An interventional study of MK-7 Eye Cream and Placebo Eye Cream in Dark Eye Circles (Periorbital Hyperpigmentation), sponsored by Nanjing Ascend Biotech Technology Co., Ltd.. Completed at 1 site in China. Open to female participants aged 20 Years to 60 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-19.
Sponsored by Nanjing Ascend Biotech Technology Co., Ltd. · Not applicable, Interventional, and Other
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if an eye cream containing 0.05% Vitamin K2 (35) (MK-7) works to reduce vascular-type dark eye circles in women aged 20-60 years. It will also learn about the mechanism of action of MK-7 through laboratory studies. The main questions it aims to answer are:
Does the MK-7 eye cream improve under-eye skin color (lightness (L*) and individual typology angle (ITA°)) after 4 weeks of use?
Does the MK-7 eye cream reduce under-eye melanin content after 4 weeks of use?
Does the MK-7 eye cream perform better than a placebo eye cream in improving these parameters?
Researchers will compare the MK-7 eye cream applied to one eye area to a placebo eye cream (a look-alike substance that contains no MK-7) applied to the other eye area to see if the MK-7 eye cream works to reduce dark eye circles. This is a double-blind, split-face study, meaning each participant receives both products but neither the participants nor the assessors know which side received which product.
Participants will:
Apply the MK-7 eye cream to one eye area and the placebo eye cream to the other eye area twice daily for 4 weeks
Visit the clinic at baseline (T0), 2 weeks (T2w), and 4 weeks (T4w) for instrumental assessments, including VISIA imaging and Mexameter measurements
Be instructed not to apply any products to the designated test areas for 3-5 days before each assessment
Maintain their usual basic skincare routine (e.g., cleanser, toner) on areas outside the test sites
Provide informed consent before participating
127 studies on the registry are indexed under Hyperpigmentation; 28 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 34 is close to the median of 32 across 113 interventional studies indexed under Hyperpigmentation.
Browse Hyperpigmentation studies →Nanjing Ascend Biotech Technology Co., Ltd. is the lead sponsor of 2 studies on the registry; none are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Autoimmune disease
A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.
Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Eye cream containing 0.05% Vitamin K2 (35) (MK-7), applied twice daily to one randomly assigned eye area for 4 weeks.
Other: MK-7 Eye Cream
Eye cream without MK-7, applied twice daily to the contralateral eye area for 4 weeks.
Other: Placebo Eye Cream
Eye cream containing 0.05% Vitamin K2 (35) (MK-7). Applied topically to one randomly assigned eye area twice daily for 4 weeks.
Eye cream without MK-7. Applied topically to the contralateral eye area twice daily for 4 weeks.
Change in Individual Typology Angle (ITA°) of the under-eye area from baseline (T0) to Week 4 (T4w)
ITA° was derived from VISIA images analyzed using Image-Pro Plus software in the CIE Lab\* color space. Higher ITA° values indicate lighter skin complexion. The primary comparison was between the MK-7 Eye Cream-treated side and the Placebo Eye Cream-treated side at T4w.
Time frame: Baseline (T0) to Week 4 (T4w)
Change in L* value (lightness) of the under-eye area
L\* was derived from VISIA images analyzed using Image-Pro Plus software in the CIE Lab\* color space. L\* ranges from 0 (black) to 100 (white), with higher values indicating brighter skin. Classified as a secondary, exploratory endpoint.
Time frame: Baseline (T0) to Week 2 (T2w) and Week 4 (T4w)
Change in Melanin Index (MI) of the under-eye area
MI was measured by Mexameter, a reflectance-based device. Higher values indicate greater pigmentation/darker tone in the epidermis. Classified as a secondary, exploratory endpoint.
Time frame: Baseline (T0) to Week 2 (T2w) and Week 4 (T4w)
Change in Individual Typology Angle (ITA°) of the under-eye area at Week 2
ITA° was derived from VISIA images analyzed using Image-Pro Plus software. The T2w assessment was a secondary, exploratory time point intended to characterize the onset of treatment effect.
Time frame: Baseline (T0) to Week 2 (T2w)
Plan to share: Yes
Supporting information: Study protocol, Informed consent form
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
Ran from Jun 2024 to primary completion in Jul 2024, 0 months.
Of 27 industry-sponsored interventional studies with no phase under Hyperpigmentation, half reached primary completion within 3 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 3 and three quarters within 10. This study's 0 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 64 studies reached it within 7 months; a quarter within 3 and three quarters within 25.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Nanjing Ascend Biotech Technology Co., Ltd.