We are a major player and market leader in the consumer health & beauty industry, with a portfolio that spans multiple channels, demographics and categories. We are seeking a preclinical/in vitro screening system/model to identify biological stress-mitigating natural ingredients, compounds, or botanicals. 

Systemic and oxidative stress plays a major role in skin and hair health. This is primarily mediated through the body's stress response system, specifically the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the sympathetic nervous system. The HPA axis is a complex set of interactions between the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands. When the body perceives stress, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which signals the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH then stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol, a key stress hormone. 

At the level of the hair follicle, the expression and presence of elevated cortisol can activate various signaling pathways within the hair follicle cells, leading to changes in gene expression and cellular function. Cortisol can disrupt the normal hair growth cycle, which consists of the anagen (growth), catagen (regression), and telogen (resting) phases. Elevated cortisol levels can prematurely push hair follicles into the telogen phase, a period when the hair follicle is inactive and hair is more likely to fall out. This can lead to a condition called telogen effluvium, where an excessive number of hair follicles enter the telogen phase, resulting in increased hair shedding and noticeable hair thinning.  

While various Contract Research Organizations (CROs) offer biochemical and transcriptional measures to detect increased stress in the hair follicle in vitro, a deeper understanding of the larger stress pathway (HPA) would reveal how each mediator and biomarker impacts the hair follicle unit (FU). This understanding could lead to the development of in vitro models using these markers to screen for new compounds that mitigate stress effects on hair health.