Yet one newcomer is generating considerable attention from skin experts, thanks to its established abilities in other areas of medicine. Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug that has been in use since the late 1990s, is showing promise in the field of longevity. Specifically, rapamycin may have the potential to slow down or even reverse cell aging.
In fact, its strong anti-inflammatory benefits combined with its ability to boost skin’s collagen production may make rapamycin the next game-changing ingredient in skincare. We rounded up the latest research to examine what it can and can’t do for your skin.
What is rapamycin?
Rapamycin (pronounced ra·puh·mai·sn) is a bacteria-produced compound named for where it was discovered, Rapa Nui (also known as Easter Island), off the coast of Chile. According to one paper, it was found in a soil sample during medical expeditions to the island in the 1960s and ’70s to look for new antibiotics from natural sources.
When researchers discovered that the compound could stop the growth of cells, it was submitted for cancer research and eventually gained FDA approval in 1999 as an oral immunosuppressant drug. Since then, it’s been used to help prevent organ rejection in transplant patients and in anticancer therapies, among other medical uses.
Exciting new potential came in recent years, when a flurry of research indicated that rapamycin (also known as sirolimus) could possibly slow down the body’s aging process, regardless of how old you are when rapamycin is introduced into the body.
One study on middle-aged mice found that feeding them rapamycin in small doses for three months extended their lifespan by up to 60%. It also kept them healthier for longer, delaying age-related diseases such as cancer. Other animal studies have also shown that rapamycin extends lifespan. While the drug’s lifespan capabilities have not been studied in humans when taken orally, researchers say the outlook is promising.
“Rapamycin has the potential to optimize lifespan and reduce a lot of chronic illnesses and signs of disease,” says Jacqueline G. Goldminz, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Topical rapamycin creams have been used to treat certain skin disorders such as psoriasis, but it’s the compound’s potential to slow skin aging that has piqued dermatologists’ interest.
What does rapamycin do for the skin?
The big question on everyone’s mind in beauty: Is rapamycin anti-aging for skin? So far, all signs point to yes. While the research in this area is still in its early stages, initial findings have experts excited.
Dr. Goldminz cites a small study in which participants over the age of 40 applied a topical rapamycin cream to the backs of their hands every one to two days for eight months. By the end of the study, the majority showed significant improvement in skin photoaging, including fewer wrinkles, less sagging, increased volume, and brighter and more even skin tone.
Even more compelling, though, is what happened beneath the surface: a measured increase in collagen and a shift in cellular behavior that mirrored younger skin. In other words, rapamycin may not just improve how skin looks. It may actually reverse cellular aging to make the skin act younger.
This is because rapamycin works through a different biological pathway than other anti-aging ingredients. While retinoids such as tretinoin stimulate all skin cells to ramp up collagen production, rapamycin takes a more refined approach. It helps reverse cellular aging by clearing out old, dying cells (known as senescent or “zombie" cells) and optimizing the high-functioning ones, enabling them to produce healthy collagen and elastin like they did in their youthful prime.
Think of it this way: A retinoid is like a drill sergeant pushing soldiers of all ages to work harder. Rapamycin, on the other hand, retires the older, worn-out troops and empowers the strongest, fittest recruits to step up and perform at their peak.
Which is key, because as we age, our ratio of dysfunctional cells to functional cells begins to shift. When we’re young, old senescent cells are regularly cleared away. But as we get older, this process slows, allowing old, dysfunctional cells to build up and release highly inflammatory molecules that degrade tissue and speed up skin aging.
Regularly getting rid of old cells is crucial to strengthening the skin and optimizing its functions, which not only improves the health and vitality of skin. It also allows the skincare actives you apply to do their best work and give you better results.
How should I use rapamycin in my skincare routine?
Currently, topical rapamycin is available only via prescription. Cottonball VX.1 Advanced Anti-Aging and Repair Complex is a nightly treatment that combines rapamycin with tretinoin and bakuchiol for maximum age-fighting benefits. It works deep at the cellular level to stimulate skin cell renewal, enhance collagen production, and improve skin’s tone and texture.
Dr. Goldminz notes that since retinoids like tretinoin can sometimes cause dryness and irritation as your skin adjusts to the ingredient—“particularly in mature skin that is typically drier with reduced skin barrier function”— rapamycin’s anti-inflammatory properties may help offset these side effects.
The VX.1 formula can be customized to your skin’s needs with targeted actives like niacinamide and dexpanthenol to calm irritation and support the skin barrier, tranexamic acid to address discoloration and even out skin tone, and azelaic acid to combat acne.
Whichever ingredients end up in your VX.1, apply your rapamycin product at night on clean skin, then follow with a basic moisturizer that doesn’t contain anti-agers or exfoliants. Dr. Goldminz recommends a cream that’s fragrance-free and rich enough to hydrate your skin type.
And be sure to smooth on SPF 30 or higher every morning to help protect skin from the aging effects of the sun. Otherwise, you’re just working against everything that rapamycin and your other nighttime skin actives are trying to achieve.
How long does it take to see results from rapamycin?
In the study where participants applied rapamycin to the backs of their hands, visible improvements in the skin were seen after four months of consistent use and continued to escalate throughout the duration of the eight-month study.
While there haven’t been any similar studies on facial skin, experts believe it takes a similar amount of time to see results on the complexion.
Are there any potential side effects of topical rapamycin?
Some people using topical rapamycin creams for medical purposes have reported mild irritation, though this seems less likely to occur from the concentrations being used in cosmetic skincare. Although rapamycin is an anti-inflammatory, Dr. Goldminz notes that it could cause mild dryness as your skin adjusts to the ingredient—but nothing that a good, rich moisturizer can’t fix.
Since rapamycin is available only through a prescription, you should review your medical history with your prescriber to be sure it’s a good fit for you. The FDA label for topical rapamycin indicates to avoid use when pregnant, and caution when there is an increased risk of infection or existing immunosupression (being treated for rheumatoid arthritis), or active cancer treatments. Patients who are trying to conceive or at risk of pregnancy should also avoid.
As dermatologists and researchers continue to study the potential age-reversing power of rapamycin, we can tap into its complexion-enhancing benefits now and experience what just may be the future of anti-aging skincare.
To find out if Cottonball VX.1 Advanced Anti-Aging and Repair Complex is right for you, take this short quiz now.
Raise Your Ingredient IQ
Smoother skin starts today. See what our prescription wrinkle-fighters can do.
