Sebaceous Glands Changes Following Topical Application of Citral

The study investigated the effects of citral, a flavor cosmetic constituent, on male rat skin. Over a period of 3 months, a daily topical application of a 15.4% citral solution led to an increase in the number of sebaceous gland lobules and hyperplasia of sebaceous cells in each gland. The researchers suggested that this hyperplasia might be due to the activation of testosterone 5 alpha-reductase, which induces the formation of dihydrotestosterone, a mediator of sebaceous gland activity.