Chapter 17 - Cosmetic applications of herbal products and encapsulated herbal active extracts

Abstract

In the last years, the demand for natural and green cosmetics, mostly based on herbal extracts, has expanded around the world, mainly due to the presence of high value-added biological molecules, such as phytochemicals and volatile compounds. Phytochemicals are priceless sources of bioactive compounds with multiple health benefits, particularly at the skin level. These active compounds may provide remarkable biological properties, namely antioxidant, antiinflammatory, or even antimicrobial activities. Besides that, new technological approaches based on encapsulation have raised an opportunity to enhance the transdermal absorption of these bioactive compounds, leading to a possible increase of the in vivo effects (e.g., hydration and elasticity effects in the viable epidermis), in some cases with suitable and promising results that allow their implementation in the market area. Nevertheless, legislation needs to be carefully considered during the validation process of these nonencapsulated/encapsulated cosmetic ingredients as well as the final product development. This chapter aims to review the herbal extracts used in cosmetic products, focusing on their biological activities (e.g., antioxidant, antiinflammatory, and antiacne actions) and in vivo effects, particularly after encapsulation, aiming to achieve better efficacy without toxicity. The market of cosmetic products and patents available with herbal extracts as active ingredients will also be deeply discussed.