Home Ingredients Cosmythic® (Maritime Pine Bark for Skin — Purextract)
Hair, Skin & NailsAntioxidant

Cosmythic® (Maritime Pine Bark for Skin — Purextract)

Pinus pinaster
Evidence Level
Limited
1 Clinical Trial
3 Documented Benefits
2/5 Evidence Score

Cosmythic® is a French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) bark extract from Purextract, standardized to about 67% OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins) and developed as an oral beauty-from-within ingredient. Taken daily, it is sold to support skin clarity and reduce signs of skin aging. The supplier has published one small placebo-controlled crossover study on skin tone, wrinkles and firmness.

Studied Dose 100 mg per day in the published Cosmythic skin study; products commonly supply 50 to 100 mg per day.
Active Compound French maritime pine bark extract standardized to about 67% OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins).

Benefits

Skin beauty support

In the supplier's own randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, published in Nutrafoods in 2014, 100 mg a day made dark spots lighter and less red and left facial skin firmer and less wrinkled by 28 days, with more elastic skin by 56 days. It was a small study in healthy Asian women, it has not been repeated independently, and it did not measure collagen or elastin.

Supported by Trial 1

Antioxidant defense

Pine bark OPCs score highly in laboratory antioxidant assays. The nearest human evidence is a 12-week placebo-controlled trial of Oligopin, a pine bark extract from the same French supplier, in which 150 mg a day raised blood antioxidant capacity and antioxidant enzyme activity in 43 postmenopausal women. That was a different product at a higher dose than Cosmythic.

Supported by Trial 1

Firmness and elasticity support

Instruments recorded firmer, more elastic skin in the Cosmythic study. A small open-label study of a different brand, Pycnogenol, found increased collagen type I gene activity in skin samples, while the idea that OPCs shield elastin comes from laboratory work on isolated elastin rather than from people.

Supported by Trial 1

Mechanism of action

1

OPC antioxidant action

Pine bark proanthocyanidins scavenge free radicals and support the body's antioxidant defenses, protecting skin structure.

2

Extracellular-matrix support

Pine bark OPCs are proposed to act on the skin's extracellular matrix. In one small open-label study of another brand, Pycnogenol raised collagen type I and hyaluronic acid synthase gene activity in skin samples; the same has not been shown for Cosmythic.

Clinical trials

1
Pycnogenol Cardiometabolic Meta-Analysis (a Different Brand)
PubMed

Systematic review and meta-analysis of pycnogenol (French maritime pine bark) on cardiometabolic markers such as blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. (Malekahmadi et al. 2019, Pharmacological Research)

Adults across 24 randomized trials measuring cardiometabolic outcomes.

Across 24 randomized trials in 1594 people, pycnogenol lowered fasting blood sugar, blood pressure and LDL cholesterol. Pycnogenol is Horphag's branded extract rather than Cosmythic, and the analysis did not measure skin or antioxidant outcomes, so it is background evidence for pine bark rather than support for the skin claims on this page.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

Generally well-tolerated.
Mild digestive upset or dizziness is occasionally reported.
Take with food.

Important Drug interactions

Anticoagulants — OPCs may have a mild additive effect; monitor.
Blood pressure medication — possible additive effect; monitor.
Tell your doctor before surgery.

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Frequently asked questions about Cosmythic® (Maritime Pine Bark for Skin — Purextract)

What is Cosmythic?

Cosmythic® is a French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) bark extract from Purextract, standardized to about 67% OPCs (oligomeric proanthocyanidins) and developed as an oral beauty-from-within ingredient. Taken daily, it is sold to support skin clarity and reduce signs of skin aging.

What is Cosmythic used for?

Cosmythic is researched primarily for Hair, Skin & Nails and Antioxidant. In the supplier's own randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study, published in Nutrafoods in 2014, 100 mg a day made dark spots lighter and less red and left facial skin firmer and less wrinkled by 28 days, with more elast…

What is the recommended dosage of Cosmythic?

The clinically studied dose is 100 mg per day in the published Cosmythic skin study; products commonly supply 50 to 100 mg per day. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is Cosmythic safe, and does it have side effects?

For most healthy adults, Cosmythic is well tolerated at studied doses. Reported effects can include: Generally well-tolerated. Mild digestive upset or dizziness is occasionally reported. It may also interact with some medications. Cosmythic is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does Cosmythic interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: Anticoagulants — OPCs may have a mild additive effect; monitor. Blood pressure medication — possible additive effect; monitor. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Cosmythic?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Cosmythic as Limited (2 out of 5). It is backed by 1 clinical trial and 4 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(4 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Malekahmadi M, Moradi Moghaddam O, Firouzi S, et al. Effects of pycnogenol on cardiometabolic health: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Pharmacol Res. 2019;150:104472..PubMedUsed to support: Meta-analysis of pycnogenol, Horphag's branded French maritime pine bark extract, on cardiometabolic markers. It did not test Cosmythic and did not measure skin or antioxidant outcomes.
  2. Majidi Z, Ansari M, Maghbooli Z, et al. Oligopin® Supplementation Mitigates Oxidative Stress in Postmenopausal Women with Osteopenia: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Phytomedicine. 2021;81:153417..PubMedUsed to support: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 150 mg a day of Oligopin, a maritime pine bark extract from the same French supplier as Cosmythic, in 43 postmenopausal women for 12 weeks. Blood total antioxidant capacity, total thiol, MnSOD and catalase activity rose and protein carbonyl fell versus placebo. Oligopin is a different product from Cosmythic and the dose was higher.
  3. Marini A, Grether-Beck S, Jaenicke T, et al. Pycnogenol® effects on skin elasticity and hydration coincide with increased gene expressions of collagen type I and hyaluronic acid synthase in women. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2012;25(2):86-92..PubMedUsed to support: Open-label 12-week study in 20 postmenopausal women taking 75 mg a day of Pycnogenol, a different brand of French maritime pine bark extract, reporting better skin hydration and elasticity alongside higher collagen type I and hyaluronic acid synthase gene expression in skin samples. Small and uncontrolled, and not a study of Cosmythic.
  4. Furumura M, Sato N, Kusaba N, et al. Oral administration of French maritime pine bark extract (Flavangenol(®)) improves clinical symptoms in photoaged facial skin. Clin Interv Aging. 2012;7:275-86..PubMedUsed to support: Twelve-week open trial in 112 women with mild to moderate facial photoaging taking 40 or 100 mg a day of Flavangenol, another French maritime pine bark extract, reporting lower clinical photoaging scores and less age spot pigmentation. Two dose arms with no placebo group, and not a study of Cosmythic.