Use Pancake Syrup to Sweeten your Breakfast and to Get Ageless Skin!

There is no secret that combatting facial fine lines requires two specific ingredients in particular: retinol, a vitamin A derivative often boasted as the "quality grade ingredient" thanks to its ability to increase cell turnover, and hyaluronic acid, a humectant, which reduces the loss of moisture in cells and hydrates and plumps skin from the inside out.

Surprisingly, there's a new fine line-erasing ingredient on the scene, and it's found in nature, exactly as is. Newer research presented by scientists at the 256th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society earlier this week found that maple leaf extract yes, derived from the very same tree as the syrup that you drizzle over your pancakes could be used to treat wrinkles, which, as the report suggests, are a direct result of elastin breakdown in the skin.

"We wanted to see whether leaf extracts from red maple trees could block the activity of elastase," says Hang Ma, PhD, from the University of Rhode Island, who presented the findings at the meeting. According to the report, the researchers "zeroed in on phenolic (aka resinous) compounds in the leaves known as glucitol-core-containing gallotannins (GCGs)." They then "examined each compound’s ability to inhibit elastase activity in a test tube" and carried out "computational studies" to see how GCGs react with elastane in general.

What they found was impactful to the beauty industry especially in terms of how this ingredient works its magic on wrinkles. "You could imagine that these extracts might tighten up human skin like a plant-based Botox," explains Navindra P. Seeram, Ph.D., the project’s lead investigator, who mentioned that maple leaf extract would be a topical application, "not an injected toxin."

As maple leaf extract is plant-derived, it's completely natural and there's more. The study found that the GCGs in maple leaves can also shield skin from inflammation and treat dark spots and pigmentation, too. The researchers aren't just documenting their findings either: The report shows that they have been actively trying to get maple leaf extract into products, after patenting their formulation as Maplifa.

While their scientifically-backed face cream might not be ready just yet, there are other formulas on the market that are already making the most of maple extract: Dr. Brandt Skincare's brand-new Radiance Resurfacing Foam uses alpha-hydroxy acids derived from sugar maple, and Tata Harper's beloved Crème Riche uses an extract derived from the bark of the red maple tree as a key source of antioxidants. Sure, they're a little more expensive than a value-size jug of your typical breakfast maple syrup, but a lot less sticky, too.