A lab study found that oil from Schisandra chinensis fruit, rich in five lignan compounds, can calm skin cells inflamed by acne bacteria. In human skin cell cultures, the oil lowered inflammation signals, reduced harmful reactive oxygen species, blocked calcium influx, and decreased the antimicrobial peptide LL‑37, which is linked to skin irritation. While the work is only in cells, it hints that Schisandra oil might be a useful anti‑acne or anti‑inflammatory ingredient in topical skin products.

<i>Propionibacterium acnes</i> causes upregulation of inflammatory factors, such as cycloxygenase-2, prostaglandin E2, interleukin-1&#x3b2;, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inward flow of calcium ions. This causes increased levels of the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 and inflammation of the skin, leading to redness, swelling, itching and other symptoms. <i>Schisandra chinensis</i> fruit oil (SCO) is rich in lignan active ingredients with various antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, SCO is obtained by supercritical CO2 fluid extraction. SCO's anti-inflammatory actions were investigated using <i>P. acnes</i>-induced inflammation HaCaT cells model. A method based on reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography with a diode array detector was developed and validated for the simultaneous detection of five lignan components. Levels of inflammatory factors and LL-37 were measured by ELISA kit and western blot respectively. Ca2+ and ROS levels detected by flow cytometry. The experimental results show that the contents of schisanol A, schisanol B, schisanin A, schisanin B, and schisanin C were 33.89 &#xb1; 0.24, 14.89 &#xb1; 0.45, 8.92 &#xb1; 0.02, 29.14 &#xb1; 0.67, and 4.74 &#xb1; 0.09 mg/g, respectively. Studies have demonstrated that SCO can alleviate skin inflammation by inhibiting the COX-2/PGE2 and NF-&#x3ba;B signalling pathway. In addition, SCO can inhibit ROS production, significantly block inward Ca2+ flow, alleviate cell damage, and modulate the content of the antimicrobial peptide LL-37. In summary, our study elucidated the anti-inflammatory activity of SCO in a cell model and provided a scientific basis for its application as a raw material in skin care.