Antimicrobial activity of cashew leaves extracts used in cosmetics before and after treatment with activated carbon

Abstract

With the increasing concern of public health and consumers’ awareness, non-chemical cosmetics are booming worldwide. Natural ingredients such as cashew leaves extract could be an attractive candidate in cosmetic formulation due to this important criteria that antimicrobial activities could minimise or replace the use of synthetic perservatives in cosmetics. However, the plant extracts are normally dark brown and greenish color that might spoil the appearance of the products if they are added in cosmetic formulation. In order to solve this problem, using activated carbon was conducted to eliminate the intense color of plant extract without affecting the cosmeceutical properties. Ethanol and water extracts of cashew leaves (CL) were compared for the cosmeceutical properties mainly the colour and antimicrobial activities. The system was tested with different concentration of cashew leaves extract (CLE) (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30%) for solid and liquied form of CLE before treatment with activated carbon and after contact with (10, 15, 20 and 25 g). The study shows that 15 g activated carbon using 20% CL (water) produces microbial activity index of 1.09. Moreover, using a similar system, 25% CL (ethanol) produces microbial activity index (MAI) of 1.00. Key words: Decolorisation, antimicrobial activity, ethanol extract, water extract, cashew leaves, cosmeceutical.