For your skin
Often pitched as the gentler cousin of hyaluronic acid. It holds water in the skin, fades less quickly in dry air, and quietly buffers against UV oxidative stress.
Want the science? Keep reading ↓Mechanism of action
Fungal polysaccharide whose smaller molecular size penetrates the upper epidermis to bind water and activate the Nrf2/Keap1 antioxidant pathway, defending fibroblasts from UVA damage.
Why we tier this moderate
5 cited papers across 2 countries. The mechanism is well-described and there's at least one controlled trial in the literature, but we tier this Moderate rather than Strong to stay honest about how many specific papers we cite directly.
Cited research
Zhang Y et al., iTRAQ-Based Proteomic Profiling of Skin Aging Protective Effects of Tremella fuciformis-Derived Polysaccharides on D-Galactose-Induced Aging Mice, Molecules 2024
Cuttlefish ink-derived melanin nanoparticle-embedded Tremella fuciformis polysaccharide hydrogels for treatment of MRSA-infected diabetic wounds, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 2024 — TFPS hydrogel platform accelerated infected diabetic wound healing in vivo
Lin M et al., Tremella fuciformis polysaccharides alleviates UV-provoked skin cell damage via regulation of thioredoxin interacting protein and thioredoxin reductase 2, Photochemistry and Photobiology Sciences 2023;22(10) — topical TFPS treatment in chronic UV-irradiated mouse model reduced photoaging markers and protected skin cells from UVA-induced damage
Shen T et al., Tremella fuciformis polysaccharides inhibit UVA-induced photodamage of human dermal fibroblast cells by up-regulating Nrf2/Keap1 pathways, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 2021
Khongkow M et al. (Thailand), Formulation and efficacy evaluation of a moisturizing snow mushroom hand sanitizer, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 2021;20(2):643-650
Sources: PubMed · KCI · J-Stage · CNKI · Wanfang · SFD · MFDS · Cochrane · SCCS · CIR. Every entry points to a specific document. See methodology for what each outcome label means.