# Chaves Thermal Spring Water Impact on Skin Health: Potential Cosmetic Application
## 5 Conclusions  
Overall, the present study provides a comprehensive evaluation of the biological potential of Chaves thermal spring water as a cosmetic product.  
Due to its closeness to a neutral pH level, Chaves thermal spring water reveals itself as an ideal candidate for topical application, without disrupting the skin's natural acidity. It also exhibits a low-mineralized composition, aligning it with other renowned, commercially available thermal waters known for their dermatological benefits.  
The most notable characteristic of this water is its anti-inflammatory properties. As demonstrated here, Chaves thermal spring water significantly reduced the IL-6 levels in HaCaT cells that were exposed to urban pollution, making it relevant in the context of increasing environmental stressors affecting skin health.  
Additionally, the clinical study here employed revealed a significant reduction in transepidermal water loss in the human volunteers, suggesting that Chaves thermal spring water may help restore the skin barrier function, which is a critical finding for individuals with skin conditions associated with an impaired barrier function.  
In summary, this study establishes a solid foundation for the use of Chaves thermal spring water as a cosmetic ingredient, highlighting its benefits for skin health. However, it is necessary to perform additional studies, including those with a high number of volunteers with different skin diseases (such as psoriasis and eczema), to evaluate the beneficial effects of Chaves thermal water on affected skin.  
Conceptualization, A.R.M.; methodology, I.P.-R., C.C., P.E.R., M.J.C., A.R.M., S.P., P.C., J.A.-S. and A.L.S.O.; software, I.P.-R., S.S.P., J.A.-S. and A.P.; validation, A.R.M. and M.P.; formal analysis, I.P.-R., C.C., S.S.P., J.A.-S. and A.L.S.O.; investigation, I.P.-R., C.C., P.E.R., M.J.C., A.M., S.S.P., P.C., J.A.-S. and A.L.S.O.; resources, M.P. and A.R.M.; data curation, M.P. and A.R.M.; writing--original draft preparation, I.P.-R., P.E.R. and C.C.; writing--review and editing, P.E.R.; visualization, I.P.-R.; supervision, A.R.M. and M.P.; project administration, M.P. and A.R.M.; funding acquisition, A.R.M. and M.P. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research was funded by the Project PL23-00053, \"Therm4 Skin--Bem-Estar Sem Pausa\", Promove o futuro do Interior, call 2023 and CBQF under the FCT project UIDB/50016/2020 through national funds, and the co-funding by FEDER, within the PT02020 Partnership Agreement.  
This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and it was approved by the Health Ethics Committee of the Portuguese Catholic University (CES-UCP) (Project 83, approved in 17 September 2020) for studies involving volunteers.  
Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in this study.  
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors on request.  
The authors thank the scientific collaboration of Amyris Bio Products Portugal.  
Authors [PERSON] and [PERSON] were employed by the company Amyris Bio Products Portugal, Unipessoal Lda. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.