Move over snails. 2014 is the Year of the Starfish (Extract).

There are a number of positive reviews on the Mizon Returning Starfish Cream knocking about and it has been getting a pretty good reputation lately - and a lot of questions about Starfish Extract. I've done a bit of research!

Will you regenerate the face of a 15-year old? Maybe not. Could it be useful in preventing/slowing PIH, treating acne and inflammations? Here’s a basic primer (or... maybe a little more then basic) on the ingredient and some interesting studies that support its use in cosmetics and potential benefits.

The basics

A starfish is a star-shaped marine invertebrate belonging to the class Asteroidea. They (typically) have 5 arms and they vary in size and habitat. Of interest to us, most starfish are capable of regenerating arms and legs from the central disc (potentially dropped in times of stress). Some have the ability to regenerate a new disc (that's right. a new body) from a removed arm. The idea that they have such amazing regenerative abilities has spawned an interest in starfish for cosmetic and drug use. No, not really expecting you to regenerate limbs - but using starfish to aid in the regeneration of skin cells (cell turnover)!

The starfish cream you may have heard about lately is Mizon’s Returning Starfish Cream (& Eye Cream variation) which claims to contain 70% starfish extract. Mizon advertises it as having repairing, firming and water-trapping properties. Get it? Returning starfish? Like… returning limbs ?!

Potential Benefits of Starfish Extract

Starfish extract (which is powdered, and then re-constituted using enzymes, water, or methanol) is very stable (even at high temperatures) and can be used at a range of pHs [6].

Starfish extracts have anti-microbial effects when tested for fungi and yeast growth - this may be due to the steroidal compounds they contain. This effect may also be interpreted as anti-tumor as the same study observed extracts showed some effects on slowing tumor cell growth [6]. These steroidal compounds may be generated by the starfish to deter predators from feeding on them [1][6].

One study by Jeong et al. tested the melanin production of mushroom cells when starfish extracts (from A. pectinifera) were applied; they found that powdered starfish extract may “contain potential skin-whitening materials that could induce reduction of melanogenesis in melan-a cells by reduction of tyrosinase activity [4]”. The conclusion of the study was that starfish extracts may slow the process [melanogenesis - cell production of melanin, which pigments skin cells] that causes hyperpigmentation, and may be a promising cosmetic additive.

Another study using the same starfish extract tested it’s anti-inflammatory ability and found that it “demonstrated a strong anti-inflammatory effect through its ability to reduce NO production and it also inhibited the production of proinflammatory cytokines [1]”.

On a different species of starfish, P. regulus, one study evaluated the starfish extract on wound healing capabilities (on guinea pigs) and found that wounds treated with the starfish extract healed faster, and that P. regulus extracts have potential wound-healing abilities [5].

Ok, so… where do they get these starfish?

Mizon does not identify which species of starfish are used in their cream; however, studies have been done on both Asterina pectinifera (blue bat star) and Pentaceraster regulus (Spotted Seastar). Both A. pectinfera and P. regulus are starfish commonly found in the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea.

Starfish are opportunistic eaters that are often carnivorous - in South Korea, they are common pests that are capable of causing damages to shellfish farms along the coast [2][1]. Starfish can regenerate quickly and reproduce both sexually and asexually, and are quite prolific in these areas. As a result they are often collected and exterminated for pest control - for this reason it’s also possible A. amurensis (a starfish that is highly invasive and also found in and around Korea and Japan) is used in cosmetics [2]. In fact, there are dedicated starfish-collecting methods, one of which is the the mop method, which is awesome [3].

This is quite interesting as it seems like starfish are systematically exterminated and disposed of each year as pests - potentially using them in cosmetics or drugs is actually useful ecologically but economically as well.

Starfish Extract - What Even Is

Warning: This will be a little (a lot?) NSFL - if you have issues with animal products (why are you considering a starfish cream) or are a bit squeamish, you can skip this section. The non-gross TL;DR: we don’t know exactly what’s in a cream, though based on studies using starfish extract, it is likely powdered.

For studies that have looked at starfish extract, the extract is obtained in generally the same process; they are captured and left to dry out. At that point they are either blended dry into a powder or reconstituted with methanol and blended. The resulting powder or blended mush is pH adjusted, enzymes may be added, and then filtered, perhaps numerous times. The most popular, and most effective, methods appear to be dissolving the powdered starfish in enzymes or methanol concentrations.

You may be wondering what exactly that contains. Starfish, like other members of the echioderm phyla, are very simple organisms without the complex organs you might expect. They mostly consist of a tube radiating from the center, and some guts stuff that looks really awesome gross. Basically, starfish are mostly mush. Starfish extract - with the methods described in the literature cited - is likely composed of proteins and other constituents of starfish mush.

Have I convinced you? Keep in mind that cosmetics would promise you the moon if you'd buy the product, but it certainly seems like a promising cosmetic additive. Let me know if you have questions/qualms; as always read on through the citations if you'd like to explore more in-depth.

Edit: u/iirteoo has included some great information in the comments about the difference between hydrolyzed extracts and the ones commonly discussed in these papers! Rest assured, it is highly unlikely there will be methanol involved in the starfish extracts for cosmetic use.

1. [1] Jo W.S. Choi Y.J. Methanolic Extract of Asterina pectinifera inhibits LPS-Induced Inflammatory Mediators in Murine Macrophage. Toxicol Res. Mar 2010; 26(1): 37-46.

2. [2] Park S.W. Kim T.H. Oh H.K. A study on the development of the extermination gear for starfish Asterias amurensis and its efficiency. Bull. Korean Soc. Tech.1997;33:166–172.

3. [3] Starfish Mopping

4. [4] Jeong, M. -H, et al. Inhibitory Effects of Asterina Pectinifera Extracts on Melanin Biosynthesis through Tyrosinase Activity. International journal of molecular medicine 31.1 (2013): 205-12.

5. [5] Gupta, A, et al. Wound Healing In Guinea Pigs After Topical Application Of Starfish Pentaceraster Regulus Extract. Journal Of Wound Care 17.10 (2008): 441-444.

6. [6] Choi D.H. Shin S. Park I.K. Characterization of antimicrobial agents extracted from Asterina pectinifera. Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents. 1999;11:65–68.