Sensitive skin needs more than just hydration. It requires active ingredients capable of calming inflammation, strengthening the skin barrier, and restoring its natural balance.
In this context, Boswellia serrata, a natural extract with millennial use, has become a botanical treasure for dermatological care. Today, science has confirmed what Indian tradition already suspected: this plant resin is a powerful ally for treating altered, reactive, or atopic-prone skin.
What is Boswellia serrata?
It is a tree native to India, from which an aromatic resin known as Indian frankincense is extracted. This resin contains a high concentration of boswellic acids, bioactive compounds with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and soothing properties.
Although traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat joint and digestive ailments, its application in cosmetics has grown due to its safety and effectiveness on irritated or sensitized skin.
Among the most notable benefits of Boswellia are its immediate calming effect on the skin after application, reduction of redness and inflamed areas, decrease of oxidative stress preventing collagen degradation, and faster recovery of the skin following thermal, chemical, or mechanical aggressions.
How does it act on the skin?
Boswellic acids act by blocking certain mechanisms responsible for inflammation, especially those related to the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase. By inhibiting this process, Boswellia helps to:
- Reduce skin inflammation.
- Relieve redness, itching, and the feeling of tightness.
- Strengthen the skin’s barrier function, facilitating its recovery after external aggressions.
- Provide antioxidant action, which protects against premature aging.
For all these reasons, Boswellia is especially useful for sensitive, reactive skin, rosacea, or atopic dermatitis, as well as for skin that has undergone intensive or aggressive aesthetic treatments.
Cosmetic applications of Boswellia
Boswellia is used in a wide variety of formulations:
- Soothing creams and serums.
- Products for skin with redness or couperose.
- Post-treatment cosmetics (laser, peeling, dermabrasion).
- Formulations for mature skin with an inflammatory component.
- Skin care for men after shaving.
Its non-irritating profile and compatibility with other active ingredients make it very versatile. It combines well with hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, niacinamide, or centella asiatica, enhancing their soothing and repairing effects.
At Sisneo, we use Boswellia as an active ingredient in protocols for sensitive or inflamed skin, applying it through transdermal electroporation. This allows the plant extract to penetrate deep layers of the skin without needles, enhancing its efficacy and accelerating its soothing and repairing effects.
Electroporation enhances the absorption of boswellic acids, allowing them to act directly on inflammatory processes from within the skin. This results in a significant improvement in skin comfort, a rapid reduction of redness, and a deeper, longer-lasting reparative effect.
Commitment to quality
This text about Boswellia has been prepared by professional writers. In addition, we have relied on experts in medicine, engineering and aesthetics as a source of information, as well as specific studies to maintain the quality of what we publish.
At Sisneo Bioscience we are committed to publish truthful and contrasted information. And to update or correct it as soon as new knowledge becomes available.
Among others, we have used the following sources:
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- Kumar, A., & Sharma, R. (2021). Role of turmeric in functional foods. En M. Tiwari & J. Chen (Eds.), Herbs, Spices and Their Roles in Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods (pp. 45–58). CRC Press.
- Majeed M, Majeed S, Narayanan NK, Nagabhushanam K. A pilot, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of a novel Boswellia serrata extract in the management of osteoarthritis of the knee. Phytother Res. 2019 May;33(5):1457-1468. doi: 10.1002/ptr.6338. Epub 2019 Mar 6. PMID: 30838706; PMCID: PMC6681146.