Deep beneath your skin's surface, in a layer called the dermis, specialized cells work continuously to maintain the structural matrix that gives skin its strength and elasticity. These cells—fibroblasts—produce collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. They're essentially the construction workers of your skin, building and maintaining the scaffold that supports everything above.
When fibroblasts slow down, skin ages visibly. When they remain active, skin maintains its youthful structure.
Research shows colostrum activates fibroblasts with striking effectiveness.
Understanding What Fibroblasts Actually Do
Fibroblasts are the primary cells of connective tissue. In skin, they reside in the dermis and perform several critical functions:
Collagen production. Fibroblasts synthesize collagen—the most abundant protein in your body and the primary structural component of skin. Collagen fibers provide tensile strength and resist stretching. When collagen degrades faster than it's produced, wrinkles and sagging result.
Elastin synthesis. Elastin fibers allow skin to stretch and snap back. The rubber-band quality of youthful skin depends on healthy elastin networks. Once degraded, elastin is very difficult to replace.
Hyaluronic acid secretion. Fibroblasts produce this molecule that binds water in the extracellular matrix. Abundant hyaluronic acid means plump, hydrated skin. Declining levels contribute to the thin, dry appearance of aged skin.
Matrix maintenance. Beyond producing structural proteins, fibroblasts organize and maintain the extracellular matrix—the gel-like environment in which skin cells exist.
Wound healing. When skin is damaged, fibroblasts migrate to the wound site, proliferate, and produce the new matrix needed for repair.
Every aspect of skin aging—wrinkles, sagging, thinning, slow healing—traces back to declining fibroblast function.
The Research on Colostrum and Fibroblasts
Multiple studies have examined colostrum's effects on fibroblast activity. The results are remarkably consistent: colostrum stimulates fibroblast proliferation.
A 2024 study published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences tested sheep colostrum on human skin fibroblasts. The findings were striking:
- At 24 hours, fibroblast proliferation increased to 191.2% of control levels
- At 48 hours, proliferation reached 222.2% of controls
That's more than double the normal proliferation rate from colostrum exposure alone.
The same study examined human diabetic fibroblasts—cells that typically struggle to proliferate due to metabolic dysfunction. Even these compromised cells showed 115.4% stimulation from colostrum treatment.
Research on colostrum-derived extracellular vesicles found they "promote fibroblast proliferation, migration, and endothelial tube formation." Migration matters because fibroblasts need to move to sites of damage; proliferation matters because you need enough of them to do the work.
A 2025 study specifically examining colostrum-derived lactoferrin found it "significantly promoted fibroblast viability and migration in both mouse NIH/3T3 and human HS-68 cell lines."
The Growth Factor Mechanism
Why does colostrum so effectively stimulate fibroblasts? The answer lies in its growth factor content.
Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) binds to IGF-1 receptors on fibroblasts, activating intracellular signaling pathways that increase proliferation and protein synthesis. Research shows IGF-1 stimulates collagen production while supporting cell survival.
Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGF-β) plays a crucial role in matrix synthesis. It stimulates fibroblasts to produce collagen and other extracellular matrix components while regulating the balance between matrix production and degradation.
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF) is particularly important for wound healing, stimulating fibroblast migration and proliferation at injury sites. In cosmetic applications, similar effects may support ongoing skin renewal.
Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) influences multiple cell types including fibroblasts. Stanley Cohen's Nobel Prize-winning research demonstrated EGF's fundamental role in cell proliferation.
These growth factors don't work in isolation. Research suggests they interact synergistically, each modulating the others' effects. The natural ratios found in colostrum may be more effective than isolated growth factors precisely because of these interactions.
Clinical Outcomes Linked to Fibroblast Activity
The clinical trial on sheep colostrum cream found measurable improvements in skin firmness—an outcome directly related to collagen content and organization. When cutometer measurements showed improved elasticity, the implication is that something was happening at the fibroblast level.
Similarly, reduced transepidermal water loss (TEWL) indicates improved matrix quality. The hyaluronic acid and structural proteins that maintain barrier function are fibroblast products.
Even the subjective reports of "improved softness" align with enhanced matrix hydration—a fibroblast-dependent outcome.
Why This Matters as We Age
Fibroblast activity naturally declines with age. This decline is driven by multiple factors:
- Reduced growth factor availability
- Accumulated cellular damage
- Mitochondrial dysfunction
- Chronic inflammation
- Hormonal changes (particularly estrogen decline in women)
By their 80s, people may have lost 50% or more of their dermal fibroblast density compared to their 30s. The remaining cells are less active and less responsive to stimulation.
Any intervention that supports fibroblast function—maintaining cell numbers, enhancing activity, or providing growth factor support—addresses this fundamental aging mechanism.
Colostrum provides exogenous growth factors that may compensate for declining endogenous production. It's not forcing cells to do something unnatural; it's providing signals they're designed to respond to but may not be receiving adequately from aged tissues.
The Fresh vs. Powdered Distinction
Growth factors are proteins, and proteins can be damaged by heat, oxidation, and other processing stresses. The difference between fresh colostrum and reconstituted powdered colostrum likely matters for fibroblast-stimulating activity.
When milk is spray-dried to create powder, high temperatures can denature proteins. While the basic nutritional content remains, bioactive proteins with specific three-dimensional structures may lose function.
Our Colostrum Cream uses caprine colostrum collected within 24 hours of birth on our Washington State farm. We process it to preserve bioactive compounds rather than optimizing for shelf stability or transport convenience.
The research showing fibroblast stimulation was conducted with fresh or carefully preserved colostrum. Whether reconstituted powdered colostrum would show similar effects is uncertain—and it's a question some competitors may not want asked.
Beyond Single-Ingredient Thinking
Fibroblast stimulation from colostrum represents one mechanism among several. Colostrum also provides:
- Anti-inflammatory compounds that protect fibroblasts from damage
- Antioxidants that neutralize oxidative stress
- Immunoglobulins that support skin immunity
- Lactoferrin with antimicrobial and healing properties
A fibroblast producing collagen in an inflamed, oxidatively stressed environment will achieve less than one working in a supported, protected environment. Colostrum's multi-compound approach addresses both the stimulation and the conditions for success.
This complexity is why natural ingredients often outperform isolated compounds. We're working with millions of years of evolutionary refinement—a system where every component has a role.
What Healthier Fibroblasts Mean for Your Skin
When fibroblasts are active and well-supported:
- Collagen production maintains skin structure
- Elastin networks stay functional
- Hyaluronic acid keeps skin hydrated from within
- Wounds heal faster and more completely
- The dermis maintains thickness and resilience
These aren't cosmetic surface effects. They're fundamental tissue health outcomes that happen to be visible because skin is visible.
Our Colostrum Cream was formulated with fibroblast support as a primary goal. The colostrum provides growth factors; the MSM provides additional anti-inflammatory support; the carrier oils provide fatty acids that support cell membrane health.
The research says this approach works. The mechanism—fibroblast stimulation—explains why.
