Pierre Fabre has signed a five-year sponsorship agreement with the Hospital-University Institute (IHU) HealthAge at the University Hospital Center of Toulouse, France. This historic partnership, which was initiated in 2012, with the teams led by Professor Bruno Vellas, founding President of the IHU HealthAge is set to improve the treatment of the first signs of skin aging.

According to Pierre Fabre, significant progress has been made already, particularly through the research program launched in 2020 as part of the INSPIRE T cohort, which follows over 1,000 volunteers aged 20 to 100 over a period of ten years.

"We took advantage of the INSPIRE T cohort to establish a unique research program on skin aging with the CHU of Toulouse, Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier University, and Inserm, co-founders of the IHU HealthAge. The initial results obtained are very promising and represent an important step in understanding the biological mechanisms underlying skin aging," reveals Sandrine Bessou Touya, Director of Applied Research at Pierre Fabre Dermo Cosmetics.

New product developments for Avène

Pierre Fabre Laboratories intend to leverage these results to improve the way they address skin aging.

Indeed, this research program with IHU HealthAge is expected to lead to the identification of predictive biomarkers of aging and transitioning to skin fragility. For instance, the results could enable the determination of a person’s biological age, which is often different from their chronological age.

This major advancement, based on medical research, will pave the way for the development of personalized, preventive care capable of delaying or even reversing the first signs of skin aging,” highlights the Group in a statement.

Pierre Fabre intends to apply these advances in medical research to develop new products within its iconic Eau Thermale Avène brand.