In 2000, gerontologist Claudio Franceschi published an article that changed how aging research understands the process: he described inflammaging as a state of chronic, low-grade inflammation that progressively settles in the body with age. It is not the acute inflammation of a wound. It does not hurt. It has no visible symptoms. But it continuously damages tissues, and the skin is one of the first places where this damage becomes evident.
What is inflammaging and how did science describe it?
Inflammaging—a contraction of "inflammation" and "aging"—describes a chronic, low-grade inflammatory phenotype that characterizes aging in mammals. It is distinguished from acute inflammation (which is transient, localized, and reparative) in that it is systemic, persistent, and cumulative. At the molecular level, it is expressed as a sustained elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines—IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α—and acute phase proteins in the plasma.
The causes are multiple and self-reinforcing: accumulation of senescent cells that secrete the pro-inflammatory "secretome" (SASP), mitochondrial dysfunction that generates ROS, deterioration of immunosurveillance, changes in the gut microbiome, and cumulative exposure to inflammatory stimuli (UV, tobacco, pro-inflammatory diet, chronic stress).
How inflammaging manifests in the skin
In the skin, inflammaging is expressed through the sustained activation of metalloproteinases (MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-9) that degrade collagen and elastin in the extracellular matrix. It also reduces the synthesis of new collagen by fibroblasts, impairs barrier function, and increases skin reactivity to external stimuli. The visible result is the accumulation of the signs we usually associate with "normal aging": loss of firmness, deeper wrinkles, and a more irregular texture.
Skin affected by accelerated inflammaging is not just aged skin: it is skin in a state of greater biological stress that responds less effectively to topical actives, recovers more slowly, and has a greater tendency to reactivity. Addressing inflammaging from within is not an aesthetic strategy: it is an intervention on the underlying biology.
Factors that accelerate it: diet, stress, endocrine disruptors
The factors that accelerate inflammaging are largely modifiable. A diet high in glycemic index and saturated fatty acids increases the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Chronic stress activates the HPA axis and elevates cortisol, which has long-term pro-inflammatory effects. UV exposure directly activates NF-kB in the skin. Tobacco, air pollution, and endocrine disruptors add additional inflammatory stimuli.
The NF-kB pathway: the switch that activates chronic inflammation
Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) is a transcription factor that acts as a central "switch" for the inflammatory response. When activated—by ROS, UV, inflammatory cytokines, advanced glycation end products—it induces the expression of dozens of pro-inflammatory genes, including metalloproteinases. Several of the active ingredients in the LEVIAL formula—trans-resveratrol, curcuminoids, astaxanthin—have documented activity as NF-kB inhibitors.
Actives with systemic anti-inflammatory evidence
Scientific literature has identified several natural active ingredients with inflammaging-modulating activity. Resveratrol activates SIRT1, which inhibits NF-kB and reduces SASP production in senescent cells. Curcuminoids (HydroCurc®) inhibit COX-2 and block NF-kB signaling. Astaxanthin reduces IL-6 and TNF-α production in cellular and in vivo models. CoQ10 improves mitochondrial function, reducing the endogenous source of ROS that activates NF-kB.
An approach of sustained prevention, not targeted treatment
Inflammaging is not "treated" in a month. It is a biological state that is modulated by sustained interventions over time: an anti-inflammatory diet, stress management, regular exercise, photoprotection, and nutritional support with active ingredients with documented anti-inflammatory activity. LEVIAL is not a miracle solution for inflammaging: it is one component of a coherent strategy, with the right active ingredients at the right doses.
