Simple Summary
Skin aging is a natural process that becomes more visible due to factors like sun exposure, pollution, and unhealthy lifestyles, leading to wrinkles, loss of elasticity, and dull skin. This review explores how certain natural compounds found in everyday foods—such as turmeric, grapes, broccoli, ginger, and traditional herbs—can help slow down skin aging by targeting cellular pathways. These dietary ingredients work by activating a protective protein in our cells called NRF2, which helps reduce damage caused by stress and inflammation, and supports the health of skin cells. We summarize scientific evidence showing that these food-derived compounds can enhance the skin’s natural defenses, improve its appearance, and delay signs of aging. This research supports the idea that what we eat can directly influence how our skin ages, offering a natural and accessible approach to maintaining skin health through diet and functional foods. Further studies may help develop effective food-based products for long-term skin care.
Abstract
Skin aging is driven largely by oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction, processes closely linked to cellular senescence and declining NRF2 activity. Numerous dietary phytochemicals—such as curcumin (from turmeric), resveratrol (from grapes), sulforaphane (from cruciferous vegetables), zerumbone, and salvianolic acid B—abundant in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and traditional food sources, exhibit potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This review systematically elucidates the molecular mechanisms by which these compounds mitigate skin aging, primarily through modulating the NRF2 signaling pathway. We further integrate insights from clinical trials of NRF2-targeting agents to inform the translational potential of these dietary bioactives. Molecular docking analyses confirm that these food-derived compounds interact directly with the KEAP1-NRF2 complex, promoting NRF2 activation. Transcriptomic analyses of skin-related datasets (GSE35160, GSE71910, GSE185129) further validate the downregulation of key NRF2-regulated cytoprotective genes (e.g., FTH1, FTL, HMOX1, SLC7A11) involved in antioxidant defense and the suppression of pro-inflammatory mediators. Based on this mechanistic foundation, we discuss the translational potential of these food-derived bioactives and the rationale for their future incorporation into skin-health-promoting nutraceuticals. We highlight how these food-derived phenolics and other bioactives may be incorporated into functional foods or nutraceuticals to support skin health from within, offering a dietary strategy to delay aging. We acknowledge that key translational challenges, such as oral bioavailability and optimal formulation, require further investigation. Further research is warranted to bridge these mechanistic insights into effective human applications.