contains a buildable pigment that, in high concentrations, produces an exquisite crimson red. Incidentally, the Japanese word for the plant is "benihana," which is composed of the Chinese characters for "red" and "flower." In the 18th century, the pigment from safflower was shipped to Kyoto, where it was used to dye silk and make makeup. Beni was the most popular rouge of the Edo period and is deeply rooted in Japanese cultural history. Its diverse uses and its connection to Japan's cultural history have made safflower a national treasure of Yamagata.

Yamagata is not only home to flower fields, but also to Keio University's renowned Institute for Advanced Life Sciences. Here, Shiseido has tasked its scientists with researching ways to achieve long-term skin rejuvenation. The labs are filled with countless machines, each reportedly costing around $700,000, that can analyze a substance down to its biological components. Most impressive, however, is that these machines were used on campus to develop a saliva test for cancer detection. It has also been discovered that Yamagata's Tsuyahime rice has the best umami flavor of any rice variety grown in Japan, and, of course—which is why I'm here—that the delicate petals of the safflower flower can be used to find answers to questions about skin aging .

Scientist Ayako Fukazawa, who works in research and development at Shiseido and specialized in traditional Japanese herbal medicine from a Western scientific perspective during her master's degree in plant biology at Kanazawa University, says: "In local natural medicine, safflower flowers are valued for their pain-relieving and circulation-promoting effects , and are used primarily for menstrual cramps. It is believed that the pain is caused by blood congestion and subsides when the blood can flow again." Researchers have now utilized precisely this property for skin care – safflower stimulates blood circulation in the skin, thus promoting nutrient supply.

Tetsuro Yonezawa, who also works in research and development at the university, explains to me: "Previous research has shown that safflower extracts contain ingredients that inhibit oxidation, a factor that contributes to skin aging, and promote blood circulation, which makes them unique." Why exactly this is the case remained a mystery for a long time, but the innovative devices at Keio University were able to solve it. They found a very specific active ingredient in the flowers, which they extracted, named, and patented under the name "SafflowerRED." This is now the main ingredient in the newly formulated "Vital Perfection" product line.

"Circulation plays a fundamental role in skin health, and SafflowerRED has the ability to improve skin firmness, elasticity, and evenness through its circulation-boosting effect," explains Yonezawa. In 2019, Shiseido presented research demonstrating a link between blood circulation and skin elasticity, which was awarded a prize . As part of a 20-year project called " Lifeblood," the researchers were able to "demonstrate an essential connection between the skin's microvascular system—a complex network of small vessels, including arterioles, capillaries, and venules—and its appearance," explains Fukazawa. "The better the skin's circulation, the firmer and more elastic it is." According to Yonezawa, this is also useful for treating dark spots: "We found that when skin is damaged by UV rays, abnormal capillaries develop, releasing factors that stimulate melanocytes, which in turn lead to excessive melanin production."

Shiseido scientists recently introduced a blood vessel quality index called PC1, where the PC1 value indicates the quality of the capillary network. These are the fine blood vessels closest to the skin's surface that directly supply it. "The better this vascular network is—that is, the more capillaries there are, the closer they are to each other and the closer they are to the skin, which means a higher PC1 value," explains Yonezawa. To do this, they use a high-tech mirror developed by Shiseido called the "Skin Visualiser," which is equipped with special cameras that can measure the PC1 value. Until now, this was only possible by taking a piece of skin and examining it under a microscope.

"Interestingly, we found that the PC1 value was consistently highest in young or younger-looking skin and lower in skin with more wrinkles, dark spots, and loss of elasticity," explains Fukazawa. Unfortunately, the mirror isn't quite finished yet and still needs some fine-tuning, but there are plans to launch it in Europe soon. However, the newly formulated product line is already available, and as recommended by the scientists, I use the day cream every morning and have gotten into the habit of massaging it in—my skin looks better than ever. Now I'd like to know if the Skin Visualizer agrees. I'll have to travel to Japan again for that.

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